How can I make up for an error in a launch?

Question

For context, I joined last month and am an entry level software engineer. I was working on a feature for an entire continent and we realised during validation on the release call that there was a bug in my code which was not spotted earlier in the code review process. I feel really disappointed; even though my manager and teammates have assured me it’s not a big deal, I still think it paints a bad impression of me. How do I come back from this?

Jonathan C · Accepted Answer

(Note: I had ChatGPT ingest my taro profile, and give out this response)

Every engineer, at every level, has shipped a bug that made it to production. It’s part of the job. The fact that your manager and teammates aren’t making a big deal out of it should tell you something: This happens. What matters is how you respond.

1. Own It, But Don’t Dwell on It

You already acknowledged the mistake—that’s step one. No need to keep beating yourself up over it. Instead, shift your focus to learning and improving.

2. Identify How It Slipped Through

Instead of just feeling bad, ask yourself:

What kind of test could have caught this earlier?
Was there a gap in validation? Could a better unit/integration test have helped?
Were there warning signs in the code review that you or others overlooked?

3. Build a Simple Fix & Prevention Plan

If a fix is still needed, prioritize it and make it right.
Then, take the initiative to improve the process—maybe by adding better test coverage, refining code review checklists, or automating something that would have caught the issue earlier.
When you do this, it shows growth and ownership, which will impress your team far more than the original bug.

4. Zoom Out—This Won’t Define You

Your reputation isn’t built on one mistake—it’s built on patterns of behavior over time. Engineers aren’t judged by whether they make mistakes; they’re judged by:

How they respond to them
How quickly they recover and improve
Whether they take ownership and level up

5. Move Forward with Confidence

Take what you’ve learned, apply it, and keep shipping. No engineer—no matter how senior—writes perfect code all the time. What separates great engineers is their ability to iterate, improve, and move on.

This won’t be the last bug you introduce. But if you use this as a learning opportunity, you’ll come out of it as a stronger engineer—and that’s what really matters.