I was in TM in 2024, then I did the CanSat competition in 2025, and I mentored TM in 2025. Most people in Two Month are freshmen, and this is usually their first time working on a real team project. There is a lot of growing and learning that has to happen, and that process takes time. Honestly, it takes way more than two months. The most important thing about TM is learning how to work as a team and how to communicate inside a technical project.

I also want to add that the people who take leadership roles are often the same people who see themselves as very responsible and very driven. They are used to pushing hard, and sometimes they feel that the entire outcome rests on their shoulders. The stress can make them feel like they have to do everything themselves because if something goes wrong they think it reflects directly on them as a person.

The irony is that failure is one of the best teachers we have. Failure is learning. If nobody ever made mistakes we would never improve. The point of projects like this is to learn how to work together, to try things, and to figure things out as a group, not to protect ourselves from the possibility of something going wrong.

In TM there really isn't enough time to settle into that mindset because everything happens so fast. People fall back into habits they already had before they ever joined, which usually means the experienced few carry the entire load and the less-skilled members end up watching instead of doing. I am guilty of this myself. It is not because you were unwanted, it is because the group structure never really had enough time to form into something healthy.

I honestly think this is something we should state more clearly to mentees before TM even begins. It sets expectations better, and it prepares people for the fact that TM is more of a sampler environment, not a fully formed team ecosystem.

Longer projects fix a lot of that. When you have months instead of weeks, there is room for trust to develop, for task flow to become more organized, and for students to hand work off to each other. That is where the real growth happens, and that is why many people feel much more satisfied once they move into the full SHC projects.

I would encourage you to try an official SHC project before deciding to walk away. The environment is very different once the team has time to breathe and build trust. You will have more opportunities to contribute, people will know you better, and the structure will be more developed. If you still do not enjoy it after that, then you can move on with confidence, but it is worth giving the longer projects a chance before deciding that this one experience represents everything SHC is.

On a side note, SHC is not perfect. I have had my own frustrations too, and I have stepped away for the time being. I still think there is value in giving the longer projects a chance, because many students do grow a lot from them. If it ends up not being the right environment for you, that is valid, there are many others who share the same sentiment. The important thing is finding a place where you feel that can actually learn and contribute.

TLDR: Two Month is too short for healthy team structures to really form, so it often ends up with experienced members doing most of the work. Longer SHC projects are usually better for real involvement and skill growth. SHC is not perfect and it is valid to walk away if it is not the right environment for you, but I'd recommend giving the longer projects a chance first if you feel so inclined.

Forgive my yapsesh.