Why hackathon? Is it worth to attend programming marathon?
“Hackathon” still sounds unfamiliar to you? It fascinates you a bit, but you are equally afraid of coming to one? One may say that hackathons can be compared to a coloring competition between adults to see who comes out with the most creative sustainable solution to the posed problem. So don’t be shy! Use your ideas and crayons! Usually, there is no problem with assembling teams at the beginning of a hackathon, but bringing friends with you will certainly help to control fear and just derive joy from event! Attending one such event will prove extremely beneficial and leave you with a feeling of fulfillment, and we’ll go over that later in this piece.
Are you not convinced? Before attending a hackathon prepare yourself for the unexpected nature of those events. The atmosphere during those is one of its kind, unforgettable! Companies from IT industry arrange comfortable venues for the event and there are cozy poufs, comfortable armchairs, pizza and many attractions! So, why hackathon?
Teamwork!
There are always a lot of participants pitching in some fantastic business ideas. The nervousness of the contestants starts to fade away eventually when the event officially begins, and they form a cooperative team of developers, business analysts, graphic designers, and, sometimes, people with random, seemingly unrelated skills. A lot of them come up with their own vision for their role, however, they quickly adapt to the climate of challenges and often start to code, not just suggest ideas on what a solution should be like.
The projects require people to incorporate a new approach to rapid prototyping, bringing together diverse participants, making technical solutions out of non-technical issues, and a lot more. Every hackathon has its own framework and presents other challenges, so you will certainly find something for yourself. Pick up the glove and make something amazing!
The hackathons are great. Participants can ask mentors, others teams, or just Google if they get stuck somewhere, but remember in that situation that you still have to make sure you get the right answers to the questions that are asked. As the event goes on, you learn nearly everything from others in the most supportive and helpful environment ever. There is always someone at the mentoring table to ask for assistance, as well as numerous workshops to overcome such a challenging task.
Talking to other people about coding will help you figure out a way to general data from the database. The tech panel has individuals from different fields for support which is truly inspirational.
What is it like to attend a Hackathon?
Experiencing a hackathon is not just about learning, listening to some speakers and attending a workshop (as you might intend to), it is working together for a common goal to win ahead, dealing with inevitable problems, and much more. The best teams wins prizes for the apps which boosts the team’s motivational level a 100 times as the projects created in 24 hours are recognized and rewarded. It is always pleasing to be a part of such initiative and attend an event filled with excellent tutoring of coding and other tech opportunities.
Of course, to be honest, it will be exhausting, but hackathons give you a lot of practical knowledge, experience and, most importantly, fun! In the end you will discover that it's not about the prizes, not about cash or new equipment. It's about bonding with people, networking, demonstrating and developing your coding prowess, learning lots of new things from your team members, and those in other teams, and walking away knowing you absolutely crushed it, as a coder, and as a team!
How does a hackathon change us?
Such event definitely improves self-confidence and helps develop new skills, making awesome memories with friends and introduces into that specific environment!
Hackathon indeed opens the eyes and provides a whole different outlook regarding computer science, which offers a wide range of otherwise unattainable opportunities You get to work with people from various backgrounds on each challenge while improving your communication skills.
This approach makes one realize how team dynamics can change so instantly through it. It makes us believe in an individual as well as in the team commitment to other project’s success in the future. There is nothing that a man can’t do! If you are coming from a business background, competing with others from computing field is a tough and challenging task itself, but with this barrier being broken, one should never limit or restrict themselves to their own area. The opportunities are endless as long as you are willing to reach for them. You may often communicate and interact with others to learn things that you were unaware of before attending the event. After all, two brains are better than one!
Is it worth it?
A big yes! During hackathons, you get a chance to network with so many different people, working out the implementation of the proposed idea, all of that in a period usually shorter than 48 hours. It is heartwarming to witness a team filled with hope, excitement, and happiness, whose efforts result in a complete product tackling the challenge to build things to change the world. The most important aspect of hackathons is the undeniably effective learning environment that offers memorable experiences and benefits such as networking, for both beginners and professionals. Do not hesitate to attend one just by assuming that you’re not capable, everyone is. What’s more, thanks to hackathons you can find not only friends, but also business partners, new job and much more!
After that, you can potentially chase every subsequent hackathon that you know of! When you attend hackathons, you become a better coder, and in case you get lazy working on side projects on weekends, the pressure you learned here will help you do the job just right! If you haven’t time for on site hackathon, don’t worry and just try an online challenge! You can read about its benefit here.
