A quick overview regarding Hackathons
What hackathons generally are
Imagine you and a bunch of your friends are sitting together for the weekend and all of you decide to make an app. Be it a web, mobile or desktop app. How cool does that sound?
If it indeed sounded cool and fun to you then Hackathons are for you. A hackathon is a fun event that generally stretches over a short time period (mostly weekends) where you, solo or accompanied by your team (team sizes are generally discussed by the managing authority) get together and work on implementing an idea and turning that into an application which might even grow to be a brilliant startup someday 🤩.
The best part about these hackathons is that you don't have to be an expert to get started. Yes, you read that right. Beginners who are starting out with coding can get hands-on experience in implementing and applying their programming skills to make a working application and when you do get stuck, all you need to do is ask. Ask the organizing staff for help and they will help you with queries that you might have.
Personally, I always had a fear of getting started with hackathons because I thought that I'd have to gain a certain level of expertise before participating in one but after getting started, I realized that I was actually misguided. If you think that any particular hackathon seems like a fun event then you really should trust your instincts and go for it (A funny anecdote: Back when I was a freshman, I thought that hackathons were meant for literally hacking a system).
The community aspect of hackathons
Community is a big part of hackathons. Different groups of people sit together and collaborate on ideas. Different people might have different ideas that might then give birth to an amazing group project. You get to learn a lot from others' experiences and you get to implement your knowledge and ideas first-hand (guess that solves the issue of the job-experience paradox). Besides learning from others and working together, you also get to meet cool people and make new friends 🔥. Plus, a bunch of hackathons also offer good food (if you're attending in-person) and fun swag. Imagine getting good food, and nice swag and you get to sit with your friends and have a fun brainstorming sesh. Sounds like the complete deal tbh.
Talking about MLH (Major League Hacking)
I started out with MLH (Major League Hacking) and I recommend you to do so too. It's a community that empowers hackers from all over the world to get together virtually and participate in hackathons. They have multiple hackathons running throughout the week with one every weekend. They also have hackathons associated with various universities around the world.
You'll always get an event to collaborate on. If you ever feel like you want to go solo for a hackathon, you're most welcome to do so. The scope of projects isn't just limited to software. I've seen teams collaborate on hardware projects too and then publish their results with pictures of their projects.
The team behind MLH is super helpful. They were really eager to solve whatever questions I had. Here is the link to their discord community. Join the server and take some time familiarizing yourself with all the different channels and be sure to post your questions in the "#help" channels. They also have a channel where you can approach other members for collaborations with them on any upcoming hackathons. If you wanted to, you could even organize your own hackathon with help from MLH.
MLH also has its own internship program called the MLH Fellowship program which runs for 12 weeks. Here you get to work on either Open-source software or as a Software engineer or a Production engineer during the fellowship program. You get a stipend depending on your location and plenty of work experience to showcase on your resume ✨.
My first hackathon at MLH
Since I didn't really know anyone, I introduced myself in the collab channel and soon had people messaging me, asking to collaborate on hackathons. This actually provided me with an excellent opportunity to network with some amazing people and make cool friends in the process. The hackathon period was super exciting too.
All of us started with a group call where we talked about our project and laid a plan for what it should look like. I was into Machine Learning at the time and hence worked on models that would be useful in predicting data. We collaborated on GitHub (though you could do it in a platform of your choice) and kept pushing our changes as we felt fit to do so.
Of course, the time schedule was a bit hectic since we were all from different continents and this meant that I had to stay awake a bit late than usual but it all paid off to see the final group project. I approached the MLH mentors a few times for help with certain issues and they were really kind and walked me over the solution. One instance was when we were unsure about how and where we should be hosting our project.
During the course of the event, they also had mini-workshops that people could attend. Workshops range from fun events like Art/Designing events, Geo guesser, and Gaming competitions to tutorials on various topics like Web and App Development, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, etc.
Near the end of the hackathon, we rushed to pass the deadlines since we were mostly confused about how and where to submit the project but in the end, all our hard work during the weekend paid off once we got to see our full and final working project.
This was truly quite an accomplishment for me since it was my first ever hackathon. You can check the project out over here. After the event ended we made sure to connect with each other and share our socials. I later even received some MLH swag at my home for participation (You would have to add your address to the MLH site for receiving swag)
About DevPost
If MLH felt like hackathon overload to you then DevPost would be insanity. Imagine you being able to view literally every single hackathon going on (well, almost every). It's insane how many hackathons are posted on the site. At the time of my writing this blog, there are 7109 hackathons currently active with one hackathon offering 1 million USD in prizes 🤯.
There are multiple different hackathons to choose from. You and your team can even submit to multiple hackathons (you would need to check individually if each hackathon allows it) if you wanted to. The possibilities are endless. Hackathons range from topics like Blockchain, and Machine Learning to ones surrounding themes like social good, environment, etc.
MLH itself requires you to submit your project on DevPost. You would need to set up your account and go through the project submission pages and fill them out.
Some takeaways from my past hackathons
- Learnt about collaboration. I learned how important it is to collaborate and work in a group. Collaborating with different people adds value to your work and results in an influx of ideas that ultimately forms a great project.
- Self-management. Collaborating during hackathons taught me the lesson of time management and how important it is to keep track of your progress. Doing so helped me in avoiding future shortcomings.
- Importance of a good community. It feels great when you are working in a community that always supports you and pushes you to do better. You feel motivated to put in work and you feel good about yourself.
Tips for first-time hackers
- Remember to take a break. Hackathons can be intense at times, so it's important to take breaks before you end up burning out. Take a break during those moments, get motivated and then get on with your work again.
- Be respectful of others' time. Remember that you are collaborating with people from all over the world, and they may have different scheduldes. Be mindful of when you are messaging or calling them, and try to be as concise as possible.
- Be patient. Things don't always go according to plan at a hackathon. If you encounter a setback, don't get discouraged. Not everything will go according to plan and it's important to understand that. Try to realize that the other person is also trying and that communication is always a two-way process.
- Plan ahead. Before the hackathon starts, take some time to plan out your schedule. Doing this helps you stay on track and you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
- Communicate effectively. Make sure that you are communicating clearly with your team members. This will help to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Specify what you'll be working on and keep pushing changes as you work.
- Read the rules and guidelines. Before you start working on your project, be sure to read the rules and guidelines for the hackathon. This will help you avoid any surprises later on. Avoid rushing in at the last minute.
- Be a good community member. Be respectful of your teammates and other participants at the hackathon. Try to help others feel at ease. This will help create a positive and welcoming environment.
- Network. After the hackathon, connect with your teammates and other participants on social media. This can help you stay in touch and build relationships that could be beneficial in the future.
Hackathons are a great way to learn new skills, meet new people, and create something amazing. Hope you now feel inspired to participate in one.