Hackathons 101 — and why you should consider going to one

Hackathons are intensive coding events where developers, designers, and others come together to quickly build projects and prototypes. I just returned from my 6th hackathon in less than a year. It was an intense 24 hours, but also incredibly rewarding – I felt like I gained a month‘s worth of learning crammed into a single weekend!

In addition to accelerating my technical skills, hackathons have helped me meet amazing people, build projects for my portfolio, and even start a company. I‘m definitely planning to attend more hackathons in the future, and I hope this article convinces you to consider attending one too.

A closer look at different types of hackathons

While hackathons share certain common elements, there is quite a bit of diversity when it comes to specific focus areas and participants.

Popular types of hackathons include:

• Startup hackathons: Like Startup Weekend events – build a functioning startup MVP and/or pitch a business idea over 48-72 hours. Startup hackathon can result in funding opportunities. For example, 166 companies formed at Major League Hacking hackathons raised $296 million from 2015-2017.

• Civic / Social Good hackathons: Build tech solutions for government or social issues like healthcare, environment, accessibility, education, etc. Often local govt representatives or nonprofits propose specific problem statements to be solved. For example, over 48 hours at the annual National Day of Civic Hacking event, over 11500 participants worked with 2100+ community partners and 170+ federal agencies to build technology focused on social impact.

• Corporate hackathons: Internal company events focused on developing tech/process innovations relevant to that business. For example, IBM holds a 5-day annual Call for Code Global Challenge hackathon where ~400K developers across 175 nations build solutions for "climate change and environmental issues". The 2020 edition led to 15 new patented technologies from entries.

• Diversity hackathons: Aim to increase participation from groups underrepresented in tech like women, people of color, LGBTQ etc. For example, Technica held at University of Maryland is an annual hackathon focused on supporting and inspiring women in CS/engineering fields.

• Technology-focused hackathons: Build apps showcasing capabilities of emerging tech like AI, blockchain, quantum computing, cloud platforms, IoT devices etc. Sponsor companies often provide access to their developer platforms and free credits to use their cloud-based tools & services. For example, Hack Access held at MIT tasks programmers to build machine learning applications specifically focused on helping people with disabilities.

The list goes on – there are niche hackathons centered around fashion tech, entertainment, media/journalism, space exploration, and pretty much any industry or interest area you can imagine!

Hackathons may also have eligibility criteria like only for college/university students in certain majors, or be targeted to young entrepreneurs and startups in accelerator programs. With over 200k developers participating in various MLH member hackathons annually, there‘s an incredible diversity not just in themes but also attendees.

Before signing up for any hackathon, do some quick checks around eligibility criteria, focus area, judging process etc. to make sure it aligns with your interests and background. With so many options out there, finding the right one for you generally isn‘t difficult.

Why should you attend a hackathon? The key benefits

Here are some of the most compelling benefits I‘ve experienced firsthand from regularly taking part in hackathons:

Networking opportunities

Within my very first 8-hour mini-hackathon, I had already gotten to know other programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, startup ecosystem veterans, and IT professionals. Since then across the various events I’ve attended, my network has grown to include government authorities focused on using technology for public value, academics researching cutting-edge innovations, angel investors and venture capitalists assessing early-stage startups, representatives from tech giants running accelerator programs…the list goes on.

I’m pretty introverted by nature, but I make it a point to have at least 5-10 quality conversations at each hackathon. Even starting off beginner developers have shared how hackathon chats led to career opportunities, internship offers, co-founder connections for their startups, advisors who helped validate their business ideas etc.

You never know where a serendipitous new connection at a hackathon might lead long-term – whether it’s finding a technical co-founder for your startup idea or receiving an invitation to an exclusive industry event or making a media contact leading to publicity opportunities later on.

Building impressive portfolio projects

Given the broader technology themes and the collaborative teamwork environment, hackathons enable creating sophisticated apps even within 24-48 hours. I now have several complex fully functional products in my portfolio that came out of various hackathon efforts over time.

In fact in a recent industry survey, over 65% of students and 41% of full-time developers said that hackathons helped expand their portfolios and showcase skills to potential employers.

The time-bound structured format forces you to focus on quick iterations, modular reusable code, and clean interface design – all highly valued skills in the software industry. And having built the entire product end-to-end in a compressed timeframe really cements your learning.

Recruiters also love seeing fully launched products with explicit goals/features rather than incomplete personal coding projects. Apps I‘ve built at different hackathons have certainly accelerated my job prospects and interview callbacks over time.

Gaining cutting-edge skills

The technical skills I’ve gained across the various hackathons is incredible given the limited time investment. Within my first few hackathons, I went from having zero experience in mobile app dev, data science, or AR/VR building skills in all of them through hands-on rapid prototyping.

I’ve continued challenging myself by working with bleeding edge tech like blockchain platforms, AI/ML APIs, IoT sensors etc. My current tech knowledge way surpasses what I might have gained passively reading textbooks or taking online courses.

Hackathons also expose you directly to industry experts in your domains of interest, often leading to mentoring relationships that help you level up your technical abilities exponentially faster.

For example, at my last hackathon our team had guidance from a principal data scientist from a mature AI startup to structure, clean and derive insights from a complex healthcare dataset. Learning directly from practitioners accelerates practical understanding of applying these technologies to real world problems.

Testing startup ideas

Hackathons let you transform a business idea into a functioning MVP quickly by leveraging other participants’ expertise. Over a couple of days, you can validate assumptions around technical feasibility, UI/UX designs, potential customer demand etc. costing almost nothing but sweat and time.

In fact research by Harvard Business School found that nearly 40% of core teams formed during the PennApps hackathon went onto launch actual startups afterwards.AngelList data revealed almost 5% of its platform companies originated from hackathon formed teams.

I co-founded my health-tech startup at a weekendMedHacks hackathon by assembling a strong cross-functional team around my concept and launching the functional app to clinician users by Sunday evening. That early market validation was invaluable in convincing 2 of my talented teammates to come onboard as official co-founders later on.

If you have entrepreneurial ambitions, hackathons are like rapid startup incubators enabling building and testing Minimum Viable Products efficiently by tapping collective expertise.

Confidence building

I’ve observed even experienced developers underestimating their potential contribution and nervous about jumping into hackathons. Imposter syndrome is real!

But hackathons need diverse skill sets – business, design, pitching, domain expertise etc. Besides coding. I’ve repeatedly seen newcomers with limited technical abilities also make huge impact on their teams.

Ultimately seeing your app ideas transform into functioning products gives a major boost of confidence to continue building. Hackathons provide a welcoming environment for people across skill levels to challenge themselves without judgment.

Over time participating in these collaborative intense environments makes you more self assured tackling complex tasks, working with new technologies, interfacing with industry veterans etc.

The social encouragement plus the feeling of accomplishment stays with you well beyond the event, changing mindsets and unlocking ambitions many first timers might not have realized before.

Step by step: What to expect at your first hackathon

While no two events are identical, most hackathons follow a similar general flow over 24-48 hours:

Friday evening

• Onboarding: Check-in, collect your ID badges & event swag, grab food
• Team formation: Find teammates based on interests / skill sets needed
• Ideation: Brainstorm project ideas based on hackathon theme & parameters

Optional additional activities:

• Tech talks or mentoring sessions
• Early pitch practice
• Start mocking up designs or planning workstreams

Overnight

• Execution: Core development period – architect system, write code, build UI etc.
• Troubleshooting: Fix bugs, handle tech issues, tweak plans as needed
• Status updates: Check-in with teammates to align as necessary

Use this stretch to make major progress given limited timeline! Having energy snacks/drinks helps keep momentum high.

Saturday morning

• User testing: Get demos and feedback from volunteer testers
• Practice pitches: Refine messaging, polish presentations
• Submission: Package projects (code, videos, docs etc) as required

Keep iterating based on testing inputs! Having non-coders help refine storyline & presentations is valuable.

Saturday evening

• Judging: Showcase projects to panelists who rate based on parameters
• Awards: Winning teams announced & prized given!
• Networking: Socialize, debrief experiences, exchange contacts

If you don’t win top awards, don’t worry! The key is showcasing your abilities through the functioning product itself.

Post-hackathon

• Potential startup foundations: Continue conversations around converting projects into businesses
• Portfolio additions: Repurpose content for your professional profiles
• New connections: Follow-up with contacts made at the event

Leverage the visibility gained at the event into tangible career or startup progress!

Optimizing your learning with the right expectations

With hectic timed challenges, unpredictable issues, and sleep deprivation, hackathons can feel like obstacle courses!

Being mentally prepared makes an enormous difference in having a rewarding experience:

Expect pivots: Last minute change in technologies, project scope or team abilities means you likely won’t build exactly what you envisioned. Adaptability is key! Focus on learning and problem solving rather than perfecting a single rigid plan.

Prioritize modular code: With people of varying skill levels contributing to the codebase, keep logic simple and components reusable. Aim for minimum viable product showcasing core functionality rather than fancy extra features. Prevent problems down the line through integrated testing.

Anticipate tech issues: With non-trivial apps built in 18-24 hours, bugs are guaranteed! Set up alerts, logging, monitoring tools to help debug efficiently when things go wrong.

Take breaks: Hackathons are marathons, not sprints! Grab snack/coffee breaks every few hours to recharge. Switch your task type periodically to activate different thought processes. Stay hydrated and get fresh air even for 10 mins to reboot your brain.

You will encounter obstacles along the way – from Git merge conflicts to incompatible dependencies to servers crashing unexpectedly. Keeping energy levels, morale and patience high, especially during overnight crunch periods, helps optimal collaboration.

If this all seems intimidating as a newcomer, don’t worry! Just being open to learning and contributing where possible goes a really long way. No one expects fully polished products or expert-level coding given the intense timeframe.

Veteran participants are also usually very welcoming and keen to guide first-timers. The social encouragement plus building connections with experienced industry folks along the journey makes the event worthwhile regardless of project outcomes.

Continuing the momentum post-hackathon

The non-stop intensity during the event means most participants just pass out once it wraps up! But capturing the momentum afterwards can lead to great things:

• Gauge team interest in continuing: Seeing an enthusiastic response at judging builds confidence! Discuss possibility of refining the product further or founding a company around it.

• Extract reusable components: Modular pieces of code you built can accelerate future projects, especially if well documented. Complex frameworks with utility across industries have directly emerged from hackathon beginnings!

• Polish UI/UX: Having graphic design students etc. volunteer to refine the interface after the time crunch makes projects far more presentable, especially in your portfolio.

• Fix bugs: There are definitely bugs you didn’t catch earlier! Address lingering issues and technical debt so demos run smoother.

• Blog about the experience: Publishing development diaries or app concept stories raises personal visibility in addition to cementing learnings.

• Leverage publicity: Pitch coverage of novel app concepts to relevant magazines. Highlight social impact elements from civic hackathons on LinkedIn. Talk to university press teams.

Instead of treating hackathons as one-off standalone events, integrate them into your broader personal strategy around showcasing your abilities or launching meaningful products!

Key Takeaways

Here are the most salient points for you to consider when evaluating your first hackathon participation:

• Hackathons enable building complex fully-functional products incredibly quickly by tapping collective expertise

• You gain cutting-edge skills, invaluable connections, recruiting visibility and entrepreneurial insights in an accelerated deep dive manner

• Preparing accordingly and managing expectations around the chaotic process leads to most learning

• Capturing post-event momentum via publications, startups, component reuse etc. maximizes leverage beyond just the event

• With the incredible diversity in types of hackathons these days, there‘s something for everyone aligned to interests and skill levels

If you have specific questions based on your background or are seeking recommendations for your first hackathon, feel free to reach out!

In Conclusion: A worthwhile experiment

Attending hackathons is like repeatedly raising the difficulty level while gameifying your learning – challenging yet enormously gratifying.

Through a baptism by fire, these events unlock technical skills, creative potential and problem-solving aptitudes you didn’t realize you had.

The foundation for long-term professional collaborations and entrepreneurial pursuits are built over impassioned caffeine-fueled chaos-filled weekends!

I hope I’ve convinced you to take a chance on this experiment as well. Let me know when you’re ready to dive into the hackathon rabbit hole!