6 reasons why you should definitely attend a hackathon
Research tells us that brain juices churn just right when you're closing on a deadline, and the resulting adrenaline rush makes you improvise 🧠
Why is this relevant here? Hackathons!
Hackathons are time-constrained innovation fests where makers and builders come up with hacks that have all it takes to become the next big thing 📲
If you're a newbie to the booming hackathon culture, you've come to the right place to know why hackathons are the best for you!
A little about us, we LOVE hackathons ❤️
This love took us from hosting our official hackathons since 2015 to building a top-notch hackathon platform equipped with the right set of tools that can help anyone host a hackathon with ease!
Since our launch in Jan '19, our platform has been used by over 50 hackathons, and many more are on their way for the 2020 season! We're all about empowering an awesome inclusive developer community and with our platform, we've done just the same!
For all the first-timers, we're jotting down six solid reasons why we think hackathons are the best things to light that fire of development in you at an early stage 🚀
Hackathons are knowledge powerhouses
You will learn more things in a couple of hours than you will ever do in a semester of college! The need to ideate or create in a short time makes you focus more and learn things quick 📖
Tech talks by professionals from the developer community are an add on to the knowledge gained at hackathons 📢
Besides tech talks and the things you learn from the internet, you will always have the support of mentors who can direct you when you feel lost 👩🏫👨🏫
Hackathons are FUN
Hackathons are party houses for people who love to build, bringing everything a hacker loves under one roof! They are equipped with fun games and activities to give hackers a break from long hours of coding 🎉
Games and activities apart, there's something you get ONLY at hackathons: HACKATHON SCHWAG! Don't you love donning your laptops with fancy stickers? Let's not forget the t-shirts and hoodies!
Hackathon organizers make sure you stay caffeinated throughout the run and also provide awesome food to keep your tummy happy! ☕️🍜
Build something you'll remember for life
Your 24-36 hours of creative investment can turn into the next big thing! Hackathons always leave you with a great experience. You turned what could have been a lazy weekend into a productive one. Your hack may not win the grand prize, but you're a winner anyway as you challenged yourself and learned something new 😍
You can always take your project forward even after the hackathon gets over, improve it and finally turn it into a full-fledged product 🚢
All in all, the time spent hustling at a hackathon is time not wasted 💯
We're excited to announce that we raised $2.4 Million in our seed round. With the help of this round, we're excited to build the next generation of systems that will allow masses to make the most out of their decentralized assets. https://t.co/9fi1O5Yo3N
— InstaDApp (@InstaDApp) October 1, 2019
Twitter was created by the podcasting platform Odeo at a company hackathon! Devfolio hackathons have also witnessed a couple of runaway hits built by budding developers: Check out InstaDApp and Incento.
Find your hidden talents
The fact that you have to experiment a lot in a very short period will often lead to you discovering an interest for particular stuff. The hacking hours test your capabilities that can determine what you are good at and what needs to be improved! You get an opportunity to try out new technologies and even switch roles. We've seen a lot of frontend developers or designers do backend and vice-versa 🤓
A hackathon also helps improve your ability to optimize and also gives you big lessons on leadership. It is equally important to make impactful decisions as much as writing good code 💪
Meet your future best friends/ co-founders/ dream jobs
Keeping aside the hacking hours, hackathons are the best places to socialize with developers from the community. Your newfound teammate can turn into your best friend! Even better, you may also find your startup co-founder 👩💻👨💻
The presence of tech experts from sponsoring companies adds up the value even further! If you showcase your panache to build great stuff well or your hack is a real eye-catcher, it may land you internships and full-time job offers from the sponsors 🧳
More takeaways from hackathons
As they say, you go to your first hackathon as a newbie but come out as a hacker! The amount of networking you get at a hackathon is so great that it can turn the tables on the right path for you. Hackathons are much more than mere competitions. You do get attractive prizes, but the fact that you meet a lot of people, build things together with them and learn is much more significant🏅
You will encounter people on random occasions and will be greeted with "Hey! I remember you from the 'xyz' hackathon. I loved your hack a lot!" That, for us, is what we call entering the hackathon hall of fame 🔥
Devfolio's upvote and comment feature on projects not only lets you improve your project but also lets the global developer community know about it!
Well, here you go! We've given you some cool facts about attending a hackathon ✅
Speaking of hackathons, there's no better place to find an awesome one than at Devfolio 🤗
If you're new here, check out https://devfolio.co/hackathons to browse through our vast list of upcoming hackathons and apply for them!
Hard to attend an in-person hackathon? We've a solution for that too! Check out our first-ever online hackathon, ETHIndia.online for more details.
So, when are you attending your first hackathon? 😁
Never stop building,
Devfolio