Member-only story
Hackathons: What They Are and How to Join
As a college student, I bounce on every opportunity I can to have fun or further my career. A hackathon combines both. I’m a Computer Science major that can find it hard to code personal projects outside of class. Hackathons motivate me and give me time to explore these passions.
What is a Hackathon?
A hackathon is an event where people come together to solve a problem with technology. This doesn’t mean we’re hacking into the mainframe or discovering government secrets. This just means that we’re using our coding knowledge to find a way to create the best impact possible. In this article, I’ll mainly be speaking on hackathons targeted for college students, but this information may apply otherwise.
As a computer science major, I’m already coding so much in my classes that finding the time to create my own personal coding project can be exhausting. How does anyone have the capability to stare at a screen that long?
With hackathons, these 24 to 36 hour sprints allow me to set time aside to not only brainstorm, but create a prototype with a group of individuals who are working to support each other. Now, working on a project that has already been fleshed out and started is so much easier than starting from scratch on top of my homework.
