My first hackathon was akin to a drug addicts first injection, first inhalation, first drink. When I realized what I was doing, where I was, and why I was there, a fact hit me like a train.

I was going to be addicted for the rest of my life.

This first wave hit me at MHacks, one of the biggest national hackathons in the United States. I had been invited and reimburesed to go because I had won an online hackathon, whose first place prize I held in my possession at that moment. This prize was MHacks, it was a chance to mingle with the country’s best and brightest. And when I stepped into that lobby, I knew I was going to be one of them one day.

Throughout MHacks, I experienced a variety of symptoms that a drug addict may feel during his indulgence.

1. The High

Every time I went outside and absorbed the sheer amount of talent and dedication in one room, I was overtaken by motivation. Motivation to try my best and to feed off of this energy.

2. The Crash

Consequently, every bug I ran into felt devastating. I would felt weighed down by it, as if a giant was pressing down on me, telling me that I wasn’t going to make it. But every time I felt this nagging I knew I had to keep going, to prove to myself that I can overcome my difficulties.

3. The Addiction

Nearly 6 months after my first hackathon, I have a need to go back. It’s not just because of the generous cash prizes or the prospect of attaining an internship. It’s because MHacks was a garden for improvement. The time restraint induced stress is the perfect place for hackers of the future to thrive.

What you get out of it.

You might be wondering why an addiction would be beneficial. Aren’t all addictions bad? Well I say no. As long as you don’t pour your life savings into travel, going to hackathons is the addiction that has no bad consequences. On top of this, hackathons frequently will pay you to come and enjoy programming for 36 hours. It’s like getting payed to fuel your addiction!

Overall, I think hackathons are the gateway drug into the computer science industry. If you are thinking about going to one, DO IT.