I attended my first start-up week-end in Sherbrooke as a developer and it was an amazing experience. I used to hear a lot about these events but I always had (or thought I had?) a good reason not to attend. Until this year.

I went alone, with an idea in mind, but not precise at all. The D-Day, I was very stressed: Should I pitch? I don’t know anyone who’s attending, what if I don’t get along with the other attendees? Am I skilled enough in programming to be helpful ? Will I handle the competition ?

Let’s start with the reasons I wanted to attend this week-end: I’m a Software Engineer, currently studying E-Commerce Management in the University of Sherbrooke. Last semester has been full of theoretical lectures for me, preventing me from coding on my personal projects. I saw on this week-end a way to have fun and take a break from studies, coding all week-end with cool guys. And that’s exactly what I did.

I noticed that there were few developers and designers during that week-end. The organizers of the week-end did a great communication all around the University of Sherbrooke, so people studying Computer Science had to know about the event. These students must wonder why they should attend a startup weekend. Here are the reasons why: learning, sharing, networking!

Learning because, as a programer, you might get stuck on a bug you never encountered before. Or, you might discover new tools through discussing with other developers. A hackaton is a great way to develop your skills but it’s also an amazing challenge: it’s crazy to see what you can produce from scratch in 72 hours.

Sharing because you’re surrounded by interesting people who share the same passion. You’ll exchange a lot about technology, start-ups talks …

And networking because, again, you’re surrounded by interesting people! This week-end was a couple of months ago but I kept in touch with some cool folks I met there.

Well, the only thing that might stop you as a student is the price (specially in big cities, I wanted to attend the one in NYC and I didn’t because of the price). There might be discounts, you can get a ticket for 30$ (in small cities). Keep in mind all the things you will gain through this experience. And also free food is included and pretty good☺

Here are some advices to take the most of the week-end

• Don’t be afraid to go by your own !
  If you go with a friend without any project to pitch, feel free to split if you prefer a project that your buddy doesn’t support.
• Don’t be shy !
  Talk to people, even while you’ll be working with your team. Take breaks to meet other teams and exchange.
• Try to pitch !
  Even if it’s an idea you didn’t work on. It’s fun to speak in a micro in front of people☺Actually, I would say it’s better because you will be open to critics if your idea gets picked. A good pitch is one that evolves during the week-end.
• Choose wisely the pitch you want to work on !
  Don’t forget you’re gonna work 72 hours with these people on this subject.
• Take a break if you need one !
  I wouldn’t urge anyone not to sleep during a startup weekend: each person has his own pace. If you start feeling tired, you’ll feel great after a short power nap ☺
• Stay hydrated !
  Beers and/or coffee aren’t enough. Don’t forget to drink water to avoid headaches.