Hackathons aren’t changing the world — at least not in the way they’re meant to. Hackers are.
Much of the hype surrounding hackathon stems from the notion that the next-big-thing will be borne as a result of 24-48 hours of caffeine ingestion and typing. It’s not true. That’s not what the hackathon is, or what it should be about. While a few marketable apps/websites/products may have gotten their start at a hackathon, the most intriguing work I’ve seen is done by those who simply build something that they think is novel, something they would never do as part of a college Computer Science project.
Once, a hacker made a website where you could browse the web inside the frame of an old TV, it had working knobs and all the bells and whistles. Another, a site which remixed your Facebook statuses using machine learning producing funny results. Another, a simple app which turned a short 2x4 into a guitar. All of these are technically impressive hacks which usually don’t win prizes, will never be sold for $50 million, and won’t be made into companies. And even if they were, that’s not why they were originally created. Starting the next Instagram is not the point of a hackathon project!
At the Start
I’ve stood on a stage to present a hack on four separate occasions, in three different states, with a handful of different (and amazing) partners. This is a thrill that all hackers deserve - you have a few moments and then the next group comes up. You’re charged with explaining your inspiration and what novel idea you’ve explored. This is what the hackathon is about, or what it should be about.
Many of the hacks I’ve worked on have no chance of gaining a user base, turning a profit, or being acquired. Most simply address a new tool, API, technique, or language I wanted to learn. Take Dots for instance, a simple hack which graphs a user’s relationships according to their Facebook photo tags. It was my first experience with HTML Canvas. I didn’t build it at a hackathon, but I spent a similar amount of time on it. It is these sort of projects which help hackers learn, even if they might go unnoticed at a larger hackathon.
I still remember my first hackathon. I was still learning PHP and bits of JavaScript. At the time, I had only taken the introductory engineering and programming course, no real CS courses. In retrospect our idea was dumb and wouldn’t have had a chance at winning at a hackathon any larger. But, the excitement of building something new was just enough for me to drop Biomedical Engineering and commit to studying Computer Science the next week.
We all started this way.
Mega-Hackathons
As hackathons have grown, the thousands of dollars in prize money is becoming a second thought, a given. There is at least one “mega-hackathon” every weekend, all semester, in both the Fall and Winter. All are sponsored by the likes of Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. What other competitive college event happens as frequently and doles out this much money? Imagine that - $20k, $30k, $40k, $O(N) in prizes taken for granted by those who attend, but why?
The first suspicion is that perhaps many deem a position on the podium to be out of reach for their skill set, and therefore can’t imagine winning a prize, but then why come? While this may be true for some, the more likely case is that students who attend hackathons don’t even care about the prizes. They care about learning! And not just learning, but proving to themselves that they belong there, that they know more than just their class projects, that they’re not just doing what they’re told. Most hackers at these mega-hackathons never see the chance to really present what they’ve accomplished or even be acknowledged for their efforts to learn something that was totally new to them, an admirable feat. As hackathons grow larger most first time hackers never have a chance at the spotlight, so why do they bother?
The Real Hackers
I’ve come to the following conclusion about hackathons and what it means to be a hacker after working alongside and mentoring eight first-time hackers at MHacks this year, some of whom were my students in EECS280 semesters prior. As a graduating senior, I’m mindful of my involvement within the Michigan Hackers community over the past few years.
The real reason why the college hackathon has exploded these past few years is that most Computer Science students are so deprived of something real, something that is not a class project or a typical programming assignment. Students want to express creativity, they want to create piece of code that others can commend and recognize as unique. The best hackers I’ve met share this drive: they aren’t thinking about starting companies, or making money, but simply making something cool.
Most Computer Science students know that if they’re gonna fit in within the modern tech-industry, then they’ve got to know so much more than even the best CS program can teach. Those who can’t learn quickly, work independently, or build out their own ideas will be chewed up and spit out.
Even after three required courses in Comp. Sci. at Michigan students don’t learn anything except basic algorithms and data-structures. Important, but boring stuff. On top of that, they don’t even get an inch of expression, not even a character, as nearly every project is graded by a machine — the infamous autograder (or as I tell my students, the “Otto-grader,” though they never hear the difference). Once a young inspired student has cleared the gauntlet of dull C++ based courses they’re presented with other upper level options: Operating Systems, Databases, Advanced Object Oriented Programming, Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Machine Learning, etc. All are very theoretical or just plain difficult, and all very dry. Some teach with technologies which were state-of-the-art circa 1999. But, all of these classes are exactly how they should be, because it’s academia.
I know first hand how dull these courses are at times. As a senior, I’ve taken most of them and had the chance to be an Instructional Aide for both EECS280 (Programming and Introductory Data Structures) and EECS485 (Web Database and Information Systems) for the past three semesters.
University CS programs are not trade schools — they attract the best talent, charge incredibly high tuition, and employ world-class professors who teach students critical and exacting skills. Computer Science programs need to remain academic and therefore students must take it upon themselves to learn the real tools of the trade and learn how to really express their talents in code.
A Need To Hack
Many software companies are looking to employ students with vast knowledge of specific frameworks, languages, and protocols. Universities often don’t bother teaching the specifics of these tools because the concepts are often not strictly academic. On top of that, universities can’t teach creativity. Universities stick to teaching theory and problem solving skills (and they should), while hackers apply it to the real world, by mixing in their own ideas. This is the precise reason why hacker organizations like Michigan Hackers and student-run hackathons like MHacks have exploded across the country, and the world. In addition the tech industry has realized that student-hackers who are eager to work on projects outside of class make the best employees too.
Millions of dollars in corporate donations have fueled an explosion of mega-hackathons. The money has served to expand the hackathon, spread the attendance, increase the lavish prizes, and move to outrageous venus. All of this is wonderful but, the hackathon has left behind the hacker.
Hackathons and Hacker Organizations need to cater to those who are new and unsure about how to learn new things. And right now, mega-hackathons do a really poor job. It must change! They’ve got to be about liberating the new and terrified underclassmen from the boring mantra of intro Computer Science classes. Hackathons need to be about cooperation between the veterans and the newbies. They need to celebrate hard work and personal expression — no matter how experienced the hacker. The rise of the mega-hackathon has left behind those who are competing on a level much lower than their peers. A level where most are satisfied simply to learn what is required execute some new idea they’ve had and to actually bring it into the world.
In Conclusion
The rise of the student-hacker, and therefore the hackathon, is a symptom of the need for self-expression. It’s a need to stand out from a pack of incredibly talented students who all take the same classes, complete the same projects, and get the same degree.
Attending hackathons has become the unofficial honors track of the Computer Science program in just about every major program, but it must also become a fraternal one. Hackathons and hacker organizations must do a better job at empowering underclassmen and seek to engage new hackers. On top of that, it is the responsibility of more experienced hackers to become mentors and to help others learn and create.
As hackathons grow larger, become more competitive, and donations rise upwards of $250,000 per event, we can’t forget their roots. Just as we all started: unexperienced kids who thought it’d be cool to build something novel.
