How to Lose Your First Hackathon by Bob
Hackers hate him! See how he lost sanity in 24 hours with one simple trick
Okay, alright. I’m going to stop goofing around. Now, as much as I hate to break it to you, I’m not Bob. I’m simply a random guy who won third place (along with some cash) in a hackathon while still in his first semester of college. But I’m not here to brag about my success (which wasn’t all that great to begin with); rather, I’m writing in the hopes that you won’t make the same mistakes we made in our first in-person Hackathon, as well as a few that we did avoid.
Mistakes to avoid
1. Overreaching
You aim too high and try to build something too complex in a short amount of time. It is essential to be realistic about what you can accomplish within the given time frame. Start with something small that you can build upon, rather than trying to create something grand and complicated.
Me and my team brainstormed a lot of features while we were fantasizing our study management web application — fyn. But we only had 3 in the end.
2. Lack of a strategy
During the first three hours after the hackathon started, my team and I were still wasting time discussing how good the end product had to be, so much so that we didn’t realize it until around 1pm, when a volunteer announced that we needed to demo our project at 4pm but we didn’t even begin coding the website.
That day, I learned an important phrase: “First make it work, then make it better.” Hackathons are typically fast-paced and intense events. You’ll need to create an agenda and assign roles to your team. Brainstorming, designing, coding, and pitch preparation consume a lot of time. Assigning deadlines to each one of your teammates will make everyone productive and focused, and your project will be done in no time
3. Simply putting together a presentation
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to hackathons or programming. What matters most is that you try something new, regardless of the outcome. Simply making a presentation after coming up with an idea without learning how to build it is a waste of time and energy. Make each second count.
Hackathons can also serve as an incentive to begin learning new skills. You won’t become an expert in web development in a few hours, but researching about the subject can help you establish a new path.
4. Working alone
Nothing is wrong with preferring to work alone. However, collaborating with other hackers will provide you with an opportunity to improve your ability to communicate with others, which will undoubtedly benefit you in the long run.
You’ll have a lot of fun making mistakes, giving each other feedback, gain diverse perspectives and insights that can help you approach problems from different angles. Don’t let your social anxiety, self doubt and low self esteem ruin your chances of meeting new people.
5. Not having fun
This is just a friendly reminder. Some people are just better than you. It’s a hard fact to swallow. Comparing yourself with other more experienced hackers in the room will make you feel inadequate for the challenge. This can lead to self-doubt, a lack of confidence, and eventually, you’ll feel overwhelmed and give up on the project. Participate with an open mind and a stoic persona and don’t forget to have fun.
TLDR
To lose your first hackathon follow these instructions:
- Plan to build something complicated in a short period of time
- Don’t create an agenda and be less productive
- Make a presentation and call it a day
- Don’t collaborate and stay lonely
- Doubt yourself every second, rethink your life choices, experience an existential crisis, and become depressed
