5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Hackathon
Lessons Learned from Running Student Hackathons
Here at Major League Hacking — the official student hackathon league — we support hundreds of hackathons each year at college campuses across the globe. To say we’re invested in the ways hackathons can inspire innovation, cultivate communities, and teach technology skills is an understatement. In fact, we’re pretty sure hackathons are magic.
Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about how to get the most out of attending a hackathon. Today I’ll be sharing my top five pro-tips for how to make the most of the experience, even if it’s your first time!
1. Don’t Overthink It
Committing an entire weekend to working on a hypothetical project with strangers sounds daunting. But hackathons are designed to force you to think on your feet and stretch your creative muscles — both socially and technically. When you have a well-defined period of time to work on a prototype, you learn very quickly how to collaborate, prioritize, and refine a project until it communicates your core idea in a digestible way. If it doesn’t work out exactly as planned, don’t stress. You’ll still finish up your weekend having met some interesting people and learned something new.
2. Design for the Demo
When you build a hackathon project, I recommend working backwards from your ideal demo. What are the most important concepts and functions to demonstrate within the first 30 seconds of someone opening your application?
Thinking about it through this lens helps you and your team scope what you’ll be able to accomplish in a condensed timeframe. If your user login system isn’t core to communicating the unique problem your application solves, it may not be worth your time to include it. Focus on the specific technology you’ve built and the problem it solves and think about how a complete stranger will discover it.
3. Focus on People
My most meaningful hackathon experiences revolve around the people I met, not what we built. We frequently hear from the tens of thousands of developers who have attended our events that the people they meet define their experience and keep them coming back. Your teammates can turn into future coworkers, collaborators, and friends. You get to know someone very quickly when you have to problem solve together in a compressed time and place.
Hackathons are the ultimate icebreaker!
4. Take Care of Yourself
Hackathons might be stereotyped as up-all-night junk-food fests, but they shouldn’t be. You’ll have a much happier and more productive experience if you take care of yourself along the way.
Every person’s needs are different and no specific style of self-care will be a detriment to your hackathon experience. So, do whatever you need to make your hackathon a fun and happy experience, whether that means going home to sleep or taking breaks to get some air and some salad.
5. Build Something Awesome
Hackathons should be enjoyable and fun. When you’re brainstorming project ideas, try to think about what would make you say “Wow!” if you saw someone else demo it. Don’t worry about business viability, don’t worry about whether you have experience building something similar. This is a perfect opportunity to get outside of your technical comfort zone and build something that you’ll find impressive and enjoyable. The process of problem solving and building your application is as important as the end result. Some of the most prolific and inventive hackers out there are “autotelic” — meaning that their work is its own purpose.
With these five tips you’re all set to go build something great at your next hackathon! So find some new friends, stretch your creative muscles, and get outside your technical comfort zone.
Going to SXSW this year? Come to my panel with Jason Valentino and Sharon Lin on why Student Hackathons are Dope. March 12, 2018, 2:00PM, Antone’s Capital One House.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: These opinions are those of the author. Capital One is a sponsor of Major League Hacking. All trademarks and other intellectual property used or displayed are the ownership of their respective owners. This article is © 2018 Capital One.
