nwChats: Answering Commonly Googled Questions about Hackathons
Debunking misconceptions with hackathon organizers around the world
Participating in your first hackathon can be a daunting experience, regardless of whether you’ve ever touched code before or whether you already have a plethora of technical internships under your belt. Before attending your first hackathon, you’ve probably wondered (or Googled) questions like:
- Are hackathons worth it?
- Are hackathons only for coders?
- Are hackathons good for your resume?
- Are hackathons free?
- How long do hackathons usually last?
- How do you find hackathons to join?
We have invited a few of our organizer friends from around the world at Major League Hacking, Hack the North, LA Hacks, Hack UTD, and HackKosice to join us in our new nwChats series — designed to help break barriers, dispel common misconceptions, and answer the most frequently asked questions about hackathons. 💬
In our last installment of nwChats, we addressed hackathon basics like “What is a hackathon?” and “How do hackathons actually… work?”. In this second installment of nwChats, we will answer some of the most commonly Googled questions about hackathons.
Are hackathons worth it?
“They are some of the most fun weekends I have ever had. If I look towards life changing experiences in my life, I can point to specific hackathons that are like that for me. So yes, hackathons are totally worth it.”
— Nick Quinlan, Major League Hacking (New York, USA)
“Hackathons are totally worth it! It’s fun, you get free food for the weekend, and you get to hang out with your friends. It’s a competition, but for me, it’s also a de-stressing thing because I get to see all the projects that everyone is doing and hang out — it’s a really really fun environment.”
— Caitlin Tibbetts, Hack UTD (Texas, USA)
Are hackathons only for coders?
“Definitely not! I am a communications and business student, and we have people from different backgrounds and different disciplines come to Hack the North. You don’t necessarily have to know how to code — you just have to be eager to learn, be very excited about technology, and have an open mind to go. So, you definitely don’t have to have a coding background because we have people from all experience levels come and do some cool stuff.”
— Kristine Clarin, Hack the North (Ontario, Canada)
“Hackathons are for every single person who wants to innovate, and that is in multiple ways — either through programming or design or business ideas or creative thinking or managing a team of people. So really, a lot of people are welcome at hackathons.”
— Juraj Mičko, HackKosice (Košice, Slovakia)
Are hackathons good for your resume?
“Hackathons are amazing for your resume. One of the first questions a recruiter asks when they look at your resume or maybe when you’re in a job interview is, “What hackathons have you been to?” and “What projects have you built?”. They are a wonderful way to get both those things that recruiters are looking for.”
— Nick Quinlan, Major League Hacking (New York, USA)
“I would say so! Basically, you get to tell your employer or future employer that you have practical real world projects that you’ve built at a hackathon, and maybe show them that you have experience with specific technologies that might be in their tech stack that you can showcase. You are also able to work in a team and build some products productively and collaboratively, so that’s definitely a plus for employers to know that you can do that.”
— Kristine Clarin, Hack the North (Ontario, Canada)
Are hackathons free?
“Every hackathon that I have ever been to are free! They are usually funded by corporate sponsors who are going to have booths at the event and send recruiters. Not only is it free, but you also get a free career fair going on, usually.”
— Caitlin Tibbetts, Hack UTD (Texas, USA)
“Yes, as far as I’m concerned. Occasionally, you might have to spend some money to travel but outside of that they’re always free.”
— Sriram Balachandran, LA Hacks (Los Angeles, USA)
How long do hackathons usually last?
“Hackathons really depends — you can find hackathons that run just a night, just 6 hours, and sometimes 12 hours. Most hackathons that you’re going to find, particularly hackathons that Major League Hacking partners with, are going to be 24 to 36 hours.”
— Nick Quinlan, Major League Hacking (New York, USA)
“It depends because there are shorter ones now, but usually they’re 24 to 36 hours. You also have shorter ones that are 6 to 12 hours.”
— Sriram Balachandran, LA Hacks (Los Angeles, USA)
How do you find hackathons to join?
“The best place to go to find hackathons is the Major League Hacking (MLH) website! MLH is a company that puts on hackathons, seemingly internationally, so that is definitely the first place to look for a hackathon. They have a really great schedule. Also, see if there is a hackathon already happening in your school! Many schools have a hackathon that you can just look up “hackathon at ______” to find.”
— Caitlin Tibbetts, Hack UTD (Texas, USA)
“Personally, the best resource for first time hackers, especially if they are students, is to go to the Major League Hacking (MLH) website and look for the listed events that will happen in the future, and just apply to even multiples of them.”
— Juraj Mičko, HackKosice (Košice, Slovakia)
Every single hackathon is unique in its own way, but they all have one thing in common: it’s a place for tech lovers from diverse backgrounds to learn new skills, make new connections, and have fun while building something new! Check out our full video series on YouTube to hear more from our nwChats series, or read our last Medium article to learn more about hackathon basics.
Thank you once again to our friends at Major League Hacking (MLH), Hack the North, LA Hacks, HackUTD, and HackKosice for sharing their hackathon experiences with us.
Stay tuned for our next iteration of nwChats, where we will be providing some tips, tricks, and advice to winning and doing your best at your next hackathon! 👋
— Words by Rebecca Xie, Marketing Director 2020/2021
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