Starting my Own Business After Attending My First (Hurricane) Hackathon, HobbyHacks by TechTogether

This month, I had the honor of attending my first hackathon, HobbyHacks, hosted by TechTogether. This hackathon was every form of unique, especially for a hackathon in 2020. Not only was this TechTogether’s first virtual hackathon, but it was also my first hackathon EVER. I attended this event with less than a month of coding experience and it just so happened to take place as Hurricane Hanna hit land in my home, the Rio Grande Valley.

What is the virtual hackathon experience like?

While the hurricane created multiple personal challenges for me, the virtual aspect of this event made it possible for me to attend despite the odds. The rise of virtual hackathons is one positive change that was made as a result of the recent pandemic. With a virtual hackathon, anyone with an internet connection and device can attend no matter their circumstances (like a hurricane). This opens up a world of possibilities to so many people who may not have been aware that hackathons existed (like me) and give them the chance to attend from the comfort of their own home! Without access to this hackathon, I would not have known how to continue to nurture my newly found passion for coding. So, while there may be a few technical difficulties occasionally, the experience you gain is 100% worth it and I am so happy that virtual hackathons are a thing of the present and I hope they are here to stay even after we gain control of COVID-19.

What did I do at HobbyHacks?

Since this was my first hackathon and I had less than a month of experience in coding, I decided to not compete. However, I attend all the workshops that I possibly could! I knew that this hackathon would be a wonderful learning experience and it would be important for me to learn as much as I could for my next hackathon. In fact, I earned second place in the “Open-Minded Attendee” competition for attending 22 workshops that weekend!

I’d have to say that my favorite event from the 22 workshops I attended had to be the “Turning Spotify Songs into Code” workshop since I was able to get one-on-one help afterward from the workshop lead, Sreeya Sai. Sreeya helped me set up python on my computer and gave me many resources to help aid my education in python. Without her help, I would still see python as an impossible code that I could not crack. However with her support, I now see that python is not as scary as it seems and since then, I have been able to take some classes on python and learn even more!

Addressing Hackathon Misconceptions.

One misconception I had about hackathons that proved to be entirely untrue was that I would not be getting the entire hackathon experience if I did not compete. This belief was completely incorrect and easily proven so. I believe that not competing in a hackathon and just attending workshops can be beneficial to many people, especially beginners such as myself. If I jumped into the competition right away, I don’t think I would have been able to attend as many workshops as I did, and therefore would have missed out on so many resourses and educational events. Of course, the choice is completely yours to make. I know someone who jumped into competing at their first hackathon and had an amazing time! It all just depends on what you hope to gain from the experience as a whole.

What Is one thing you learned about at HobbyHacks that you didn’t expect?

One very important topic that I didn’t expect to learn about was product and business management, as well as the basics of entrepreneurship. I was so happy to see that there were workshops on this topic that I could attend! Ever since I was in elementary school, I had wanted to start a business of my own, but never knew where to start. (Of course, I was only around 7 years old and had no concept of a dollar so that may explain some of my challenges.)

Soon after attending these workshops and feeling inspired by all the information I had just learned; a small business opportunity became available to me! I am now the owner of a small business where I sell charm bracelets and lip gloss! My Instagram is kyrianas_kreations if you want to check it out!

I am so lucky to have been able to attend these workshops and I hope to grow my education in business management and finance in the near future.

What was meeting people like?

It will always be more difficult to meet people in a virtual setting than it is in person, but it is not impossible. I did not join a team since I did not compete, but there were still opportunities to meet and talk to people outside of creating a team. One great example of this was when I attended the Improv workshop which was a part of the “hobby” aspect in HobbyHacks. We had a small group of around five people as well as the workshop leader Kayla. I can confidently say that we all became friends that day and it's great knowing that I could contact any of the members from that workshop during the event if I needed to.

What did I take away from HobbyHacks for future hackathons?

My greatest take away from this hackathon is that nothing is impossible. When I first came into HobbyHacks, I felt like I could never learn python and that creating a business was unfathomable. However, after attending this hackathon, my confidence has grown in every aspect possible. I now feel like I can conquer python and that running a business is possible as long as I work hard and continue to learn more every day!

I definitely plan on attending more hackathons in the future! I recently attended “To the Moon and Hack” hosted by MLH. I used everything I learned from Hobby Hacks to compete in TTMAH and I had a wonderful time doing so! Without my experience at Hobby Hacks, I never would have felt confident enough to compete, but now I know that as long as I apply myself, anything is possible.

What advice do you have for first-time hackers?

My advice to anyone interested in attending their first hackathon is to make sure you know what you want to gain from attending. If you are attending to learn, make sure that you are prepared to absorb information. If you are attending to compete, make sure that you are ready to dedicate your weekend to your team. Lastly, it is important to remember to have fun. These hackathons are filled with so many wonderful experiences, don’t let them pass by!

Why should I attend a TechTogether event?

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible! Without you, many of us would have not attended our first hackathon and may have missed a very important milestone in our coding journey. You opened the door of hackathons to many people aspiring to have a career in STEM and helped spark a new wave of interest in each and every hacker.

To learn more about TechTogether and attend their next hackathon, visit their website.