My GeekOut Experience
Hi everyone! My name is Gladys. I recently had the opportunity to be part of GeekOut, a five-day tech bootcamp organised by GovTech. A little fun fact, I was staying in Indonesia during that period so I actually flew back to Singapore just for GeekOut and I did not regret it. Over the span of five days I got to meet lots of incredible people and learn so so much from them. Join me as I take you through the highlights of my GeekOut journey! :)
#1 Thrilling First Day
On my way to GovTech’s office, I felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I’ve always been a shy and reserved person and so going to events like this feels scary to me. But my worries quickly went away when I was greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by GovTechies at the lobby.
I got to meet my team members and we kicked off the day with some icebreaker games. It was a chance to bond with the team and we had a great time getting to know each other and playing games together.
#2 Exploring the Depths
The workshops and talks at GeekOut taught me loads about the tech world. I gained exposure to and hands-on experience on the following:
- Version control with Git
- Unity
- App Development
- Data Science and AI
- Cybersecurity
As someone with little experience in coding and the tech world in general, I faced many challenges during the workshops, but our GovTechie mentors were incredibly nice and helpful and they were there to help every step of the way. It was also very interesting to hear about how tech is being used for public good. From the talks, I gained a deeper understanding of the various domains of tech and a better idea of what I want to pursue in the future.
Of course, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. During our breaks, we hung out and played a game of darts (at the GovTech office!!). We worked hard and we played hard 😎.
#3 Engaging with GovTechies
The bootcamp also offered us a sneak peek into what life is like inside GovTech. We were able to learn more about GovTech’s culture and the tech industry in general during an Ask-Me-Anything session with the GovTech Technology Associates. The speakers were really fun and engaging, and they gave us plenty of advice for the future. It was so great to see how much GovTechies seemed to genuinely enjoy what they do.
#4 The Hackathon Begins
On the fourth day, the hackathon began. The room was filled with excitement as everyone tried to guess what the theme of the hackathon would be. It was finally announced and we were tasked to “Ideate and/or develop a smart city solution to improve the quality of life of citizens or help citizens overcome daily challenges while enhancing the sustainability of the goal to move towards a smarter nation.”
Equipped with the knowledge we had gained from the previous days, we began to dissect the problem statement and brainstorm possible solutions, and in the end, we came up with CyFun. The main feature of this app is to help cyclists find the best routes to their destination. Our aim was to enhance the safety of cycling in Singapore, which would in turn encourage more people to cycle, and ultimately reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint.
Truly, we could not have done this without our mentor, Wei Gen, and other GovTechies who helped us with the brainstorming process and gave a lot of feedback on our hackathon project.
#5 It’s all about the journey, not the destination
While we did not win the hackathon, the process of brainstorming and solidifying our solution is definitely one that I cherish (though winning would’ve definitely been great because the prizes were SOLIDD 🥵🥵🥵). I learned a lot from the mentors and from my team members as well, but most importantly, I had fun doing so.
The night before the submission, we camped out at Starbucks to continue working on our project until they kicked us out 🥲. We went home and stayed on discord all night (I think pulling an all-nighter is the real hackathon experience 😉).
#6 My message to you
GeekOut 2023 was truly an eye-opening experience for me and I will forever be grateful to myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and signing up for GeekOut. It is a great place to meet and learn from like-minded individuals. So if you’re considering taking part in GeekOut, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so! Trust me, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
Get notified of the next run of GeekOut here: go.gov.sg/GovTechTalentCommunity
