A beginning coder's guide to their first Hackathons
So I've been to a few hackathons, and people I talk to seem enthralled by my recap of everything that happened and how awesome it seems like it might be, but the biggest comment that I get while I’m talking to someone is, “I don’t know how to code”.
There are two types of people who will ask me this question. 1. is someone who has zero experience with technology whatsoever, besides the usage of their smartphone (probs an iPhone), but are very interested in learning, and 2. is someone who just began learning to code and has nothing but that first C++/Java intro class under their belt. This list was made to help both types of people get started, and get the most out of a hackathon.
1. You don't need to code at a hackathon
Now you definitely need to have a team that has people who can code, but you don't need to be one of them. Coming up with a useful project involves many more things than just coding. The design, the idea, the presentation, that one guy who keeps everybody sane at 4 in the morning on the second day. There are SO many things that come into play that aren't coding related. I've seen teams go up as finalists, to demo their hacks that had a psychology major as a member. I was on a team once, where we won first place, and the person who came up with the idea, did the presentation, and decided what our final logo would be, wrote zero lines of code. That win would not have happened without her.
2. Everyone starts off as a beginner, so ask questions
Developing for Android is completely different than developing for iOS. Maybe you started learning PHP for web dev, but now you want to switch to Ruby on Rails. Even those people who are seniors in your major that have just gone through the curriculum, and never touched on these before will start off basically on the same level as you. If you've taken the intro class you're set, if you've never coded in your life, read up on the basics, types, loops, etc., and use the hackathon to learn how they work and get started on something. Before the hackathon actually starts, research what you want to develop for and download all the necessary tools. I've had times where I've gone in cold turkey and taken about 5 hours, along with my team, to get everything set up since we ran into issues that had nothing to do with our actual project. Remember, if you get stuck on something, ask! It’s a great way to talk to the mentor’s at the event, or any of the software engineers representing their companies.
3. No matter what, demo your hack
You might go into a hackathon thinking your about to make a social app that does this and that, and your going to sell it to Google for millions of dollars. Well you only have 24 hours, so at a certain point you may want to scale it down if you feel like your pressed for time and aren't where you want to be yet. Remember though, always submit/demo your app. Go up there, and even though you may have only built a small interface and a sign in screen, go ahead and tell people what it was supposed to be. You'd be surprised at how many people will be just as impressed with your idea and what you tried to accomplish, than someone who finished making a "Snake" game in HTML5.
4. Build your network
You don't have to be hacking the whole time. You're in an area where there is a culmination of like minded, self driven individuals who are just as passionate and enthusiastic about this as you are. Take the time to go around and meet some of them. Ask them about what they are building, or where they're from. Everyone enjoys talking a little bit about themselves, and these people are the ones who will be working at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and any company you can possibly think of, one day. A hackathon is also like a miniature career fair. There are also, most likely, a few company engineers and recruiters that helped sponsor the event. Take the time to ask these people about what they do, ideas, where they're from, etc. Getting to know these people especially helps for getting jobs and internships. You will most likely see a lot of them at other hackathons as well.
5. Keep your hack, and work on it later
Even if you finished what you set off to create, like I mentioned before, there's only so much you could have done with it in 24 hours. Work on it after the hackathon, and add it to your resume. There's nothing tech companies like seeing more than side projects you've taken the initiative to work on outside of class. You're already a step up by going to the hackathon, so get that added bonus by building on top of your hack.
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Drop me a line @rmorenocesar
Texas A&M Hackerbowl on March 22.
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