Lessons learned from my first hackathon
Over the weekend I decided to go to a hackathon called ID Hack. ID Hack focuses on coding for social issues and enterprises, specifically for International Development. I went in being very excited for my first hackathon and wanted to come out having made something amazing.
Let's just say that that didn't happen.
My project with Vecna Cares didn't work out. Our goal for this project was to link a fingerprint scanner and its software to the Android CommCare app (a medical database) in an attempt for easier patient identification. My group found out the hard way that open-source software that is often used for the nonprofit sector isn't well documented, with some of the 'helpful' downloadable content being out-of-date or virus-ridden. A bit of a sad start to the night, with 11 hours left until project submission.
Having so much time leftover, I had decided not to let this define my night and I spent the rest of the hackathon meeting people. There were some awesome people there, many of whom were first-time hackers (like moi!), and seeing what they made in 24 hours was incredible. I spent time learning about how they built their products, their whole design process and got to play with their apps in person. (Is this considered networking?) In the end I felt I didn't waste my time at all, even without a fancy app to show for it.
I'll be honest, before coming to ID Hack hackathons really intimidated me. I didn't (and still don't) feel like I have the experience to do much, which led me to choosing a project that needed Java as opposed to learning a new technology or language. But I learned that making something tangible required more than coding; teamwork, perseverance (making something with 3 hours of sleep isn't something to laugh at) and willingness to learn were the most important. Throw in a supportive environment where there were workshops every 2 hours and it wasn't weird to be a 'noob', and you have your pot of gold.