Five Reasons You Should Join a Hackathon

Many developers often prefer to work in a team, especially when building a new software technology or tool.   

Hackathons, therefore, are excellent opportunities for creatives in the same industry to collaborate and work on new, exciting projects.    

A hackathon is a competition hosted by a tech company or organization in which participants use their programming skills to solve problems or produce a viable solution in a short period of time. 

They can also learn new techniques, sharpen their skillsets, and learn from the successes and failures of their peers.   

Hackathons are not meant for beginners alone. Experienced and veteran developers can also participate. So, whether you're new to software development or have been coding for years, here are five reasons you should join a hackathon:  

Winning teams in hackathons always receive valuable prizes. They could range from monetary rewards and sophisticated gadgets to company interviews and employment offers.   

Plus, everyone receives merchandise to remember their experiences, such as t-shirts, face-caps, coffee mugs, stationery, stickers, etc.   

A hackathon is also an ideal incubator where you could learn vital skills well suited to your industry. If you are an entry-level developer, you would learn how to build a project from the ground up, deal with challenges you are sure to encounter and defend your concept in front of a panel of experts.   

If you are more experienced, a hackathon helps you improve collaboration among your team members and sharpen their skills and yours.    

3. It helps you build a strong network of peers and influencers in the tech community  

Hackathons allow you to meet and work with a broad range of talents with similar interests. Many participants in hackathons have made excellent connections that proved extremely useful in both their professional and personal lives.   

In a hackathon, you are either learning or helping other coders learn. As an instructor or mentor, you get to build on your authority as an expert in your field. It also opens you to greater opportunities to develop vital non-technical skills like leadership, communication, and collaboration.  

4. It allows you to display your coding skills to potential recruiters  

A hackathon is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills. Many organizations that sponsor programming competitions often scout for new talents during these events.   

Participating in competitions shows that you possess work-ready skills like logical thinking, quick problem solving, time management, and attention to detail.   

Besides, you do not need to win the competition to be considered a great candidate. Your potential and ability to learn are what recruiters are after.  

5. It opens you up to new career choices.  

Participating (and winning) in a hackathon can boost your chances of landing an excellent job in your field. Add it as an achievement on your resume.   

Recruiters love to hire hands-on candidates who can prove that they can own and take responsibility for their projects.   

It is essential to include a detailed description of the project and the role you played in your team. Employers will value your contribution if you are specific about them, even if you do not win.  

Conclusion  

There are many other great benefits of participating in a hackathon. You get to build something useful from scratch, get helpful feedback, learn from others, and have an overall fun time (even if you don’t win!)  

Do not forget that it is a taste of what you might be doing for the rest of your life if you decide to follow a career path in software development. So, ready to join a hackathon?