Part of the CS Internship Guide

Why You Should Go to a Hackathon

Have you ever been to a hackthon? It’s an intense event where groups of smart people come together to build an amazing projects in a short amount of time. If you want a software internship, you should try going to one.

Create something cool

If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy programming something awesome with an intense group of people. Not to mention, a new personal project can really highlight your skills! One time, a recruiter offered me an interview just because he saw my group’s hackathon project.

Hackathons also provide opportunities to try new things. For example, if you want to experiment with user interface design, you could create your project’s UI and test it with other attendees.

But I…

Don’t make excuses about going. It’s free. If you don’t have a team, you’ll form one at the event. If you don’t know the featured technology, you’ll learn more about it. And if you heavily dislike the particular event, no one’s stopping you from leaving. Et cetera. No matter what, you’ll learn something (or at least enjoy the bountiful swag).

Don’t Miss Out

If you never go to a single hackathon, you may be missing out on lots of opportunities. Just try going to one. I only went to a single hackathon in college, but I got a lot out of the experience.

If you’d like to find a hackathon near you, check out Major League Hacking. Your favorite search engine is also always available to help find even more events.

What kinds of projects have you created at hackathons?