Why Am I Writing This?
I'm writing this to show how unfair the world we live in can be, sometimes ridiculously so.
This isn't the first time I've faced unfairness. It's happened more times than I can count, and by now I'm mostly numb to it. I don't really feel sad or angry anymore. I just keep going.
So this write-up isn't really for me. It's for people who are just starting out, or who aren't used to doing everything they possibly can, and even more, and still not getting what they deserve. I've seen so many people give up on their careers, their job searches, and their dreams because of moments like this. I was lucky to be resilient and stubborn enough not to let them break me.
The Best Prize I'll Never Use
Back in March, I won the biggest competition of my life, a challenge held by GitHub. I built Metal Birds Watch, an app I'm absolutely proud of. It's in maintenance mode right now, but it'll be back soon.
I still don't know how I finished it. I was in severe pain the entire time. My neck, shoulder, and arm were absolutely killing me, and I could barely sit up straight. It was literal hell. But I pushed through and shipped it anyway.
So you can imagine how it felt to hear I'd won. And the prizes were amazing.
One of them was a one-year GitHub Copilot Pro+ subscription. I already had one, so GitHub offered me a very generous voucher for their shop instead. I asked them to donate that money to charity. It's the biggest charitable contribution I'd ever made, and I'm really proud of it.
The other prize was a ticket to GitHub Universe, the one I was looking forward to most.
Everything was going great.
The Reason I Had Zero Control Over
That lasted until a month or two ago, when I found out I wouldn't be able to attend. The reason is absolutely ridiculous. Sometimes I catch myself laughing hysterically at the sheer level of this utter BS. But the world is a weird place right now. A very, very weird place.
I won't go into the exact reasons, but remember this: where you are in the world matters, especially at this point in history. It can affect your career, your life, everything. Don't be naive about it. No matter how successful you are, how good you are, or whether you do literally everything right, external factors don't give a damn.
A Precious Ticket Gone to Waste
One more thing I'm really annoyed about: the ticket is going to waste, and nobody can use it. I reached out to GitHub twice to ask whether I could transfer it to someone else, but I haven't heard back. I get it, they have a massive conference to run, so they're too busy to respond my emails, but still, I would've loved to give it to someone and make their day. It is what it is. I'm still infinitely grateful to GitHub for what they have done, I love you folks!
So What Now?
Nothing, really. Like I said, it's bad, but I've been through much worse, and I can handle this. I have way too much on my plate anyway, so I don't even have time to dwell on it.
For me, knowing I gave it everything I had, and more, is enough. Regretting that you didn't give it your all would feel far worse than this nonsense.
This write-up is mainly for people who give up the moment something doesn't go their way. Be stubborn. Focus on what you can control. Play the long game. You might lose a round, but that doesn't mean you've lost the match.
That's what I've always done, and it played out pretty well for me. So I'm just going to keep doing it. I might get things the hard way, but one way or another, I'll get them. I've lost rounds before. I've never lost the match.
The seat stays empty this year. It won't stay empty forever. I promise you that.
Let's stay connected!
Top comments (71)
Hey Giorgi. I am very sorry to hear about this.
@ben @jess @heyitsjem Is it possible to give Giorgi an alternative prize as a result? (or get this man another ticket for next year)?
Thanks! This support is my real prize, so nothing else is really needed. 🙌 I can only accept things I earn the hard way, that's just who I am. 😄 All three of them are the reason I got to take part in this competition in the first place, and winning it was an absolute blast.
The only problem? Now I'm hooked on these competitions and have no idea what to do about it. 😂
At least your hooked onto competitions lol.
My belief is that you worked hard on the submission and won. At the very least you should get something that you can use. Having something and not using it is wack and I think you deserve something as an alternative to replace something that you worked hard for. Otherwise, it just looks like you won and got nothing you know.
Otherwise, glad the support is your real prize in all this. It's just my opinion that you should deserve something like an Arduino for example.
Fun fact: I have an arduino that I was gifted on my birthday, years ago, still untouched... I have zero time for it. 😄
But I need to build something cool with it at some point.
lol don't worry. I also have an arduino I won for the Gemini Writing challenge and haven't touch it yet for the same reason of not having time for it haha
I'm really sorry to hear that Giorgi. I hope the conditions that are keeping you from attending ease up soon. Thank you for sharing, you're not alone. We'll keep moving forward one step at a time.
Thanks so much! Couldn't agree more, the only way is forward!
This is the frustrating part of building in tech: you can do the work, win the competition, and still hit a wall because of circumstances completely outside your control. The ticket transfer issue is especially disappointing when someone else could have benefited from it. It reminds me of open-source projects where a contributor can build something genuinely useful, but access, licensing, or distribution restrictions can stop it from reaching the people who need it. Hope you get your GitHub Universe moment, Giorgi. You’ve clearly earned it.
Thank you!
I'll still be watching online this time, pretending I'm there 😄 I can't pretend and simulate the networking with people part, which is the real point of conferences. But it is what it is.
Haha, the online stream can cover the talks, but it can’t recreate bumping into someone who’s working on the exact problem you’ve been stuck on and ending up in a conversation that changes your approach. Some of the best conference connections happen between sessions, not on stage. Hopefully, the community finds a way to get you there in person next time, Giorgi. 😄
It's not really up to community, or GitHub, or anything that makes sense, but thanks!
At least I have a funny story to tell when I get old😂
😂 Definitely a story for the books, although I wish it came with a better ending! At least you’ve got the kind of story that’ll make people question how these things are handled. Hopefully, your next big tech event comes with a badge that actually gets you through the door!
Thanks a lot!
Anytime, Giorgi! 😄 Hope the next one gives you a much better story to tell!
Giorgi, I understand this more than you know! I'm not interested in participating in events that give you tickets to places outside of my home country. For reasons largely outside of my control at the moment, I wouldn't be able to do such a thing either. I was actually nervous once that I had a chance at winning one and was like "oh no, I hope I don't win and then have to throw away a ticket" ...minor concern.
I would have just been happy if I won something. 🤣 My life payload is far too heavy to get excited about one-time prizes. But to be champion? That is forever. That is what you feel throughout the rest of your life.
The fact that you are able to remain solid and tell Github to donate to charity instead, speaks absolute volumes to the kindness in your heart despite whatever controversy. Keep fighting the good fight. ⭐
Thank you Anna! Though, in my case, I had zero problems attending a conference anywhere. I'd fly to Australia, Alaska, Antarctica, the moon, almost anywhere, wherever a good conference is happening. The limiting factor wasn't something that actually makes sense, I was ready in every way possible. The external factor was completely out of my control and total nonsense. That's the most annoying part of all this.
Yeah, I learned the hard way to stay steady in situations like this. I've been through things that make this one feel like just a minor inconvenience.
To be honest, I wasn't going to write about this at all. I don't like sharing things like this, I hate it. And I usually deal with them on my own. But then I remembered how many people give up on their dreams because one thing didn't go their way. So I felt obliged to show that even with a decade of experience behind you, things will still get in your way. You just have to find a way around them and keep going. If this post helps even one person, it was worth sharing.
I appreciate that you shared your experience publicly. That is a brave move and crafts a more relatable post.
And let me know when you have extra moon passes. I'm sure you will share with your friends on DEV? 🤣⭐
Alright, lemme note that down so I remember when I do 😄
So basically, you'd refuse to leave the country for a conference, ...BUT... you're totally willing to go to the moon... Hmm, that kind of sounds like me, but in a larger scale. I barely travel within my own country, but I fly around Europe pretty often 😄
😂 Would make sacrifices for moon pass.
Noted, sealed, promised. If I ever score a free ticket to the Moon, you're first in line.
Can't guarantee a window seat, but we can negotiate that later.
Perfect. 😂
Hi Giorgi! I can’t make it to GitHub Universe either; all that traveling just doesn’t fit into my life. On the other hand, here on dev.to, I feel like I’ve found a home—at least in a digital sense. It’s an interesting era; it really supercharges creativity, yet at the same time, I find something deeply unsettling about the storm clouds brought on by technological progress. That’s why I try to build programs designed to foster individual creativity, and I’ve also launched a news feed called
Singularity News001 0010 0011—to provide a space for people to share their perspectives on what’s happening around us.I hope you will be better!
That's bad, it'd be great to catch up there, but maybe some other time.
I'm so sorry, Giorgi! And you're absolutely right. Some things are simply beyond our control, no matter how much we'd like to change them. Things like where we live, the geopolitical situation, and so on. @dannwaneri also raised a lot of questions about this. But yes, we can still change the things that are within our control!
Thank you! And yes, the situation is absolutely questionable right now. That's what happens when grown up toddlers have control over things that require professionalism and common sense. But it's alright, at least I know I gave all I had, that makes me proud.
Building a winning app while in that much pain and then donating your prize to charity says more about you than any conference badge could. Really sorry the seat stays empty this year. “I’ve lost rounds before. I’ve never lost the match” is a line a lot of people need to hear. Rooting for you next year, Giorgi.
Thanks a lot. I’ll try my best!🫡
What stands out is that you did everything required to earn the opportunity, yet earning it didn't guarantee you could actually use it.
We talk a lot about merit in tech, but access still determines how far some achievements can take us.
Those are two very different things.
Definitely. This is an important thing to consider.
What makes this especially frustrating is that you did your part, earned the opportunity on merit, and still had no control over whether you could use it. I also respect that you tried to transfer the ticket rather than let it go to waste.
It’s a reminder that talent and hard work can open doors, but circumstances outside our control can still determine whether we get to walk through them.
Totally true✅
The part that feels most fixable is the empty seat. Prize programs could publish a fallback path up front: a deadline for the winner to decline, a verified transfer or waitlist process, and a remote/community alternative when travel becomes impossible. It would not remove the unfairness you describe, but it would stop a hard-won opportunity from becoming unusable for everyone.
Yeah, I thought I could give my ticket to someone easily. Looks like it's not the case.
That is exactly why the handoff needs to be part of the published rules rather than an ad hoc exception. A named transfer window and a simple reassignment process would let an unused seat reach another participant without putting the winner in the position of negotiating it privately.
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