Hackathons have always been one of those things I heard a lot about ever since I started learning to code. People talk about how intense and competitive they can be, and for the longest time, that made me both curious and a little nervous 😓.
I used to believe that hackathons were meant only for seasoned developers, so I never paid much attention to them—until an unexpected opportunity forced me to step out of my comfort zone.
This is the story of how I joined my first-ever hackathon, what the entire process looked like, and the most important lessons I took away from it as a growing developer.
How It All Started
As someone passionate about technology, I make a point to connect with developers whenever I can. Through one of these connections, I ended up joining a local developers’ WhatsApp group where members share upcoming tech events, job opportunities, and project collaborations.
One day, a message popped up:
“Weekend Hackathon—Developers Needed.”
Instantly, my mind went to the same old thought:
“This is for experienced developers… and you’re not one of them.”
But my curiosity took over, and I applied anyway—just to see what would happen.
Getting Selected
A few days later, I received an email saying I had been selected. I was excited and nervous at the same time. On the morning of the hackathon, participants received a Google Meet link to kick off the event.
The hackathon was organized by a new startup searching for developers. Because of this, they already had a list of real-world projects they wanted participants to work on. These projects were categorized into:
T1 – Beginner level
T2 – Intermediate
T3 – Advanced
Each project also had a reward attached, and participants would receive the prize if they completed at least 90% of the tasks.
Choosing My Project
I chose a T1 project and received a GitHub invitation. After accepting it, I forked the repository, cloned it to my local machine, and began reviewing the code.
The startup’s instructions were clear:
Understand how the project works
Identify the working and broken features
Fix the issues
Add extra features if time allowed
Since this was my first hackathon, everything felt new. I quickly went through the onboarding guide, took a deep breath, and jumped straight into coding.
The 8-Hour Coding Marathon
I spent the entire 8 hours in my room—just me, my laptop, and the project. I debugged, fixed errors, added functionality, and tested everything repeatedly.
Surprisingly, it was fun!
There’s a different kind of excitement that comes with working under pressure, knowing there’s a deadline and a goal you're trying to reach.
At the end of the 8 hours, all participants joined the Google Meet again to present our final demos.
Winner Selection & Rewards
After the demos, winners were selected based on:
Features implemented
Code quality
Completion percentage
Creativity in additional features
Each winner received a prize according to their project category—and I was one of them 🎉.
For someone who started the day unsure of what to expect, walking away with a reward felt amazing.
Key Takeaways
Here’s what this hackathon taught me:
- Take chances—even when you feel unprepared
I almost didn’t apply because I doubted myself. Yet, taking that small chance opened the door to an incredible experience.
2.Practice builds confidence
Working on a real project helped me apply the skills I’ve been learning far better than any tutorial.
3.Hackathons are powerful learning grounds
You get to:
Sharpen your problem-solving skills
Gain real-world experience
See how other developers approach problems
build your portfolio
4.Networking matters
I met talented developers I can collaborate with in the future.
Conclusion
If you’re learning software development, don’t wait for the “perfect moment” to test your skills. Hackathons, coding challenges, and small real-world projects are some of the best ways to grow as a developer.
Software development is constantly evolving. The more you practice, the more confident and capable you become—and hackathons provide the perfect environment to push your limits.
I'm a MERN-stack developer, open to collaborations.
Feel free to connect, like this post if it inspired you, and check out my GitHub to see what I’m currently working on.
Top comments (2)
Thank you for sharing your experience, and congratulations on winning a prize!
Thanks 😊