The Skyline Commons was bustling with excitement on Saturday, March 22. Young coders and tech enthusiasts were gathered for a hackathon organized by Skyline’s very own Technovation Club. Sneha M., the club’s president and organizer of the hackathon, expressed her motivation behind arranging this hackathon.
“I have always loved hackathons, but I feel like a lot of people don’t know what a hackathon is, or they are too scared because it is a competitive atmosphere. So, I have always wanted to organize my own hackathon.” A hackathon is a coding event where programmers and developers compete and make projects that fit a certain theme within a limited period of time.
Participants attended the hackathon to gain more experience with hackathons and the web development field. A sophomore at Skyline stated that she “wanted to do this hackathon to learn more about coding and gain experience in coding,” validating the club’s drive to make hackathons more accessible for beginners.
Most hackathons last 24 to 72 hours, but this one was about six hours long for new coders to get assimilated into the atmosphere of a hackathon. There were workshops and guest mentors from the University of Washington to guide the participants through this new experience. Participants made outlines of a web page and pitched it to the judges, connecting business and computer science skills—Technovation’s core aspects.
Hackathons can serve as an opportunity to improve collaborative and technical skills. Working with a team under the guidance of a professional might catalyze your coding journey, and hackathons are a way to get there.
