5 Virtual Hackathon Tips for First-Time Hackers
Virtual hackathons are back for another year and this is your guide on how to make the most of this unique opportunity.
Below are 5 tips on how to ace your next virtual hackathon.
1. Build the Hackathon into Your Calendar
It is likely that the schedule of workshops and activities at the hackathon will be released before the hackathon begins. Find the events you want to attend before the hackathon and add them to your personal calendar.
This will prevent you from getting stressed out during the event and prevent workshop burnout. It can also serve as a helpful reminder for when you need to be online during the hackathon.
2. Learn How to Manage your Discord Notifications
It is inevitable that every hackathon Discord is going to get bombarded with messages. The frequent notifications are overwhelming — both for hackers and organizers as well.
To make the notifications more manageable, take 10 minutes before the hackathon to adjust your Discord settings. This small step could save your sanity.
3. Network, network, network.
At an in-person hackathon, it’s likely someone won’t see your LinkedIn connection request until they get home or until they log in to their email that Monday.
At a virtual hackathon, everyone is going to be online all weekend — so use that to your advantage. Connect with everyone on LinkedIn (making sure to send them a message with your request) and continue those networking conversations. You never know when those connections are going to come in handy one day!
4. Reuse & Repurpose Workshop Recordings
At in-person hackathons, workshops are often not recorded. At a virtual hackathon, almost every single workshop and educational event is recorded. This allows you to tune into any workshop at any time before or after the hackathon.
Don’t want to learn Python today? Don’t worry — you can watch the Intro to Python workshop next week and maybe use the skills at your next hackathon.
5. Virtual Hackathons Are Awkward
Yes, virtual hackathons are awkward. It can feel weird to try and make friends over Zoom and network with sponsors over video chat.
The amazing thing about virtual hackathons is that everyone is in the same position, we all are trying out this new experience — together! This unity fosters an incredibly supportive atmosphere, perfect for first-time hackers like yourself.
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