Tips To Prepare for Your Next Hackathon!
Get ready for the upcoming HackVortex Hackathon from June 30th to July 7th! Participants will have a week to create a user-friendly program based on a surprise topic. If you're feeling stressed or unsure about your skills, don't worry – we've got you covered with top preparation tips. Reflect on past projects, identify strengths and weaknesses, collaborate with peers, and join our seminar on June 29th for expert guidance. With the right preparation, you'll be set for success. Happy hacking!
6/24/20244 min read
As we are approaching the date for our next Hackathon beginning on June 30th and ending on July 7th, contestants have one week to create a program based on a specific topic (ex. To-do List Maker, Banking System, etc.) and make it as user-friendly as possible. However, some participants are constantly stressed about how they can improve their skill and make their code more efficient. Additionally, since we post the topic of our hackathons on the launch day of the hackathons, participants do not have any idea about what they will need to practice for. If you are stressed for your next hackathon or have lack of practice on your overall skill as a programmer, you do not need to worry as you have come to the right place. Here we will go over the best tips to prepare for your next hackathon.
Analyzing past projects is the best way to know about your strengths and weaknesses. This can help find out what mistakes you put in your code and how you can improve it. It’s best to review your past projects with a peer who has knowledge about programming since they can offer suggestions to improve your overall skills and to commit more hours towards your project. Furthermore, this can help you with debugging your code and having solutions to any mistakes made in the past.
Once you have looked into your past projects, you will then need to identify what your strengths and weaknesses are. This is crucial before a hackathon because your strengths will help you commit massively on your project and assist your project in case any type of error (such as syntax errors) occur on your project. Many of our participants utilize their time to identify strengths and weaknesses and then practice their skills accordingly and to make as few errors as possible along the way.
After all analysis has been conducted, you will need to start practicing days before the competition begins. Furthermore, practicing alone is less efficient compared with practicing with like-minded individuals around you. In our Discord server, there are many new and upcoming programmers who have common goals like you do. So to meet those goals, it's recommended to connect with other members and collaborate on new projects. This will not only enhance your skills but it will help by having other programmers work together and share feedback as time progresses and you will feel more confident in your abilities.
HackVortex has conducted two hackathons in the past couple months, HackVortex CodeStorm #1 and HackVortex CodeStorm #2. Furthermore, we have published the project of our winner for HackVortex CodeStorm #1 on our official website (HackVortex CodeStorm #2 is TBD). When you look at the code of the winner, you will have many questions on what elements of the program made it unique compared to other programs. Was the program more user-friendly? What functions do you think the programmer used? How smoothly does the program run? Answering these questions will help you decide what you can do to improve your program compared to the last program you have built.
Although you have some participants you will be contributing with on future projects, they will not know all of the major concepts and will need further assistance. Joining seminars will boost your awareness and passion for programming since there will be programming experts who are currently in the field of computer science and will even help you assess yourself as a programmer. Don’t know where to start? Well you are in luck as HackVortex will be hosting their first ever seminar on June 29th (the day before launch day of HackVortex CodeStorm #3) and will provide lessons and will answer any questions given. There will be top programmers from HackVortex helping you to the best of their ability and making sure you are well prepared for your next hackathon. Signup is free and it's on a first come, first serve basis. So hurry up and sign-up via our website!
The most important thing for you to be well prepared for launch day is to practice, practice, and practice. Before you start, you have to plan out time to start more programming projects and to practice efficiently. It is very important to remember that in order to succeed in this field and to be a winner, you have to commit to your task and plan accordingly. We hope you understand this crucial point as it will help you the most.
Just as you will do for your major tests (ex. Final exams, Midterms, etc.), sleep is an important factor that will be your best friend before the competition. The more sleep you get, the more relaxed you feel and you are more confident in your abilities with a strong mentality. It’s recommended to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep to feel less stressed. Remember, stress is the biggest obstacle you need to overcome in order to achieve even your wildest dreams and goals.
After you set up your schedule, get enough sleep, join our seminar for further assistance, collaborate with other participants, and analyze your skills, just expect to receive an email regarding the topic for the competition. On behalf of the co-founders and all of us here at HackVortex, we wish you the best of luck as this competition will be the difference between winning and losing. Let’s get hacking!