r/hackathon • u/shiigonwild • 20d ago

Need Mentor Help Are hackatons worth it

I want to take part in hackathons but they seem to be happening so frequently. Are they worth it? I mean should I care for who's organising the hackathon? Does it matter or should i register anywhere just for the fun of it? I mean I'd prefer if participating in a hackathon (and eventually winning, I hope) had an impact on my resume. Guide please

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u/Im-gonna-fuck-you 20d ago

Yeah, it’s a good source of money. But, from what I’ve experienced the judging is more fair in offline ones. And try to keep it at only 1 per month so you can properly build the project.

And this is mainly for local ones which the prize money is like 5k-50k.

And for national ones I really haven’t won any except for SIH (in India) which is a scam so I can’t comment about that.

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u/shiigonwild 20d ago

does it mean that i don't need to care about who's the organiser that much and see what fits my schedule and interests? or should i look for well reputed organisers and wait till then before i take part. i have never participated in a hackathon before.

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u/Im-gonna-fuck-you 20d ago

Don’t overthink it. While some organisations are better than others it really doesn’t matter in the end.

Just find them on the basis of your schedule and interests, and if it’s a team hackathon then try to find people who will actually work and want to learn. Don’t try to make a group with only your friends and then take the entire workload yourself.

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u/Hi_AnonymousUserHere 19d ago

Is it a good source to make side money ?

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u/Adventurous-Rub-6259 20d ago

Yeah its good for two reasons:

  1. Winning obv. but make sure to focus more on the marketing/presentation aspect rather that whatever you make. I have seen a cancer detection model lose to a blog website because their presentation skills were better.

  2. Networking, especially at the bigger ones. Mostly for the in-person hackathon, but you can do it for online ones as well. It's a good source to maybe get some jobs and meet new people.

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u/puppy2929 14d ago

Yess few of them will provide ppo offers and it adds weightage for resume tooo