The First Hackathon Experience: A Self-Taught Developer's Journey to Success

A Short Story

As the day of the hackathon approached, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. I had just completed my A-Levels and decided to take a gap year before starting my degree in electronic engineering. As a self-taught developer, I had low expectations for myself, unlike my team members who were feeling the pressure. I was surprisingly not nervous, but rather excited to see what this experience would bring.

I was teamed up with an experienced mentor named KN, a close friend named EG who was currently doing an AUSMAT in Sunway college, and two computer science students from APU universities named KG and RY. I had met KN on WhatsApp, and I was able to persuade him to join our team. He had joined many hackathons and even lost track of the numbers, of course, he won many due to his experience. He was particularly extroverted, easy going, and caring. I did not know KG and RY very well, but I was looking forward to working with them. The hackathon was organised by RHB, a well-known bank in Malaysia.

The hackathon was held in 3 days, we used the first day for idea generation and the second day for actual coding. During the idea generation stage, KN came up with the idea of creating an expense management feature within the RHB mobile banking app. It would utilise a card-swiping mechanism to make expense categorisation more efficient for users. The idea was met with enthusiasm by the whole team and we decided to go forward with it.

As we began coding on the second day, I faced several obstacles. The biggest being my lack of experience with the version control system called git and impostor syndrome. I also had a feeling of not belonging, like I was not good enough to be there. However, I was determined to push through and learn as much as I could. I asked for help from KN and EG, they patiently explained the concepts to me and helped me understand how to use git. With their help, I was able to overcome my fear.

The hackathon was intense, I coded from 10 am in the morning till 2 am at night. I enjoyed the lunch breaks, it allowed me to know more about my teammates. We talked about our futures, massive software engineering architectures, overseas education systems, working experience in startups and large tech corporations. We bonded as a team, and I felt like I belonged.

Unfortunately, our team's project, named "Zee", did not win the hackathon. We weren't even in the top 10 out of 95 teams. I was a bit disappointed but I knew it was a valuable learning experience. I only stayed in touch with EG after the hackathon as we were close friends before the hackathon even started.

The hackathon experience taught me that due to my reserved nature, I rarely inform others of our progress on the project; this was a bad habit that had to be eliminated. I realised that communication is key and that it's important to keep everyone in the loop. Our app, "Zee" was an expense management feature within the RHB mobile banking app. It utilised a card-swiping mechanism to make expense categorisation more efficient for users. We used technologies such as NextJS React, coded in Javascript language and TailwindCSS framework to build the prototype of the app.

Collaborating with individuals of diverse personalities was intriguing. KG had a commanding and assertive demeanour, while RY was composed and dependable. Interestingly, Ryan tended to be verbose in his communication, so I made an effort to remain attentive. I sometimes struggled to grasp his explanations, but made an effort to understand. On the other hand, I had a positive rapport with EG and KN. They were empathetic and indulgent towards me and I felt confident in their support.

KN stood out as an exceptional teacher to me compared to many of the teachers I encountered in traditional schools. He was a "real teacher". He lived by the principles he taught, through his daily work and personal experiences. A teacher like him is truly invaluable.

When it came to the presentation of the app, I had mixed feelings. I couldn't read the body language of the judges well as they were all in virtual mode. However, my gut feeling was correct and we lost the hackathon. The judges had different views on our ideas and some did not understand it particularly well, others were very supportive. But we received a good feedback and it helped us to improve the app for the next hackathon.

During the hackathon, we also had mentors and coaches who helped us along the way. They provided valuable feedback and helped us to refine our ideas. They gave us tips and tricks on how to pitch our ideas and how to make our app more user-friendly.

One of the most memorable moments during the hackathon was when we were stuck on a problem and we were trying to find a solution. We were discussing different ideas and KN came up with a solution that we never thought of. It was a lightbulb moment for all of us, and we were able to move forward with our coding.

If I could go back in time, I think I would have reduced the amount of pages for our app and spent more time perfecting the pitch. I would also have made sure to communicate more with my team members and keep them updated on our progress. But overall, my first hackathon experience was an amazing learning experience, and I'm looking forward to participating in more in the future. I learned how to work with a team and how to overcome obstacles. It helped me to improve my coding skills and to be more confident in my abilities. The hackathon was a stepping stone for me, and I know that it will help me in my future endeavours.