I Went to My First Hackathon!
It started with ‘It's close, and it sounds fun!’
I joined a hackathon for the first time! The reason was fairly spontaneous: ‘It's close by, so why not? It sounds fun!’
My first impression of the venue was that it felt a bit like a school, with a warm atmosphere. I got lost on the way there, though, and arrived late…
Joining on day two was nerve-racking
The hackathon lasted two days, and I joined only on the second day, when development took place. By the time I arrived, teams and roles had already been decided. Honestly, I wondered how I was supposed to join a team at that point.
The product itself had not been decided yet. With help from the organizers, we talked through what to build.
An idea from something a friend said
We decided to build a web app called Bet And Study.
The idea came from a conversation with a friend who wanted to earn Japan's Fundamental Information Technology Engineer certification. He said he would study and pass by the following month, then added, ‘If I don't pass, I'll transfer 50,000 yen to your bank account! That'll make me do it.’
I wondered whether a promise to someone, and the cost of not following through, could create the motivation to act. Could a similar idea help people who struggle to finish tasks, not just study?
That led to Bet And Study, which combines a commitment to friends with AI-assisted planning.
About an hour left: building the UI and presenting it
When I checked the time, about an hour remained. I thought we might not make it, but with help from AI, I built the Bet And Study UI. We did not implement the underlying features. I showed the screens in our presentation, and we made it to the finish!
We had not fully worked out what to say or which technologies to use, so I could barely give an engineer's explanation. Speaking in front of everyone did not go well either, and I felt embarrassed.
Feedback after the presentation
Afterward, someone from Google Cloud gave us feedback to the effect that the idea was interesting but might raise legal concerns. AI had raised the same concern while I was building it, but I had told it to keep going without worrying about it.
I'd like to do it again!
My first hackathon started with getting lost and included an awkward presentation. Even so, the whole experience taught me a lot. I'd like to join another hackathon!
Finally, I was very happy that someone from Classmethod invited me to the gathering afterward. Thank you!