K16 Hackathon: No more excuses

[Robert Fedoruk]

Each year I hear the same story.

"I'd do the hackathon, but I'm not skilled enough"

"I'd do the hackathon, but I'm not a hacker"

"I'd do the hackathon, but I don't have a team already"

"I'd do the hackathon, but I don't have a cool idea"

As a three time Hackathon winner (K13, FruDevcon13, FruDevCon14), I'm here to tell you - forget your limitations, and hack.

HACKATHON REQUIRES ALL TYPES

In the 5 Hackathons I've attended, I've seen several roles emerge on hackathon teams.   Keep in mind, its not necessarily a 1-to-1 relationship between role and person

The Source - Because someone has to have the idea in the first place.   No hackathon team will win without the source.   You don't have to be a top tier developer to be the source, you just need that unscratched itch in your mind that "it would be way better if...."

The Power Dev - Don't have a winning idea, but you can code like blazes?   Its no secret, the winning hackathon entries almost always have *at least one* preposterously difficult technical barrier.  

The Auxiliary Developer - So if you're thinking big (which you should be to win the hackathon), you have a large solution to build.   Most of my hackathon success has emerged from weaving our narrative into the widest scope of the platform as possible.   That means while your Power Dev is solving some major technical hurdle there's still *plenty* of good old fashioned hard work to do.

The Story Teller - The story teller serves two purposes.   First, as an analog to the Source (if no the same person), and second as the spokesperson for the app.   Make no mistake, story tellers win hackathons.   None of my winning hackathon entries had jaw-dropping tech.   But they *did* have a problem the audience could *feel* and a solution that wrapped up the story in their minds.   You can do very little else in a hackathon (even though anyone can do auxiliary dev) and still be a critical part to the hack team.

The Task Master - You're kidding yourself if you think an 8 hour job with 4 people doesn't need a little bit of management.   I've found this to be one of the more difficult people components of the 5 hackathons I've been in.   Often times you won't "hit your stride" until 4 hours in.   If you're a natural at breaking down a job (quickly), ordering the tasks, and applying them to the right skill, you need to fill the task master role.  

BUT I DON'T HAVE A TEAM

In the *unlikely* event that you can't find a team before the Hackathon, just show up.   At every event I've competed at there's been plenty of people in the same position.   If I'm not mistaken, the victorious K15 team (or at least one of the finalists) was assembled on the spot, just before the Hackathon began.

The Hackathon is an invaluable for skill sharpening, networking, and broadening your understanding of platform possibilities.   If ServiceNow is your profession, you owe it to yourself to compete.  

Join me at the K16 Hackathon this year.   If you need help with teams, ideas, or suggestions as to which role you can fit, I am ever at your service.