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Transcript

00:01.16
wearabletakeover
Hello I'm back for another episode here of word will take over podcasts I'm your host lakeishia greenwaite and let me tell you as a beginner in the tech industry you most likely may have heard the term hackathon you must have wondered what is that about is this a good thing or is that a bad thing and for something. Sounds like really exciting and fun. It's only bidding that you get inquisitive so this program over the years has been a sensation among students and programmers. Both new and professional and the reason for popularity is that while it is fun. It also consists of a number of practical perks. As you participate. So in today's episode I'll be taking you through what a hackathon is and all there is to know about it so get yourself strapped in because this will be 1 heck of a ride and so without further ado let's get into the episode now the question of what a hackathon is. If. You've never attended 1 a hackathon is basically a competition where you're challenged to create a prototype for a product or a problem you wish to solve and these problems could be technical educational social or related to any field. And so in this program that typically happens over a weekend but at wearable tech ventures we have ah created different types of models. We created a weeklong and some hackathons that happen over a weekend but basically participants are made to come together in teams and this could be virtually or in- person or a hybrid type scenario.

01:34.71
wearabletakeover
And these teams are made up of different skill sets to figure out a solution to whatever problem and so sometimes these ah hackathons are organized by universities or companies and they range in a number of different sizes meaning you could have 1 with 30 people. Or another with hundreds to thousands of attendees here at wearable tech ventures. We actually curated and presented the world's largest wearable tech hackathon and we did this in a virtual setting and so moving forward in the future. You can expect to participate in a hackathon hosted by wearable tech ventures. In a virtual setting as well as in-person and what we call hybrid so one very good organizing ah organization for these types of events of course is us and we have partners that have experience with doing this so now that. We've been able to discuss what a hackathon is you most likely have gotten an idea of who can go to this event and this is really important, especially for underrepresented talent in many cases we may have never heard about ah an event such as a hackathon and a lot of recruiters tend to go to these places too. So that's why we incorporate tech skills building into our hackathons. Okay, and so there's a misconception amongst a lot of people that you have to be fluent in hacking or coding or that hacking is bad. No, we're all for good. So it's simply not necessary that you have any pre-knowledge about coding.

03:04.63
wearabletakeover
Um, before you attend because our hackathon. In fact, the main aim of this event is to help you to learn through workshops that we make available some that are live and some that are on demand so that you have introductory courses to programming or designs. Um, and also access to people that can help coach and mentor you throughout the the particular process so there are many different streams put together for beginners that will enable you to learn so again pre-knowledge is not necessary then. The fact that many people believe that you need to be a programmer to be in a hackathon but that's not the main skill set or the only skill set that is needed. It's a misconception right? So for product ideations which we tend to focus on a lot. Um, especially for our beginner crowd. You will You will require a skill set such as. Product management marketing design and public speaking to help you adequately pitch your products so hackathons aren't for programmers alone. So You know what a hackathon is and who can go to a hackathon now. So next up, we'll be giving you the perfect motivation. For why you should go to a hackathon and what you stand to gain. Yes, the very very burst and obvious takeaway from Hackathons is the fact that you get to win prizes from gift cards to cash prizes to gaming chars and Whatnot. We even have like some cool Swag with t-shirts that says.

04:32.97
wearabletakeover
This is what a founder looks like or this is what a coder looks like this is what a creator looks like we even have these amazing necklaces that are for founders and leaders and they're amazing. You could even shower in them just ask me I know right? they come as 16 and eighteen inches gold silver rose gold or whatnot so we have access to all those things and even at our hackathons. We'll be giving away some cool Br equipment virtual reality equipment and gaming equipment. So again, um, there is so much to gain and so ah, if you're given a full weekend to explore different things. Maybe you haven't necessarily been privy to before. It's more than just languages and frameworks and apps. But it's also business opportunities. So as out of play says it might sound over time. Many companies have stemmed out of different hackathon programs and all they had to do was come up with an idea develop a prototype and go on to continue building. It. It's the perfect playground for those that may may want to try something new or may want to grow an innovation. So if you thought I was done with a list of opportunities I'm sorry to tell you or maybe I'm happy to tell you that there is more and this is one that I love because it has to do with networking. Many people do not realize how much they stand to gain from simply talking to other people. So while you get the chance to communicate with your fellow attendees. You also have sponsors from these businesses that send out their recruiters for University Jobs or full time roles and in some cases you could get lucky and have a speed interview.

06:05.11
wearabletakeover
Right? there doing the program. So with that said, it's time for us to explore how hackathons actually work the very first thing I would advise you to do before you leave for a hackathon is that you make sure you have enough energy more than enough energy then you know what to do with and so you'll need it because you may be staying up. For 30 hours or more or maybe taking power naps in between. So trust me when I say especially because ours at where we'll take ventures their beginner. Friendly. You want to have that energy and access to food and and drink and whatnot. Okay, so again, moving on. Remember that I mentioned that working in teams is something you have to do during this program well in some cases you can always ask your friends who get accepted to the hackathon to be on the same team especially because you may not know anyone else there all right? But what do you do in the case that your friends don't sign up and you might be the loan ranger. Well I'll tell you what it's easy. Most of the times hackathons and especially ours. We create a channel for that purpose so that you can connect with other people and create a team. It's called team formation. So here. You can easily form your team after making an introduction but when you're doing this make sure you look out for skill sets that will suit. What it is that you want to create or how you can add value to a team that may already be formed and may be missing a skill set that perhaps you have to offer now before I bring this ah episode and video to a close again because you can listen to this on any of your major podcasts and platforms and watch it on Youtube.

07:36.93
wearabletakeover
Another thing people ask about is how to come up with projects for hackathons and so that isn't much of a hassle you can simply choose the sponsored challenges to win a prize or simply use that as motivation or you can develop something that's based off of the particular tracks that are presented. 1 last option you have is to take some of the courses that are available and workshops that are available to stimulate ideation. Um, as you go through the hackathon experience. So whatever you choose? The important thing is that you take note of these challenge. Um, what they're actor and of course the prize. And ultimately the prize and especially when we talk about the underrepresented community. The prize is getting in the game getting in the game and experiencing it at least once so depending on when the information is passed across just make sure you have a list of all that is needed. When you need to get with your team and you could go ahead and individually think of best ideas to execute the task in a unique way. So make sure you have fun and learn something because at the end of the day. That's what hackathons are all about so hopefully with this episode you were able to learn a few things about hackathons. If you enjoyed this video make sure you do smash the like button and if you're new here subscribe and click the bell notification. So you're the first to know when we drop a new video and before I totally sign off, make sure you go to warabletechventures dot org and sign up for our hackathons.

09:06.70
wearabletakeover
We have some amazing experiences that are totally free for you this year. All right guys until next time. Thank you so much for watching have a great day and keep on innovating. Yeah.