How it started
One Instagram ad changed everything for me.
In 2022, I stumbled upon an Instagram ad: DevOps Hackathon in Berlin.
Now, I didn’t know much about DevOps. Honestly, I barely knew what the term meant. But Berlin? That had been on my bucket list for ages.
The idea of joining a hackathon there felt both exciting and terrifying. Still, I thought, what’s the worst that could happen? Rejection? Meh.
So I applied.
To my surprise, a few days later, an email popped up in my inbox:
"Congratulations! You’ve been accepted! 🎉"
And just like that, I was in.
My first hackathon
The day finally arrived. I walked into the venue, and the room was alive with energy ⚡
Laptops clicked open on every table, screens glowing like battle stations ready for action. The low hum of chatter filled the room, bursts of laughter and intense debates.
Whiteboards were covered in doodles that looked more like cave paintings than architecture.
And the atmosphere? Surprisingly cozy.
It didn’t feel like a competition at all, more like a quirky family reunion where everyone just happened to be coding.
I quickly found a team. At first, we were just a bunch of strangers, awkwardly introducing ourselves like it was speed dating for nerds.
“Uh… hi, I’m into Python.”
“Oh cool, I do JavaScript.”
“Nice… so… who’s good at debugging at 3 a.m.?”
Then came the big question: how do we actually tackle these challenges?
Do we split up? Do we pair up? Do we just all panic together?
Nobody had a clue.
But weirdly, the uncertainty made it kind of thrilling.
Ideas started bouncing back and forth. Someone opened their laptop with a dramatic click. Another person scribbled on the whiteboard like it was ancient prophecy.
And before I even realized it, we were knee-deep in our first challenge.
Somewhere in that chaos, the nerves just… vanished.
We worked. We struggled. We debugged. And somewhere in between, we became a team.
And when the hacking was over? We stepped out into the night, exploring Berlin together.
Complete strangers turned friends in just a day! ✨
We wandered through the streets, the city buzzing louder than any server fan. Neon lights reflected off shop windows, trams rattled past, and the sidewalks felt alive with possibility.
At some point, we found a bar and claimed a table outside. The air was cool, the street alive with energy, neon lights flickering, trams rumbling past and we were right in the middle of it all, soaking it up like we owned the night.
We sat there with our drinks, talking about everything from random childhood stories to travel dreams. It wasn’t just small talk. It felt like we’d been friends for years.
That weekend changed everything for me. It wasn’t just about coding; it was about the people, the energy, the thrill of learning something new in a matter of hours.
Since then, I’ve been hooked, chasing that feeling at every hackathon I can find.
And if you’re wondering whether you should attend one too, let me tell you exactly why you should.
Just Build It
Every hackathon reminds me how much can be built in such a short time. It’s the complete opposite of corporate life.
In a company, even starting a tiny feature can feel endless. Create a ticket. Write acceptance criteria. Wait for permissions. By the time it’s greenlit, you’ve aged a year.
Of course, these processes matter for quality. But they can also drain every ounce of momentum.
Hackathons? Completely different story.
- Have an idea for a navbar?? Build it!
- Want to play with OpenAI’s latest API? Go wild.
- Think the theme color should be neon pink? Just change it.
No tickets. No waiting. No bureaucracy. You talk to your teammate, you agree, you code. Done.
It’s fast. It’s collaborative. It’s messy and it’s amazing. A pure reminder of why I fell in love with building things in the first place.
Friendships in the Fast Lane
One of the best parts of hackathons? The people.
Everyone’s open, curious, and ready to connect. You’re thrown into the same storm together, and that pressure forges friendships faster than anywhere else.
Some of my closest friends today are people I met at hackathons. Friendships that have lasted long after the final pitch was over.
What makes these connections special is the mix of shared struggle and shared joy. You’re not just talking about the weather, you’re fixing bugs at 2 AM, sharing snacks when the caffeine wears off and laughing about whether your app will actually run when the sun comes up.
It is in those late-night hours, during the debugging marathons, the midnight walks and the unfiltered conversations about life and ideas, that strangers become teammates and teammates become real friends.
Get out of the comfort zone
Hackathons have also pushed me to step out of my shell. As an introvert, pitching ideas in front of a crowd was something I dreaded.
But over time, something changed. The adrenaline that once terrified me? I started to enjoy it.
Now, every pitch feels like a mini rollercoaster. Nerve-wracking at first, but by the end, I'm buzzing! 🎢
Each time, it gets a little easier. Each time, I walk away a little more confident.
Pitching ideas
Losing hackathons is better than winning hackathons
When I tell people I’ve won ten hackathons, the reaction is always the same: “Wow, that’s impressive.”
But what they don’t see are all the hackathons I lost. And honestly? Those were the most valuable ones.
In many of the hackathons I didn’t win, I took the opportunity to try something completely new.
- I tried OpenAI’s Realtime API.
- I jumped into Angular with zero prior experience.
- I even attempted building a RAG system for the first time.
It was messy. It was chaotic. It was steep learning at its finest.
Winning is great. Don’t get me wrong. But losing? That’s where the real growth happens 🌱
Final thoughts
For me, hackathons are more than weekend coding marathons. They’re a chance to learn, to grow and to connect with brilliant, passionate people.
The trophies are nice, sure. But what really stays are the lessons, the memories, and the friendships.
All of this started with a random Instagram ad.
And honestly? Best click of my life.
Snapshots from different hackathons