4 - Hackathons
Hackathons are a powerful accelerator for learning, innovation, and community building — but what does it actually take to participate in, organize, or mentor at one? In this episode, Chris is joined by Maria Vrabie, an experienced hackathon participant, organizer, and mentor with a background at Microsoft.
They explore the full spectrum of hackathon formats — from university weekend events and charity hack days to corporate open hacks run with enterprise customers. Maria shares candid stories from both sides of the organizer table, including the chaos of catering for hundreds of tired developers on a Sunday morning!
Key topics covered:
- How hackathons differ across university, corporate, and charity settings
- The value of volunteering and mentoring as a way to get involved without the pressure of competing
- Why having a clear purpose and desired outcome is the foundation of a successful hackathon project
- How hackathons relate to broader DevOps and agile concepts like rapid iteration and cross-functional collaboration
- How to find hackathon opportunities — from local meetups and Twitter to Microsoft’s public-facing Open Hack events
Whether you’re a developer looking to stretch your skills, a community organizer thinking about running an event, or simply curious whether hackathons have a place in your team’s journey, this episode offers practical, first-hand insight.
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