I Left My First Hackathon at 8 PM — And it Was a Massive Success!

Most hackathon stories start with "We stayed up for 36 hours and drank 10 Red Bulls." Mine is different. Yesterday was Day 1 of my first-ever hackathon, Hack London (HackLDN). By 8 PM, I was heading for the exit. I didn't finish the project, and I didn't stay for the midnight games and karaoke (I did get a really nice chicken burrito, lots of snacks & drinks & also pizza(^///^)). Yet, I walked away with two recruiter contacts, a laptop covered in cool stickers, and a realization about the global dev community that surprised me. Here is why every aspiring developer needs to stop worrying about "finishing" and just start showing up. They tell you hackathons are 24-hour marathons fueled by caffeine, Red Bull, and zero sleep. They tell you that if you aren't there when the sun comes up, you haven't "really" attended. They’re wrong. I am sure people who have never been to hackathons probably think to have to close your eyes and be able to code something that wins you a prize. Absolutely not