Hackathons: Lessons Beyond Winning

Hello again, what’s up everyone!

I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying their holidays.

Sorry guys, I couldn’t post this blog consistently.

After my first blog, I attended two more hackathons—one at GDG On Campus GITAM and another at ANITS College.

Honestly, these two hackathons taught me a lot, even though I couldn’t win either of them.

GDG On Campus GITAM Hackathon

For the GDG hackathon, we literally had to fight for our spot. Until the evening, it felt like an intense thriller whether we would be selected or not. That uncertainty created many issues, but somehow we managed to handle them by the end of the day.

What I truly learned from this experience was how a hackathon should not be conducted.

Even the selection rounds were very vague (I think this word perfectly explains the situation). However, we took it sportingly and didn’t complain about anything.

One major thing we missed during those 24 hours was freedom. We couldn’t explore the campus or even step out of the block for at least 15 minutes it honestly felt like a temporary jail. I wasn’t able to meet my friends either. In all the hackathons I’ve attended before, we were at least given the freedom to explore the campus. Because of this experience, I don’t think I’ll attend another event organized by them.

ANITS Hackathon

Next up was the hackathon at ANITS. We had a bad experience with the food the prices and quantities didn’t match, and the taste was much worse than expected.

However, the evaluation process was good since they brought officials from top companies. Still, I think I messed up somewhere. Even though we were in the top 10, we couldn’t win. But this time, I’ve clearly figured out where I’m going wrong every single time—so next time, I can’t afford to make those mistakes again.

What I Learned

What I want to suggest to everyone is this: losing isn’t the end. Leaving everything without thinking about where you went wrong and not trying again—that is the real loss.

I believe in moving forward. Winning isn’t everything. The knowledge and connections I’ve gained through this journey are an enormous win for me.

In the next few days, I’ll be sharing details about my projects with you guys. Also, there will be a special blog next week because I’m going to attend a hackathon in Pune—stay tuned!

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Back to My Daily Routine

Now, enough about hackathons let’s jump back to my daily routine.

These days, my routine has become pretty messy. I’m not able to do things on time, but I’m trying my best to complete them as close to the deadline as possible.

I wrote all my mid exams before the holidays. Honestly, it felt like a heist because if I hadn’t written them then, I would never have been able to. After finishing the exams, I quietly escaped from college. Since I’m one of the coordinators for the Sankranthi event, I was supposed to handle a few things—but I didn’t. I told myself I was giving others a chance to organize (sounds funny, right? 😄).

The next day, I went to college to enjoy the fest. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it a lot or disliked it either it was just okayish.

For now, I’ve come back to my village to celebrate the festival. Before finishing, I want to reveal something important: this Pongal, I’m releasing a web app that will be very useful for decision-making. Stay tuned!

Happy Pongal everyone!

I hope this festival brings you luck and joy.

See you soon 👋

—Aneesh