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!
I made sure I went to the premises early, that was when most people network and try to find teams. The people I spoke to during that period, I would say 30-40% of them actually had no coding experience, just curious minds.
So you don't have to be a coding expert to go for these things. Some go to find co-founders, others go for the free food(no kidding, one guy told me this when I went to grab coffee😂'I am just here for the stickers and free food'...well fair enough😂😂), others just go to learn too out of curiosity. I was definitely in that learning category, I always say you never know what you can learn in these type of events.
Yesterday, I walked into Hack London (HackLDN) as a first-timer with a laptop, a copy of my CV (obviously), and a lot of nerves. By 8 PM, I was heading for the exit. But in those few hours, I gained more than most people do in a full weekend of coding. Here is why Day 1 of my first hackathon was a total game-changer.
The "Sticker-Clad" Reality
Walking into the venue, the energy is infectious. You see the "HACKER" badges, the lanyards, and the immediate race to claim a spot. My laptop is now officially part of the community, sporting fresh stickers from Google DeepMind, ElevenLabs, PyCharm and MLH. (Didn't spare my nintendo switch, she also got one of Hack London's stickers on her hehe)
But beyond the swag, there was a deeper realization: I was finally in the room where things happen.
The MLH x Dev.to Connection
One of the coolest parts of the day was meeting a representative from MLH (Major League Hacking), Quinn was super nice and very supportive big-ups to him fr （￣︶￣）↗ , he answered every single question and was always ready to help. I actually first heard about MLH because of their recent acquisition of Dev.to. It felt like a "full circle" moment to be at an MLH event while being a fan of this platform.
But here’s the kicker: While talking to other hackers, I realized that a huge number of people in the UK dev scene haven't discovered Dev.to yet! It seems to have a massive footprint in the US, but over here, it’s still a bit of a "hidden gem." If you're reading this from the UK, welcome to my favourite corner of the internet!
The "Early Exit" Dilemma
I teamed up with a group of talented people, and we started getting to know each other and thinking of a project. The ideas were flowing, the GitHub repo was initialized, and the vibes were high.
Then came 8 PM. I had other commitments I couldn't move, and I had to make the tough call to step away. Even though I couldn't cross the finish line with my team, the hours spent collaborating taught me more about real-world team dynamics than any solo project ever could.
Skipping the "Black Hole" of Job Portals
If you're a student, this is the real secret sauce of HackLDN or any hackathons in general. There were recruiters on-site who were actually hiring.
If you're a student, you know the pain: uploading a CV to a portal and never hearing back.
At HackLDN, I got to bypass the "AI gatekeepers." I met actual recruiters who were hiring. I didn't just "apply", I looked them in the eye, sent them a copy of my CV, and had a real conversation. That 5-minute human interaction is worth 100 LinkedIn "Easy Applies."
Final Thoughts: Just Go
If you’ve been holding back from your first hackathon/ any other thing in general because you don't think you're "good enough" or can't stay for the full 24 hours just go anyway.
Show up for Day 1. Grab the stickers. Talk to the sponsors. Meet the MLH reps. Hand over your CV.
You don't need to pull an all-nighter to jumpstart your career. You just need to be in the room.