How does a Hackathon work?

A hackathon is a collective programming event where business owners, computer programmers, and data analysts get together to make or improve a software programme. Hackathons are different, but the idea behind them is generally the same: individuals get together in groups, work on their project for a day, and then show their projects to the other folks at the hackathon.

Hackathons aren't just held by colleges and universities; big companies also hold them to come up with new ideas and solutions. Hackathons are a regular feature of academic calendars. Students increasingly make efforts to prepare well in advance for hackathons, which has grown so popular.

Does the internship include the hackathon?

Yes. Companies think that young talent should have a chance to use their creativity and sense of entrepreneurship. They have great teams that help them get better at these things. This event gives the interns a chance to show what they've learned. These gatherings, dubbed "Code Festivals," aim to unite the programming community. The primary goal of any hackathon is to bring young grads together, foster collaboration, and find solutions to particular issues within a predefined technological framework.

These days, if students want to participate in a hackathon, they don't have to go to a college or university. Hackathons are being organised by companies throughout the world to improve the transparency, fairness, and accessibility of the executive processes and workflow. It not only benefits interns, but companies also get a bunch of good freshers for internships.
In order to keep things fresh, hackathons feature a variety of subjects and timeframes. Hackathons vary in their emphasis, with some stressing on the creation of a working application. Other such events concentrate on the practical application of a specific programming language, Interface, or other framework.

Today, in a world dominated by technology, hackathons are an essential event for both technical and non-technical students. They pave way to a successful internship opportunity. How can your hackathon events help interns? Let's see below:

1. Real-world problems are a great way to hone their skills.
They learned a lot at school, but they didn't have many chances to put what they learned into practise. It's mostly theory which does not practically help in real world.
Hackathons, on the other hand, necessitate the use of actual data. The challenges of working in a company are easy to see. For example, one has to deal with unstructured data, turn it into organised formats, and use cloud computing to handle a lot of data. These tech events help interns understand these real world problems.  

2. Establish a peer-to-peer network and facilitate the exchange of knowledge:
The focus of a single major might vary greatly among colleges and universities. The same can be said for the expertise of individual professors. Taking part in a hackathon is a great way to meet new people from all walks of life.
Occasionally, they'll come across students from other countries. The approaches and tools they utilised in their presentation might give them a sense of what they lack in terms of knowledge and skill sets. They can evaluate their competitiveness on the job market through networking or through other presentations.

3. Acquire Industrial Knowledge from Mentors with Years of Experience:
Mentor sessions are common during hackathons to assist participants in honing their concepts. Participants are paired up with more experienced workers. They act as mentors and provide with feedback on their ideas before the final presentation.
It is important to have a group of mentors at the event. Graduates can learn about business challenges and focus on the problem statements.
If they're a student who doesn't know much about other industries, a mentor session can help them learn more about the nature of different industries and how they work.

4. Understanding of Latest/Upcoming Technologies:
Pre-hackathon workshops on technologies like cloud computing could be offered in collaboration with AWS, Google, and Microsoft, among other IT giants. People with no programming experience can learn how to utilise certain useful tools. Those with experience may learn how to use other methods to achieve the job.
For hackathons centred on cutting-edge technology like blockchain and drones, which have yet to be widely used. It's possible that domain experts will give attendees a crash course on the subject prior to the main event

5. Enhancement in soft skills:
Hackathons aren't just about the hard, technical skills that people learn as they go along. They're also a great place to learn important soft skills. For these interns to have a successful career in a technical field, they will need both hard and soft competencies. A hackathon will assist them in acquiring both kinds of skills.
Even if they want to work in a field that isn't technical, they'll learn the important communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills that will help them in any job.

The above are only a few of the many advantages that we discovered are available to the majority of individuals. There are a plethora of additional services available solely to those who have participated in a hackathon, and which can benefit your interns immensely.