The best way to gain experience programming is to create projects and apps, even if they are simple programs that doesn’t do much. This year, Ohio State hosted the 5th annual hackathon, and it was the first that I attended. A hackthon is similar to a marathon. In marathon, people run for an extended period of time. In a hackathon, people make projects and apps for an extended period of time. HackOHI/O was an event where many people gathered to make projects for 24 hours, and then had the opportunity to be judged to win awards.
During this event, I helped my team of 2 other friends brainstorm and design an app during this time. The process was tiring. We had decided to use Android studios, a platform used to design and build apps. I had never used it before, so I had to learn the basics very quickly. It took a lot of brainpower to learn Android Studios and to try and write code destined to be faulty and then fix it all within 24 hours. Nonetheless, the process really sharpened and enhanced my skills in problem solving, brainstorming, and critical thinking. In addition, I was able to talk to people from companies such as Battelle and JP Morgan Chase and to learn about internship opportunities. At the end of the hackathon, my team and I won a sponsor challenge which was very exciting and motivates me more to continue to do events like these to improve my skills.