🏆 Hackathon Roadmap
From Tier 3 College to Winning Team - A complete guide to hackathon success
Foundation Phase (Before Joining Hackathons)
3-6 months of skill building
Learn Core Skills
- Pick a tech stack: MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node) or Java + Spring + React/Angular or Python + Django/Flask
- Basics of Git & GitHub (push, pull, PRs, branches)
- Learn basic APIs and how to consume them
- Understand databases (SQL & NoSQL)
- Get hands-on with frontend frameworks (React/Next.js is most hackathon-friendly)
Mini Projects
- Clone apps (Todo App, Blog, Notes app)
- Deploy on Vercel/Netlify + Render/Heroku
- Showcase on GitHub
Key Takeaways
Teamwork Matters
The right team composition is crucial for success
Idea Selection
Solve one problem well rather than many problems poorly
Presentation Skills
How you present is as important as what you build