Misbah’s experience
Entering Hack Manchester Jr, the first year after it was rebooted, my team, fueled by a mix of excitement and uncertainty, held vague expectations as newcomers to the hackathon scene, never having done something as such before. Envisioning a challenging environment with illusory levels of difficulty, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a more achievable landscape and approachable environment. The initial intimidation dissolved as we realized that teamwork played a crucial role in navigating the challenges set by the judges.
Our hackathon journey became a truly transformative experience, shattering initial uncertainties and revealing the event as a welcoming space where innovation and collaboration flourished, proving that even novices can emerge as champions.
Nourhan’s experience
Overcoming adversity is a skill hardwired into every problem solver, and by sheer virtue of my teammates, we were able to decompose the challenge given to us into conceivable tasks that highlighted our strengths for us to thrive. The task of creating an investment app for young people was a huge conceptual leap for us inexperienced programmers, yet we chose to apply our knowledge of C# and expand on it further by incorporating a Graphical User Interface, game interactivity and experimenting with unfamiliar platforms like GitHub to bring our project to life. The unparalleled commitment of my teammates and their willingness to learn content beyond the scope of our syllabus assured me that I was surrounded by individuals with a proclivity for hard work- which paid off greatly as we won the best sixth form prize for Loreto!”
In very much conclusion, as a team, we hold the firm belief that Hack Manchester Jr is an exceptional hacking event for newcomers. It offers an accessible and collaborative environment that fosters innovation and skill development and most of all, holds a transformative potential, which in any case, is opportune for experience and development.