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Side Projects vs Hackathons

Developers should engage in side projects to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies, experiment with ideas without workplace constraints, and showcase their abilities to potential employers meets developers should participate in hackathons to gain practical experience, build a portfolio, and network with peers and industry professionals. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Side Projects

Developers should engage in side projects to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies, experiment with ideas without workplace constraints, and showcase their abilities to potential employers

Side Projects

Nice Pick

Developers should engage in side projects to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies, experiment with ideas without workplace constraints, and showcase their abilities to potential employers

Pros

  • +They are particularly valuable for learning new programming languages, frameworks, or tools, building a public portfolio for job applications, and solving niche problems that interest the developer personally
  • +Related to: portfolio-development, self-directed-learning

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Hackathons

Developers should participate in hackathons to gain practical experience, build a portfolio, and network with peers and industry professionals

Pros

  • +They are ideal for learning new technologies quickly, improving teamwork and communication skills, and solving real-world problems under pressure
  • +Related to: rapid-prototyping, teamwork

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Side Projects if: You want they are particularly valuable for learning new programming languages, frameworks, or tools, building a public portfolio for job applications, and solving niche problems that interest the developer personally and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Hackathons if: You prioritize they are ideal for learning new technologies quickly, improving teamwork and communication skills, and solving real-world problems under pressure over what Side Projects offers.

🧊
The Bottom Line
Side Projects wins

Developers should engage in side projects to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies, experiment with ideas without workplace constraints, and showcase their abilities to potential employers

Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev