My bizarre adventure of exploring the technical innovations and possibilities had begun at Angelhack Kochi. As an engineering freshman at Cochin University of Science and Technology(CUSAT) with majors in Information Technology, I wanted to delve into the latest trends in the Cyber market.
The pathway from my very first HTML page to Industry Standard Projects was no less than a hurdle. Creating a website in the first hackathon was my first step towards development. The amazing mentors and co-devs at Angelhack suggested me to start with Github. I signed up for an account and saw various project repos but couldn’t hold a candle to it. After reading the documentation I created my first project by forking the TensorFlow repo. I’ve decided to learn python scripting from freecodecamp by doing a project. Soon I created my first script for scrapping information from websites using beautiful soup.
In the next few hackathons, I’ve used python to develop projects and kicked off with automation to reduce efforts and efficiently utilize time. I switched from Linux Mint to GNU Parrot as soon as I realized it was the best OS for Security as well as development. The inbuilt tools helped me learn the basics of Information Security and paved a path towards the importance of data privacy and security in life. My focus shifted to Cyber after attending MozSprint and doing an exceptional cyber project focusing on Web Client-Server Security.
Mylan Hackathon 2018 was one of the best hackathons I’ve ever attended. A bag full of swags, good food, amazing people, and an awesome geeky vibe surrounding the arena. I learned Django and made a Chatbot with a Voice assistant for users to take medicine in time and keep track of their health.
Wipro Hackathon was where we started integrating Alexa for Public Projects like PDS(Public Distribution System) Tracking Systems. We developed IoT solutions integrated with Voice Assistant for government agencies and deployed it on IBM Cloud. It was the very first time when we saw particle photon and played around a bit with it to get familiarized.
Wipro Hackathon was where we started integrating Alexa for Public Projects like PDS(Public Distribution System) Tracking Systems. We developed IoT solutions integrated with Voice Assistant for government agencies and deployed it on IBM Cloud. It was the very first time when we saw particle photon and played around a bit with it to get familiarized.
EthIndia was where I learned about dApps, ethereum, and a whole lot of stuff about Blockchain. We made an ethereum-based dApp that allows users to securely and anonymously post evidence against a cyber-harasser that cannot be altered, removed, or tampered with in any way. It can be viewed and reviewed by anyone who uses the dApp.
Make-a-Ton, Hack InOUT, Makermela, HackforTomorrow, DevFest, I/O Extended, .hack(), Hackcamp, HackStudio, and the list goes on. Not only the hackathons but DevSprints, Conferences, Meetups, Tech Fests, Product expos, and Coding competitions played a huge role in shaping my career and enhancing my skills. The events were less about winning prizes and more about networking, collaborating, brainstorming, chilling out, and growing together. Getting more projects, developing ideas into products, mentoring devs, volunteering, and organizing events helped me grow from “just an engineering student” to a developer with connections around the globe and a bunch of Industry Standard Projects. Here are a few of the reasons I’d love to jump onto a hackathon:
- Free Food
- Dev Swags
- Connections
- Innovative Ideas
- Market Trends
- Collaboration
- Geek Vibe
Winning bounties, special prizes, and appreciation was a part of the hackathon but making friends and working as a team became way more important than anything during a technical event. Integrating new ideas with the product from a previous hackathon was what pushed me to develop high-end projects.
My 30th hackathon #WhyHack was organized as a part of Women Day Celebrations at Kerala Startup Mission(KSUM) Integrated Startup Complex. We developed a project for Public Safety using Real-time Anomaly detection and LoRa WAN. I was able to mentor a bunch of marvelous devs and could add a couple of skills to my gear. The journey still feels like a beginning but my Bachelor’s is hitting its final stage.
I would love to express my humble gratitude to everyone who was a part of this journey and supported me throughout the way. Still pushing my limits to be a MASTER OF ALL from JACK OF ALL TRADES.
