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5 Data Science Hackathons to Grow and Improve Your Skills

Meet new people and help solve world problems.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash
Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

When you get into a field like data science, a theoretically endless field that’s always developing, always advancing, and always moving, it will be challenging to surely pinpoint a good point where you can say, "for now, I have enough knowledge to start applying for jobs."

In most technical and science fields, there’s no clear pausing point where you feel like you know "enough." In those fields, it’s impossible to try and master everything, so when do you know that you’re capable enough to land the job you want?

One of the fun and guaranteed ways you can both put your current knowledge to use while gaining new skills at the same time is by joining data science Hackathons or competitions. In tech, hackathons are known to be a great chance to apply your knowledge, meet people with similar interests, help solve some real-life problems, and in most cases, win decent financial prizes.

This year, as a data science learner or practitioner, you have the chance to get involved in some amazing virtual hackathons from the comfort of your home. Finding hackathons or any events is not always an easy task. Despite the fact that we are surrounded by information, keeping track of that amount of information is always challenging.

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As always, I love to help you get what you want with minimal effort because you should save your effort to the real hackathon rather than on trying to find one. In this article, we will go through 5 upcoming hackathons that you can sign up for right now.

№1: Hack At Home II

When: April 30 – May 2, 2021

Let’s start our list with the closest hackathon; less than a week away, Major League Hacking will hold their second summer hackathons Hack At Home II. Major League Hacking is one of the official student hackathons leagues; their main goal is to support and cultivate computer science and technical skills for students from all over that world. By doing so, helping shape the next generation of technological leaders.

Hack At Home II is not just a hackathon; it’s rather a collection of workshops, talks, and mini-events spread over a weekend of learning, building, and knowledge sharing. This hackathon is open to everyone, regardless of their age, educational background, or age. So, if you are passionate about learning new skills while applying your current knowledge, Hack At Home II is your chance.

№2: Hack from Home – Decarbonisation 2021

When: May 15 -17, 2021

Global warming is one of the most serious problems that humanity faces nowadays. Hack from Home is a virtual hackathon organized by various companies such as Dataswift.io, University of East London, and the Ethical Tech Alliance. The main goal for their hackathons is to find technological solutions to environmental problems.

Decarbonisation 2021 hackathon will focus on developing and exploring new solutions to decrease carbon activity. This is done by analyzing and aggregating the data of energy consumers. This hackathon is open for data scientists, analysts, web developers, and front-end developers.

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№3: HackOn 2.0

When: May 28–30, 2021

Another event from Major League Hack is the HackOn 2.0. This Hackathon will be spread over the duration of 48 hours of workshops and talks and will focus on one of the often neglected problems, which is raising awareness of mental health and diversity. You don’t need to be a hackathon expert to join HackOn.

No matter your knowledge level, HackOn is the place for you if you have an idea and want to implement it. This idea may lead nowhere or may be a step towards changing the world; nevertheless, it’s an idea worth pursuing.

№4: COP26 Data Hackathon

When: June 21, 2021

Our next hackathons on the list are organized by Oxford’s University department of engineering science. The COP26 Data Hackathon is a 5-day hackathon will focus on spreading the understanding of climate change risks on future energy systems.

The goal of the COP26 hackathon is to develop and build solutions that help in understanding and quantifying the Irish climate change on energy systems. You can signup for this hackathon as a team or as an individual.

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№5: SigmaHacks 3.0

When: June 25–27, 2021

Last but not least is SigmaHacks 3.0. SigmaHacks 3.0 is a virtual hackathon that aims to provide developers from all over the world the opportunity to solve real-life problems while fostering innovation and encouraging diversity.

To sign up for SigmaHacks, you don’t even need any previous technical background. There will be mentors and tutors who will guide you through the duration of the hackathon, even if you don’t know how to code. SigmaHacks will also offer workshops and engaging sessions as well as both cash and technological prizes.

Takeaways

If you’re in the process of becoming a data scientist, you have learned the basics and trying to master as many aspects of data science as possible so you can be ready to apply for jobs; stop. Let me tell you this, the data science job market now is so saturated, you can never master everything; no one can.

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So, you just need to know the basics very well and practice using them in real-life applications. In my opinion, the best way to practice building projects, working with a team, and putting your knowledge to use is by participating in hackathons.

Luckily, every year, hundreds of hackathons are held all over the world, solving different types of problems that you can join virtually. In this article, we went through 5 of these upcoming hackathons; all of them will be taking place within the next two months. So, if you’re a data scientist, here’s your chance to challenge yourself and make a difference.


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