The Accidental Hackathoner: My Unexpected Journey

I always thought hackathons were for other people. You know the type - the coding wizards who've been building computers since age 6, who dream in programming languages and can debug code faster than I can type my own name.

"Definitely not for me," I'd tell myself whenever these events popped up on our company calendar. I'd scroll past thinking it was nice for the tech folks, but not something I should bother with.

And then last month happened.

Taking the Plunge

Our COO announced this AI-focused hackathon during our All-team meeting. May 5-9, focused on using AI to drive efficiency across departments. Instead of my usual mental eye-roll, I felt this little spark of... could it be interest?

I had been playing around with some AI tools recently. Nothing fancy - just tinkering out of curiosity. But enough that I thought maybe, just maybe, I might have something to contribute.

I waffled back and forth for days. The submission deadline loomed closer. In classic procrastinator fashion, I filled out the application form on the final day. I almost clicked away three times before hitting submit.

Then came the shock: not only was I selected, they asked me to lead the Sales efficiency stream. ME! The person who still sometimes has to Google "how to unhide columns in Excel."

The Accidental Journey That Led Me Here

This whole story actually started about a year ago. My boss dropped an assignment on me that seemed simple enough: find a solution for RFP automation for our Solutions Engineering team.

It should have been straightforward. Research some options, make a recommendation, move on with my life. But that little project turned into an unexpected gateway drug into the world of AI. Nobody warns you about this stuff.

We selected and implemented an RFP automation tool that initially seemed perfect. Six months later, we canceled the contract. Not because it failed - the tool worked fine. It just wasn't right for what we needed in the SMB segment. The setup and maintenance was too burdensome for our team size.

After that setback (and perhaps a slightly dramatic venting session to my patient spouse), I started hunting for alternatives.

The Light Bulb Moment

That's when I stumbled across our company's internal AI platform. The description promised it could use foundation models securely within our environment. I barely understood what that meant, but it sounded promising.

Here's a confession: I have exactly zero coding background. None. I once tried to learn HTML and gave up after making a neon green webpage with my name on it. But I'm stubborn and curious - a dangerous combination that has led many a hobbit into unexpected adventures.

So I experimented. I took our library of RFP content and loaded it into the system to create a basic AI assistant. When I saw it instantly pull relevant information from our knowledge base and generate accurate answers, I just sat there blinking at my screen.

I immediately showed it to anyone who would look. "See this? Watch what happens when I ask about our security compliance!" I probably annoyed half my team with my enthusiasm. I was that guy at parties who just discovered craft beer and now won't shut up about IBUs and hop profiles.

But that initial success gave me the confidence to try more. I taught myself (with plenty of help from YouTube and the AI itself) how to build a Google Sheets extension that could answer RFPs directly in the document. What started as a weekend project actually turned into something useful.

To my surprise, I was asked to present it at our all-hands meeting - in front of over 1,000 colleagues. Standing there explaining something I built from scratch despite my lack of formal training felt simultaneously terrifying and thrilling.

Hackathon Preparation

When the COO announced the AI hackathon, my mind immediately started connecting dots. What if we created not just one tool, but an entire system to handle RFPs from start to finish?

I sketched out three components:

1. Influence: A tool to help shape RFPs in our favor before they're even written
2. Qualify: An automated scoring system to identify which RFPs were worth our time
3. Response: A better version of my extension to generate higher quality answers

In my enthusiasm (and typical overthinking fashion), I actually built working prototypes of all three components before the hackathon even began. I later learned we only needed concepts, not functioning tools. Classic me - bringing a finished project to a brainstorming session. I'm the person who shows up to a potluck with a four-course meal when everyone else brought chips.

The Real Hackathon Experience

Day one was intimidating. The room was filled with brilliant people - engineers, data analysts, and other sales professionals. I felt like I'd snuck into a party where I didn't quite belong.

I came in thinking we'd use my prototypes as a starting point. But as we discussed and debated, I realized something important: starting fresh would give us more room to create something truly innovative.

This was my first big lesson - sometimes you have to let go of your original ideas to make room for something better. It wasn't easy (I'd spent nights working on those prototypes!), but it was right.

Our second day was intense. We mapped data flows, debated which AI models would work best, and split into smaller teams. I found myself doing less hands-on work and more coordinating - making sure everyone was moving in the same direction.

By the final day, we had created something far beyond what I'd initially imagined. When we ran our first complete test and saw the results, the team erupted in spontaneous applause. That moment - seeing our creation actually work - felt like when the Death Star exploded. Pure triumph, minus the actual death and destruction.

What I Really Learned

This experience taught me things I never expected:

• Everyone brings something valuable: My sales knowledge complemented others' technical expertise in ways I hadn't anticipated
• Good ideas need multiple perspectives: Our final solution incorporated insights from everyone, making it stronger than any one person's concept
• You can't (and shouldn't) do everything yourself: The team accomplished in days what would have taken me months alone. Also, my code probably would have crashed more often than the Windows 95 machines from my childhood.
• Growth happens when you're uncomfortable: One week of working outside my comfort zone taught me more than months of safe experimenting

Coming Full Circle

At the kickoff meeting, we each shared something interesting about ourselves. I mentioned building my own blog despite having no coding experience. And now here I am, writing about my hackathon experience on that very blog.

From believing hackathons weren't "for people like me" to leading a hackathon team, from thinking I needed technical credentials to realizing my unique perspective was valuable - the journey has been eye-opening.

If there's one thing I hope you take from my experience, it's this: that thing you've been avoiding because you don't think you belong there? That might be exactly where you need to go.

The worst that can happen is you learn something new. The best? You might just surprise yourself.