What actually happens at a hackathon, ideathon, or datathon  and why do people keep joining them? I share my experience participating in different kinds of tech competitions and how each one pushed me to think differently. From building AI prototypes, to turning ideas into business pitches, to working with messy real-world data, these events helped me connect what I learned in research and work to real problems and fast-paced teamwork. My goal is to show that you don’t need to have everything figured out to join  sometimes the best learning happens when you just start building.