Hackathons present an excellent chance to expand your knowledge, engage in teamwork on diverse endeavors, and establish relationships with fellow enthusiasts. Recently, I participated in “Hack the Future,” a hackathon organized by the Cronos Group. The theme was “Wizard Academy,” which promised an exciting experience. But, unfortunately, the event didn’t quite meet our expectations.
About HTF and Cronos
Hack the Future is an annual hackathon organized by the Cronos Group, a Belgian company that offers digital transformation and software engineering services. The event is open to students interested in technology. Hack the Future is an excellent opportunity to network, learn new skills, and solve fun challenges while still learning.
Wizard Academy
High hopes were pinned on this year’s “Wizard Academy,” which promised to be a fun and exciting event. Unfortunately, the absence of the beloved Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge left many participants feeling deflated. Instead, participants could choose from various topics such as JavaScript, DevOps, and Artificial Intelligence. My roommate and I participated from home and chose the DevOps/Azure topic.
The Challenges
The first challenge was accessing the overview dashboard with the challenges. We had to decode some Base64 and solve a Sudoku puzzle to do this. Once we gained access, we could fork a Git repository and start with the challenges.
The first challenge was to host a website and change a post request to a get request. We completed this challenge relatively quickly, but from there on, we struggled. The challenges were challenging, and we needed to familiarize ourselves with some of the tools and technologies required to complete them.
While the event was enjoyable, it did not fully satisfy our expectations compared to a CTF experience. In addition, the challenges differed from our niche.
Final Word
Nevertheless, we learned about Azure and appreciated the opportunity to participate. In addition, the goodie bag we received at the event was a pleasant surprise, with some delicious chocolates and a Dopper bottle. Overall, we’re glad we participated, but we’re also looking forward to future events that may align more with our interests and skillset.