Hackathons are quickly growing around the world, and their latest expansion is south of the border: the fall 2014 season will see university hackers get their chance to collaborate, learn, and compete at Mexican hackathons right on their home turf.
The country already has a vibrant hackathon culture ranging from civic hacking, to hardware hacking, and of course software hackathons. Mexican technologists have realized how fun and mind-blowing it is to create things out of thin air using technological tools, while also making new friends who share similar passions. Solid communities have quickly sprung out of these types of events, and people keep meeting each other and working together long after the hackathon is over. But it’s been elusive at the university level.
Behold! Major League Hacking is now entering Mexico City this fall season. We are excited to announce that the country’s first student-run hackathon league is now taking shape. MX Hacks will happen next October 17th-19th at UNAM, the largest public university in Latin America and also the oldest in the region. It makes sense that UNAM intends to host a hackathon every six months to celebrate the power of building things with technology. Another event is being planned for November at Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), through one of its most prestigious technical colleges: UPIICSA.
La Liga Mexicana de Hackatones (MLH MX) will then be officially launched as the Mexico chapter of MLH with these two events happening in Aztec university soil. Other well-known universities will be joining the party, such as Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) (its Mexico City area campuses – 5 in total), Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO), and Universidad Panamericana. All these prestigious higher education institutions are potential candidates to host events of their own during the upcoming 2015 spring season.
All of this will be a huge step for Mexican student developers in the right direction. Student hackathons could potentially create professional opportunities for hundreds, if not thousands, of Mexico’s computer science and engineering undergrads. Universities are not being able to prepare their students for the fast-paced, ever-changing, and über-competitive working environment that has been the norm during the 21st century, especially in the technology sector. By having constant student hackathons happening in Mexico’s major universities, these students will have access to a highly valuable resource for growing and improving their hacking skills, which in turn could prove key for landing the right job or project sooner than they expected.
Student hackathons need to happen in Mexico on a formal and ongoing basis and down here in the Aztec Nation, we can’t think of a better way of making them happen than through joining forces with Major League Hacking. We’re super excited about what’s coming and can’t wait to become part of the League through building some cool hacks at Mexican hackathons. See you in October!