Columbus State Community College hosts "Hackathon" event for fifth year in a row
CSCC and local IT consulting firm Manifest Solutions partnered to bring students an interactive event aimed at developing skills learned in the classroom in a simulated real-world activity.
The annual "Hackathon" at Columbus State Community College is an event for both CSCC students and local high schoolers to improve their programming skills and learn more about IT. Since its inception in 2017 the event has grown in scope, with more aspects of IT being featured in the activities. Local IT consulting firm Manifest Solutions supports the event as a way of helping to develop local talent.
A news release published before the Hackathon took place in April explains that this year's event focused on open source project development using a variety of programming languages including JavaScript and Python. When the first annual Hackathon began in 2017, it featured a "capture the flag" exercise, centered on learning how to prevent cyberattacks. Participants also have the opportunity to learn more about career opportunities at Manifest Solutions.
CIO of Manifest Solutions, Chris Judd, explained why the company invests in events like Hackathon. "Manifest Solutions continues to support regional student engagement as a partner to higher education offerings because we know the critical importance of building out our industry's future talent resources," Judd said. He added, "Tomorrow's top programmers can emerge from a variety of educational pathways if provided the relevant opportunities to learn the latest in-demand skills. We are proud to keep growing this annual event with Columbus State and keep it going virtually through the challenges the ongoing pandemic has thrown our way."
David Nowak, interim chairperson of the Information Systems Technology program at CSCC, spoke about the appeal to companies like Manifest Solutions of sponsoring IT events at community colleges. Nowak stated, "Supporting a hackathon at Columbus State underscores the opportunity available within the IT field for our associate degree graduates and certificate earners. These are top careers for future growth and job demand will only accelerate. Employers are increasingly motivated to bring two-year graduates and post-secondary credential holders into the workforce, even while they are still engaged in studies. A four-year degree is no longer a barrier to entry and opportunities for advancement, as long as the skills and talent are there."