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In this Episode, recent UW-Madison computer engineering graduate Spencer Fricke shares the wisdom and strategies he’s gained from participating in over 35 hackathons around the world. Spencer shares why — and how — he believes everyone can develop a hacker mentality.

• What is hacking?
• The 3 aspects of the hacker mentality
• Who can hack?
• Why failure is an essential part of succeeding at hacking
• The top excuses non-hackers use to stay out of hackathons

[1:06] What is hacking

[1:55] The 3 key aspects of a successful hacking mentality

[3:50] What is the goal of a hackathon?

[4:41] Who can hack? Why don’t more people get into hackathons?

[8:28] A powerfully simple hacking skill that most college students don’t use

[11:20] Key takeaways

“That is what makes you a maker…the willingness to say that you’re not going to stick with the status quo and you’re going to try something different.”

“If you’re good at failing, you will fail on a Thursday night when no one notices instead of in front of your first investor.”

“The later you start, the longer it’s going to take for you to get to a professional level.”

Video of Spencer’s Presentation

Upcoming Hackathons

How to find a Hackathon in Your Area

MadHacks

Equipment you can check out at the UW-Madison Library

University of Wisconsin – Madison – Makerspace

Spencer on LinkedIn

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