For me, hackathons served these purposes: * learning how to get an app (MVP, if you will) up quickly * challenging myself to implement an app in a language/fr

For me, hackathons served these purposes: * learning how to get an app (MVP, if you will) up quickly * challenging myself to implement an app in a language/framework I've never used before * wider exposure to incubators The end result: I'm a more fluent prototyper. Winning a Startup Weekend exposed us to an incubator which gave us seed money. I'm now also very comfortable picking up new tech, as patterns emerge in language constructs and APIs. (to keep the lights on, though, I stick with the 2 or 3 skills that I'm very experienced in) It needn't just be a CV filler.