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I've been thinking about hackathons lately, and I'm starting to wonder if thay're really the best way to foster long-term growth for maker/mechanics skills. Hear me out: while they're great for rapid bursts of creativity and learning new tools under pressure, I think the intense, short-term focus can actually be detrimental in the long run. You're often sacrificing good design principles and maintainability for a flashy demo.
Doesn't the pressure to produce something tangible within 24-48 hours often lead to hacks and workarounds that aren't sustainable? Are we accidentally training people to prioritize speed over craftsmanship, ultimately hindering the development of robust and reliable engineering abilities? I'm curious if anyone else has observed this, or maybe has a positive counter-example where a hackathon project genuinely led to a deep understanding and mastery of a particular mechanic or skill. Maybe more emphasis should be placed on longer-term projects with mentorship, or project-based learning curriculum, for developing actual long-term expertise.