Learn new technical skills and build a portfolio you can share with employers at the UChicago Tech Community Challenge! Organized by the Careers in Computer Science program, the UChicago Tech Showcase is a friendly competition open to all College students.
The UChicago Tech Showcase has two components: a project work period lasting several weeks and a final showcase where students present on their projects to a panel of expert judges. The next round of applications open in winter 2023.
Thank you to our 2022 competition judges:
- Victor Kung (AB ’14), COO at Exclusively
- Stephaie Champi (AB ’16), Director of Innovation at Teach for America
- Alexandra Perez-Garcia (AB’16), MBA/MPP Candidate at University of Michigan
- Damon Hines (AB ’22), Software Developer at Amazon
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALUMNI AND EMPLOYERS
We welcome employers and alumni to participate as judges, mentors, and sponsors for the Tech Community Challenge program.
As an employer or alumni participant, you receive a special tech resume book and the chance to share career opportunities at your organization with students. Reach out to Bri Caplan at blcaplan@uchicago.edu.
HOW IT WORKS
- Students can work individually or in teams
- Teams identify a challenge that affects the UChicago CS community and design a technical or non-technical solution that will make a positive contribution
- Students can submit any type of project, including websites, apps, and workshop series.
- During the competition period, students have access to mentors and office hours to support all aspects of their projects, including technical troubleshooting, product design, and presentations consulting
- On the day of the final Tech Community Challenge, students gather to celebrate each other’s work and present their projects to a panel of special guest judges, mentors, and employer partners
Past projects have included course selection bots, community traveling apps, video games to help students explore career interests, and more!
Potential technical skills students can learn include programming languages like Python and Ruby on Rails, frameworks like Flask and Django, databases like MongoDB and MySQL, web services like AWS and GCP, design tools like Figma and Sketch, and project management tools like GitHub and Jira.
GET INVOLVED
The 2023 UChicago Tech Community Challenge will take place on May 3rd, and applications will open in Winter Quarter 2023. Students who are interested in the 2022 UChicago Tech Community Challenge should join the Careers in Computer Science Slack group for updates and application announcements.
On September 29th, Careers in Computer Science will also host a “Preparing for Technical Careers” event open to all students. The event will include:
- A workshop teaching everything you need to know A – Z to get started in the tech industry
- A panel of 4th year students reflecting on their technical recruiting journey and learnings
- Current students can RSVP for the September 29th event here.
QUESTIONS?
For more information about the UChicago Tech Community Challenge, please contact Brianne Caplan, Program Director for Careers in Computer Science, at blcaplan@uchicago.edu.