This one’s for you, nerds
If you’ve got a natural talent for computer programming, graphic design, software development, or data science, and wouldn’t mind earning some extra cash on the side, you definitely need to know about Topcoder.
Topcoder is an online community of more than 880,000 developers, designers, competitive programmers, and data scientists who regularly compete against one another for cash prizes – all while solving valid problems that have been contributed by actual organizations and companies.
Topcoder proudly claims that its members have even built software for Fortune 500 companies.
Sit down and stand out
Participating in these competitions can help you in multiple aspects of both your life and career. Not only will it keep your brain sharp as you hone your skills, it allows you to see how other programmers approach and solve problems, which can only be seen as a positive by everyone involved.
And as you improve upon your own talents, and begin to win mini competitions like SRMs – Single Round Matches – you can start to draw the attention of the companies who leave their challenges with Topcoder as a recruitment method.
And for the record, many companies do come looking for programmers who stand out in a crowd that is already full of the very best in the world.
In addition to recruiting, many companies sponsor Topcoder tournaments like the Topcoder Open, Topcoder Collegiate Challenge, and Topcoder High School just to get their names out there with the best of the best in the programming world.
More than $74 million in cold, hard cash
Topcoder boasts that its mission “is to reward and recognize the world’s best designers, developers, and data scientists for honing and proving their skills,” a worthy mission indeed.
Topcoder is owned by Appiorio, has held more than 22,000 competitions since it was founded in 2001, and has distributed more than $74 million dollars to its competition winners.
