Here’s the Unique Thing TripAdvisor Does to Inspire the Best Student Tech Talent

If you’ve ever watched the movie The Social Network, there’s a great scene where Mark Zuckerberg has a bunch of young students racing against the clock to finish a programming challenge as a roaring crowd looks on.

While hackathons might not be quite the spectacle in real life (no giant cheering crowds or overhead spotlights), there’s one company that thinks they’re exciting and worthwhile: TripAdvisor.

To inspire computer science, product, and design students across North America, TripAdvisor gives young people the opportunity to take a crack at some of its biggest programming challenges through the TripAdvisor Hackathon.

So, what exactly is a hackathon? It’s pretty much a tech lover’s dream: Groups of students take on the challenge of their choice to find a creative solution, and they have just four days to compete. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

Not only does TripAdvisor give these students a platform for their ideas, but the company also provides mentorship from top members of the tech team (could you imagine getting advice from the Head of Engineering at such an impressive organization?), free food, and awesome swag. As a young techie, what more could you want?

If being a part of these hackathons sounds like the dream to you, you can work at the company that makes the dream a reality for hundreds of students. Apply to work for TripAdvisor on WayUp now. They’re hiring for jobs like Desktop Support Technician Intern, Recruiting Coordinator and their MBA Product Management Rotation Program.