CareerStack hosts virtual hackathon, invites tech job-seekers to gain real project experience

FLINT, Michigan — Derien Stephens, a tech entrepreneur, knows how challenging it is for those looking to break into the tech field without prior project experience. He also knows just how life-changing the career field can be if given the chance. After college, he had several jobs, but was always drawn to the idea of technology and its problem-solving capabilities. Following a 2018 Detroit Grand Circus coding boot camp, Stephens caught the bug and launched his career as a software engineer. 

To help those gain real tech job experience, he created and launched CareerStack, a workforce development tool, in October 2024. Stephens hopes CareerStack can help people have more opportunities in education and their careers. He says the Fenton-based organization can help shape positive impacts on individuals within the greater Flint community. Their upcoming hackathon event on Aug. 30 invites the community to learn industry knowledge and experience at no cost to them. 

“Economic advancement and opportunity are just such a huge deal, especially in lower-income areas or areas that see a lot of brain drain — losing talent from people moving to other cities to go to school, to get other job opportunities or training,” Stephens says. “Fenton is also kind of a rural county, so a lot of the time, the more nationwide programs or bigger workforce development initiatives don’t always make it to certain regions. I’m really excited to have this opportunity to hopefully start to show what that could look like, digitally upscaling Genesee County residents.”

Some of CareerStack’s services and solutions offered to members include risk-free micro-projects, portfolio and skill growth tools, global collaboration networking, and actionable feedback. It is tailored for students and learners, nonprofits and educators, as well as startups and employers. Since last year’s launch, CareerStack has had over 100 active members, representing 10 different countries, working on more than five different live projects, creating real-world solutions. That growth has made Stephens proud.

“Having people of all different backgrounds and the diversity of the users is really big,” he says. “A lot of our marketing has come from our online presence through social media, Reddit, X, things like that. We’re finding people who are hanging out in these communities on the web, looking for jobs after college, trying to figure out how to break this job application cycle, get to that next step, and make progress in their career.”

Coming up on Saturday, Aug. 30, CareerStack is hosting a virtual ‘hack for a cause’ event from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. This workforce development event invites those in and those interested in the tech field to join virtually to gain real project-based experience and learn through expert-led workshops. At the end of the event, teams will present their work for a chance to win a Raspberry Pi prize. 

100K ideas is a partner on the event, an organization Stephens is familiar with. He participated in the Pitch for $K event, winning a $1,000 grant from the organization. 

“Hopefully this can be an extension of 100K Ideas and what they do, helping people see that they can get hands-on experience and learn things they didn’t know yesterday, and implement them today in their business, career, or next project they work on,” he says. 

Stephens says the virtual hackathon is a great opportunity for people who are looking for a lot of tech experience in a short amount of time. 

“I’ve always felt that hackathons are great events for getting the full understanding of what it’s like to build an application or product, and work with people in tech to really learn from them — but not have to make a huge time or money commitment,” he says. “The best part about this is that it’s virtual, so there are no geographic boundaries, it’s open to anyone.”

Participants will learn about different knowledge and resources during the workshops, including pitch decks, using AI tools to build and design applications, and more. 

Stephens encourages anyone in college or those seeking jobs should consider participating in the event, regardless of tech experience levels.

“Digital skills are not just specific to tech,” he says. “Anybody can gain lots of different visual literacy skills that the job market requires, even if you don’t work in tech. Even the skills from creating pitching decks are very valuable career and entrepreneurial skills as well.”

The event is free to the community. Participants 18+ can register as individuals online, and teams of three will be arranged during the virtual event. 

In the future, Stephens hopes to bring CareerStack to other regions, including his hometown, Detroit. He also foresees opening up pilots with nonprofits and even middle schoolers in Oakland County, encouraging the next generation to become digital problem-solvers, too. 

“You might feel that because you don’t live in a big tech hub, or Ann Arbor, Detroit, or Grand Rapids, there aren’t resources here in Flint,” he says. “But we have the ability to build things and connect with other people who have different skill sets that you might need. It’s all just a matter of bringing those things together and having a space for those people who need to work together.”

As technology advances, and it shapes the way of resume-building, job-seeking, interview process, and more throughout a career, Stephens hopes CareerStack can lead the state into an era of change. 

“I would love to see Michigan kind of change the way we train people up for the 21st-century jobs through more collaborative real-world experience,” he says. “Whether it’s a hackathon like this or more formal programs for specific college students, degree paths, or adult education, I’d love to see it be more of a pipeline with more accessible opportunities.”