Welcome to Pan Out 2024

Welcome to Pan Out! I'm glad you are considering participating this year. I wanted to take a moment to write about why Pan Out exists but I know your time is valuable so I'll keep this brief.

I joined CU's CS program because, like many others, I saw computer science as a field with great potential. The ability to start at "wouldn't it be cool if..." or "why doesn't this exist?" and then go and build it with nothing more than my laptop seemed truly inspiring. So far, this program has been worth the investment, but I can't help but wonder if there's a bigger picture I'm missing — something that brings us students together to build an impressive product without expectation for grades or awards, something to prove we are in it for the love of the game.

My vision for Pan Out is just that. It's an environment where students rely on each other to create something that will change their world. I am sure several of us work on solo projects and portfolio pieces to show off our skills and resourcefulness. Pan Out is there to provide an outlet for the bigger ideas that are too ambitious, too much work or too risky to go it alone.

In the simplest terms, Pan Out is an incubator for professional skills. It allows you to find an idea you feel is worth bringing into existence using the expertise you've gained and hone those skills further. It puts like-minded individuals together to build the constraints and define the problems to reach the end goal.

If you participate in Pan Out, at minimum I want you to have an impressive portfolio piece, several thorough stories to tell in interviews of your resourcefulness, and strong relationships built with your teammates — folks who can vouch for your skills and attitude and those that you can vouch for as well. We are jump-starting your career while giving you complete control over how that looks.

But I'm sure a few teams will find ways to exceed these expectations. Some teams will earn a passive income from their idea, while others may build a product that generates more income than makes sense for them to work for another company. The beauty of Pan Out is the destination may be different for each team.

At the end of this year's Pan Out, I am sure we will all be inspired by what we build and feel empowered to go into the world and continue to build more amazing products. I'm looking forward to what the 2024 Pan Out will bring for all of us.