Develop Yourself

#125 - Your Side Project Cheat Sheet - 6 steps to create cool sh*t

Apr 4, 2024

Explore the benefits of creating side projects, starting with API data and minimal features. Learn about user flow, technology choices, and practical knowledge. Dive into project management, planning, and hosting on AWS for career growth.

25:04

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Quick takeaways

Start with choosing an API for your side project to lay the foundation.

Balance familiarity with new technologies to broaden knowledge and troubleshooting skills.

Deep dives

Why Side Projects are Important for Software Developers

Building a complex side project is crucial for honing your skills as a software developer. It simulates real-world job experiences and distinguishes good engineers from great ones. While side projects may not directly land you a job, the skills acquired are invaluable and translate into actionable capabilities at work.

Choosing a CSS Framework

00:54

Introduction

4min

Building Side Projects for Career Enhancement

9min

Exploring Tech, Project Management, and Planning in Software Development

2min

Creating a Minimally Usable Product and Hosting on AWS

4min

Navigating System Design and Technology Choices in Side Projects

3min

Send a text and I may answer it on next episode (I cannot reply from this service 😢)

You want to build an amazing side project but you don’t know where to start.

❌ TODO app?
❌ Clone of that other app that you use?
❌ Tutorial project?

When I’m not sure what I want to build, I do this:

Start with the data - what API can you use which may have some interesting information?
What features can you construct around the API? For example, a real time stock API could be used to trigger an alert to a user when it dips below a certain threshold
Figure out the minimal amount of features
What is the user flow? What happens when a user goes to your app? What is the feature they interact with and how is the data surfaced?
Pick a combination of new and familiar technologies
Get stuck, read the docs and build your way out of the hole you’ve dug 😅
Gain more practical knowledge than a 100 hour course could ever offer you

Check out the side project template here 👉 Your Side Project Template

Shameless Plugs

🧠 (NEW) Parsity's The Inner Circle Program - a highly customized roadmap to take you from 0 to hired. For career changers who want to pivot into software.

💼 Zubin's LinkedIn (ex-lawyer, former Google, Brian-look-a-like)

👂🏻Easier Said Than Done Podcast

Already a developer? Check out 👉 Not Another Course

Serious about joining Parsity? Schedule a call with me ☎️

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Develop Yourself

#125 - Your Side Project Cheat Sheet - 6 steps to create cool sh*t

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Why Side Projects are Important for Software Developers

Key Steps in Creating a Solid Side Project

Host Your Side Project and Embrace Learning Opportunities

Choosing a CSS Framework

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts