Side Projects

The greatest thing about building software is that you can create whatever you desire out of thin air. It's practically magic!

Good developers build side projects because it stretches your skills. You're exposed to challenges you don't face at your 9 to 5 and you learn a lot of new and cool stuff. You decide what tech stack to use and what the design will look like. You also determine how users will interact with the project and once the project's ready, you decide where to host. We got into software because we wanted to build cool stuff that lots of people use... and perhaps, be our own boss someday!

The fun part of the side project is constructing what you want. Not many software developers are good at design, UI/UX, DevOps or Marketing. Sure, you can use Bootstrap for layout related design, but, to have a professional looking site takes more skill than most of us have. This is where the motivation seems to fall off. Once your side project has been constructed you'll want it to look presentable - hopefully professional, and you'll want to tell people about it. These require two competencies most developers don't have, nor do they enjoy doing - Design and Marketing.

I've built several side projects throughout my career. Some of those side projects were very successful and others failed miserably. The ones which succeeded looked good and were marketed well. I didn't design those projects and I didn't market them!

I've interacted with hundreds of developers who've built side projects and I've seen this pattern time and time again. Their investment of time, in what could be a useful tool for many people, ended up fading into the either because they didn't connect with people who had complementary skills.

When you find yourself in this situation, consider using Find A Side Project as it helps you find contributors with skills in other disciplines including DevOps, Design, Marketing and UI/UX.