#SideProjects #CareerGrowth #SoftwareEngineering
Are you a software engineer with 3 years going on 4 years of experience? Do you find yourself wondering if side projects are still necessary for your career growth? You’re not alone! Many professionals in the tech industry face the dilemma of whether or not to invest time and effort into side projects while juggling a full-time job.
🤔 The Dilemma:
As a software engineer working with a startup for nearly four years, you may feel the urge to specialize in frontend development for your next role. However, you realize that you haven’t dedicated time to side projects during your tenure at the company. This lack of personal projects could potentially impact your job search and career advancement opportunities, leaving you feeling unsure about your next steps.
💡 The Solution:
While it’s understandable that you may want to focus on landing a new job as a frontend developer, investing time in side projects can still benefit you in several ways. Here are some practical solutions to consider:
1. Boost Your Skillset:
– Undertaking side projects allows you to expand your knowledge and skills in a specific area of interest, such as frontend development.
– Experiment with new technologies, frameworks, and tools that you may not have the chance to use in your current role, enhancing your expertise.
2. Showcase Your Abilities:
– Side projects serve as a tangible demonstration of your capabilities to potential employers, highlighting your creativity, problem-solving skills, and passion for technology.
– Create a portfolio showcasing your projects to stand out in job applications and interviews, giving recruiters a glimpse of your practical experience.
3. Stay Engaged and Motivated:
– Working on side projects outside of your regular job can reignite your passion for software engineering and keep you engaged in continuous learning.
– Pursuing personal projects can also boost your confidence and satisfaction with your work, leading to a more fulfilling career journey.
🌟 Real-Life Example:
Take inspiration from successful software engineers who have leveraged side projects to advance their careers, such as building popular apps, contributing to open-source projects, or developing innovative solutions to real-world problems. These individuals have demonstrated the value of personal projects in shaping their professional growth and standing out in a competitive industry.
In conclusion, while transitioning to a frontend developer role is a valid career goal, incorporating side projects into your job search strategy can enhance your prospects and enrich your career journey. Embrace the opportunity to learn, showcase your skills, and stay motivated through personal projects, paving the way for a fulfilling and successful career in software engineering. Remember, it’s never too late to start a side project and reap the rewards it can offer in your professional development. 🚀
Still feeling unsure about the importance of side projects in your career? Reach out to fellow software engineers, career mentors, or online communities for advice and support in navigating this crucial aspect of your professional growth. Remember, your journey as a software engineer is unique, and incorporating side projects can add a valuable dimension to your skill set and career trajectory. Good luck on your path to success!
I mean even the smallest side project can turn into something that makes more than any company is willing to pay you…
Need in what sense?
No employer is going to see someone with 4 years of experience and say “yeah yeah yeah, but what have you been doing with your spare time?”
don’t build a side project just to masturbate ideas. find something that’s a real pain point in your life and solve it in an interesting, compelling way
who knows, you might even get a viable business out of itÂ
They were never necessaryÂ
Absolutely not. The best time value is in working your ass off at your job to get a promotion. And prepping for the interview process for a new, better job (you can get interviews pretty easily at that point, it’s passing them that’s hard).
Now for passion’s sake, sure. But no one cares otherwise. This is a stupid example that’s an anomaly but makes a good story: Max Howell, who created Homebrew, was rejected by Google during the tech screen.
Who in the right mind is feeding you these ideas? Did you really say you regret focusing on work instead of side projects? Are you in the US?
So you’re telling me you’d rather make a side project with 0 users and 0 interactions. And then think it would be more interesting in an interview than talking about your accomplishments at a place that makes actual money?
Not to mention your coworkers who are just as capable being good references? I can assure you if you suck at your job, I would NEVER refer you and risk my reputation.
No. I never really look at anyone’s Github before interviewing them. They’re not necessary.
Dude people who worked at Google can’t find jobs right now lol
Looks like the feelings are mixed. Personally, I had a good handful of application forms that asked for my GH profile. Did they actually go through my projects (hint: they’re mostly fluff or abandoned ideas) ? Can’t say, the topic was brought up maybe once.
Also, I should say this: side projects are pretty much meaningless to employers when it comes to tech stacks you haven’t used ‘commercially’. Maybe with good reason, or maybe it’s just a stigma attached to the idea of practicing a tech stack as hobby.
Side projects are really just to learn what you don’t already know, or just for fun and done out of curiosity.
Depends. If you are not doing anything spectacular on the job, then you may want to create a side project that does something spectacular.
Another scenario… If you want to work for a company that uses a stack or technology you are not familiar with, then you will probably make a side project to get experience so they will not pass you over.
Going to buck the trend of comments here with some experience of my own (fwiw ive been a java backend guy my whoke 4 years, so my skillset is not what is in high demand atm):
1) Back in 2020, I was looking for a job due to becoming dissatisfied with my job at the time. Talked with one recruiter who told me that if I’m not working on personal projects on my free time, then this industry is not for me.
2)Â I was rejected from the best job prospect I had in the final round interview last Thursday by a very unprofessional CEO:
He was 5 minutes late and had to get pinged by the hiring manager.
He didn’t know it was a final round interview.
He didn’t know I had been assigned a coding challenge (one that he made). And decided to spend the 30 minutes doing it live by having me screenshare.
He got impatient that I wasn’t sharing my screen, and when I told him I will share once vscode, docker, etc were open and that I didn’t want him to see my desktop (meaning my personal background and apps), he got frustrated.
He was disgusted that I didn’t have Linux running on my home computer.
He told me that if I was at all serious about software, I’d be contributing to open source projects on github or making open source projects on github.
He took one glance at the code, saw an amateur mistake and had me stop there (this one is entirely on me and I accept that failure).
He then asked if I had put in a resume, because he hadn’t even looked at it yet.
He took a glance at the resume, and then told me that I’m not what they are looking for.
He then proceeded to tell me I’m still way too early in my career, not all that different from an undergrad, and said they had internships open with their company so i could get some real experience. Then took that back because he realized I had to pay my bills. Then told me that my university failed me in regards to my education.
All of this was in a call with the two people who I interviewed with previously who both told me they really liked me and what I brought to the table.
He told me that if I want to advance in my career I HAVE to switch to Linux, HAVE to be working all in open source, and HAVE to be contributing frequently to open source projects.
All I took from it was that my skills outside of Java and OOP need a lot of work, and that this guy is an unprofessional asshole. But there are people who have those kind of opinions in charge of hiring out there in the world. Whether you would want to make those people happy or not is up to you.
I’ve never done a side project in my entire career. I mean I have done many small things because I actually needed something for myself but never something put together in github that’d I’d demo. So, I’d say the answer to your question is “no”. I drank a lot of beer in university and had friends. One of them got me my first job. But if you’d rather hole up in your basement writing code for something that’ll never be used because you believe that’ll impress people.. go ahead I guess. I do know for a fact that job I mentioned there were LOTS of others who wanted it. Some were classmates who were WAY smarter than I was (probably because they did side projects!!)
A referral is worth more and showing career focus is worth WAY more. Projects are more impactful for your own learning. I’ve done many such things but frankly that’s MY TIME to deliver a certain result while I revel in the fact I can be sloppy, use single char var names etc. because I never have to PR it to a bunch of peeps with OCD. If you are looking to invest limited time in landing a job, better do it networking. Don’t be someone with dozens of gitlab repos but who can barely string a sentence together and wouldn’t even know who to ask for a single referral. Many people I’ve met who succeed in tech don’t to side projects and it’s because we prefer do focus on working for pay!!
No team I’ve been on in 20 yrs has ever factored in side projects when hiring–but we saw many. Still, I could see 100% being impressed by a side project and hiring the person on that basis but it would have to be pretty darn good. I’ve yet to come across one that had true wow factor. I’m sure they exist but probably most people who get there realize their better off making it a startup and don’t even need a job at that point.
I’m not being critical of people with side projects I’m being critical of people doing side projects primarily to land a job. There’s far better uses of time if that is your goal.
No lmao
When the market was a lot better than it is right now, side projects were a huge boost to your application/resume. Nowadays with the influx of competition, it’s still important to have but you need other things to set you apart. Networking/Getting referrals is a huge one, message me if you want a FAANG+ referral
Side projects are good if you want to do a really hard pivot to show general compotency (e.g., front end -> MLEng when you previously had 0 ML experience), but in your case you already have the experience you want a new role for. Drop the side projects and just talk about your work during the interview and you’ll be fine.
absolutely not, and never have been after your first real job/internship
There are only 2 reasons to add side projects to your resume:
1. You are a new grad with zero experience and need something to pad your resume. You have 4 years experience, this does not apply to you.
2. You have a significant side project worth mentioning. E.g. you have a complex mobile app in the app store that nets you money every month.
Otherwise no one cares what you do with your spare time.
No, just talk about what you actually do at work
I mean it kinda depends on what the projects are and maybe your motivation for doing so. I think people assume here that they are some one off toy projects like a netflix clone, some todo app, etc. If you are making something that solves a problem, innovative, complex, interesting in some way, planning to get stars, PRs, issues, etc. on github/lab then it might be worth it. If you don’t enjoy learning and being creative in your free time then it probably isn’t worth the hassle to force yourself to do it. Some of my OSS side projects I am very proud of and were big talking points in the interviews I have had even if they only have under 10 stars. OSS contributions also went a long way in my experience but YMMV
Not necessary, and never were.
If it’s a significant project yes. I believe a mediocre side project can be do more harm than good.
Maybe, it’s really about whether you’re a good developer or not.
At 4 years experience, you’re sort of in the middle, not really a junior so much now, but also not a senior with a ton of experience.
Side projects aren’t just about showing prospective employers, it’s also about improving as a developer. I would say over 50% of my improvement as a developer has come from side projects, not my jobs.
Just start applying for jobs, work on your side project if you feel you’re learning from it.
I know what gets me jobs is my portfolio, and half of that portfolio is stuff I’ve made outside of my jobs.
i do side project to max what knowledge.Yes not all people have time and some will argue thats not the standard . But reality thats you wanted not him or her .