Every Recent Grad Should Have a Side Project đȘ
Whether youâre hacker, creative, or business person, chances are your full-time job requires you to hone in on a very specific set of skills. Over time, youâll gain deeper expertise in that area but the breadth of your skills will become smaller and smaller.
Itâs time you created a side project!
To clarify, this doesnât mean to start driving for Uber or Postmates. Being an Uber driver is a part-time or full-time job and for the most part doesnât require much creative effort (unless you started a vlog series interviewing your Uber passengers, that would be pretty cool).
A side project should be something that you create that is disproportionately satisfying to work on. If you can make money from it, great! But generating income is not a requirement for a fulfilling side project.
The main objective should be trying something outside of your comfort zone; being a beginner in a no judgment environment and having fun learning something new.
Why do a side project?
If youâre like many recent college graduates, you may realize that the degree you got does not necessarily translate into getting a job doing something that you are truly passionate about. A side project is a great opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience in an area that you are interested in that may help you get closer to that dream job.
Say you have an entry-level account executive role, but are really interested in learning more about product design and donât have much exposure to it at work. With a side project you have the opportunity to be in charge of the product design, marketing, prototyping/engineering, PR, and sales all at once!
Since you will need to fulfill tasks that normally would be handled by people in other departments, you will learn creative new ways to solve these problems. This in turn can help bring you new perspectives when tackling problems in your full-time job.
What should I pick as my side project?
If you are an analyst who is actually passionate about sports broadcasting, start your own sports podcast or blog! If you are a recruiter who wants to get into software engineering, start by checking some coding lessons and open source projects! It doesnât matter how silly-sounding the project is, as long as you think it is interesting and you think youâd be able to grow through the learning process.
It is important not to let the doubts creep in. Too many times I overthink and discourage myself from actually starting a new idea by asking questions like: What will my friends think? How will I scale this? What if Iâm awful at it? What about this? What about that?
Just figure out the first baby step you need to take to make your side project a reality and go do it!
But Anthony, you say, I am so incredibly busy! I have no time to start something new, and I donât want to distract my focus from my full-time job.
When should I work on my side project?
I usually like working on my side project when I am least stressed, so this often means early enough in the morning where work stuff is still a few hours away, or in the middle of the day on weekends before I have plans with friends/family. Whenever I want to work on my side project, I always put it on my to do list the night before. Since itâs just for fun, I donât put too much structure around forcing myself to spend a lot of time on it each time and just work on it for as long as I feel inspired.
More on creating the perfect to do list here:
Parting thoughts
Having side projects helped me realize how great of a feeling it is to take ownership over something, led me to meet some amazing people from all around the world, and given me much-needed outlets to focus my energy on outside of work.
Here are links to two of my current side projects:
Know Your VC: A platform for founders to share experiences about investors, good or bad đź
Topiku: An ethical, sustainable apparel line made from 100% up-cycled and waste materials in Indonesia đźđ©
Show some đ for all the amazing innovations that started as a side project
If youâre reading this and are on the fence about whether to pursue that new idea or not, it would make my day if you took the plunge and let me know about it in the comment section!
Side project getting serious? Check this article to craft the perfect pitch:
