In my experience, the two most impactful actions you can take to boost your developer journey are:
– build hobby projects;
– learn from a relevant peer developer.
If you can find time to create hobby projects, it is highly recommended! This way you can do trial and error, refactor, restructure your project to your liking, and learn what works and what doesn’t. And it presents you with the perfect opportunity to try out new features and libraries.
This way, you’ll be one step ahead when tasked with designing/building sustainable workplace projects. And you will have those projects to show and talk about when you apply for jobs. It’s also great to gain your employer’s trust about your experience. And maybe they’ll let you skip that complicated coding test ;).
The second luxury is a relevant peer developer, probably someone who does the above. A strategic programmer that can teach you solid basics, but also the latest and greatest. Someone who does not shy away from opportunities to innovate.
If you don’t have these luxuries, tech YouTubers, content and course creators can be a great substitute. One day, you will be that peer developer, if you aren’t already.
What else do you think can accelerate growth as a developer? Let me know!
What hobby projects to build?
This may vary depending on the type of software developer you are, but it is highly recommended to create these types of projects:
– your portfolio website;
– your digital resume;
– your (technology) blog.
These are the best types of projects to share and showcase your work, experience and knowledge. To create them, you can create everything yourself and get a better understanding of complete web development. Or you learn about the technology, tools and topics to help you build the project. To name a few: a headless CMS, JAM-stack, a full CMS like WordPress,…
Once you’ve created one or all of the above, you may be ready to create more challenging projects. Projects that solve real-world problems can range from solutions that help your local dog shelter to improving processes for small businesses in your area to solutions to increase business revenue.
Think about collecting data from external APIs, what data storage to use, what cloud components, and what protocols to communicate with. Try to integrate third-party libraries and technology to enhance your app’s capabilities and impress others ;). Going deeper into topics like “Clean Architecture” or “Clean Code” can also greatly benefit you in the future.
Did I forget something important? Let me know!
I have built several portfolio websites with different technologies in the past. I also created a printable digital resume and recently created my own brand website with a tech blog.
If you want a head start, you can grab a copy here. To reuse on your own brand, portfolio or blog website.