The Best Side Projects To Boost Your Developer Resume

As a developer, you always have to maintain the spirit of your profession and keep adding to your portfolio. Your side projects are your only way to have a consistent platform for your skills that operate on your liberty.

But, maintaining a steady portfolio sounds like a great idea until the point you are sure about your project ideas. The moment you keep pondering about what to work on, it becomes a stressful venture altogether.

You know you need to do this if you wish to break into tech or apply for a better position. But what stops you is the lack of ideas or insights about projects that might work in your favor.

Why Side Projects Matter For Developers

Before you let this concept slide, and lose hope on its potential, it is critical for you to understand how it can aid you. As the competition rises, there is an unfair expectation for the developers to upgrade themselves and keep making innovations.

The best way to uphold this standard is to keep developing things and showcasing your skill sets as efficiently as possible. A side project is your one-way access to building a better presence by highlighting your hands-on experience. It allows you to experiment with new technologies and showcase your capabilities to your hiring manager. More than that, it is also an updated record of your skill sets and achievements put together in one place.

Best Side Projects To Consider

1. Web Development Project

The best way to start your side project venture is with a web development project. Building a website from scratch and showcasing its functionality is a great way. You can showcase your coding, design, and various other skills in one go. You can create a portfolio website, a blog, an e-commerce site, or even a social media platform clone to establish your merit.

2. Open-Source Contributions Projects

This is another way to not only showcase your skills but also share insights and learnings with your fellow developers. By collaborating on public projects, you can learn from others, improve your coding abilities, and gain real-world experience. Since open-source projects are open to everyone, they are a great way to showcase your skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork. Contributing to popular projects can also help you build credibility and connect with other developers.

3. Mobile App Development Projects

If you contribute to mobile app development projects, you can easily showcase your skills to create independent applications. It will bring forward your skill set of creating independent applications. It shows that you can design, build, and launch real apps on your own, proving your skills in coding, problem-solving, and creating a great user experience.

4. Automation & Scripting Projects

A project like this not only gives an edge to your resume but makes you functional for potential companies who are not even looking for new candidates. Any business would love to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and reduce manual effort. A set of highly streamlined skills and features that you can contribute through your projects.

5. Game Development Projects

If you work on a game development project, you can showcase both your creativity and technical skills. By designing and building your own games, you can showcase your coding abilities, problem-solving skills, and innovative thinking. It open multiple avenues for you and lets you sharpen your skills further in areas like 3D modeling, animation, and user experience design.

6. Freelance & Client Projects

A freelancing development project not only ensures a push for your portfolio but lets you earn money too. Working with different clients gives you hands-on experience, helps you sharpen your skills, and builds a well-rounded portfolio that shows off your versatility. Plus, the flexibility of freelancing allows you to choose projects that align with your interests and career goals and take up more than one thing at once

7. AI & Machine Learning Projects

Machine learning projects showcase your ability to work with data, algorithms, and AI models. You can build predictive models, and chatbots and open up so many avenues for yourself. It allows you to build solutions for real-world problems using AI and establish your authority as a developer. With the growing reliance on artificial intelligence by the big business and tech giants, this is an excellent way to establish yourself on the map.

How To Present Side Projects On Your Resume

Once your idea is ready to be showcased, the challenge is the presentation. You cannot have your resume start with your side projects and let it have the main pedestal. But, having a dedicated section for it and highlighting the theme of the same can be the best-optimized approach for the same. You can add a few details for a glance like the name and description of the project, the technology you used, and the live demo link for quick access. Using an AI resume builder can further streamline this process by structuring your resume efficiently and ensuring your side projects are highlighted in a professional manner.

Where to Share Your Projects

You can only showcase yourself as an ideal candidate once you display your projects on platforms that will help gain the limelight. An ideal resume is only going to work for you once you grab the attention of your hiring managers. The way to execute this is simple all you have to do is build your authority by showcasing your work in the right way.

• GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket: This is your Instagram for codes where you can upload, share, and work on projects with other developers. It’s a great way to showcase your work, contribute to open-source projects, and keep track of changes with version control.
• Developer communities (Dev.to, Hashnode): Dev. to, Hashnode is the holy grail for any developer. It is a well-known platform that lets you write articles and, and engage with a like-minded tech community. It is a great way to gain visibility and also establish your credibility.
• Personal portfolio websites: A personal website is like your digital resume, where you can showcase your skills, projects, and experience all in one place. It helps potential employers or clients see what you are capable of at a glance.
• LinkedIn and tech blogs: Posting your projects and insights on LinkedIn or writing tech blogs helps you put your point forward easily. It is like an indirect advertisement for your skill sets and the easiest way to connect with recruiters or experts.

Conclusion

It can be a very hectic process to take time to think about ideas, work on them, organize them, and then promote them. If you have a set of ideas in place and a proper channel to showcase them, you can work wonders. It will leave you the space to solely focus on your project more than anything else.