Hi, I’m Dilpreet! In this article, I’m excited to share my experience of building side projects during the 6-Week Challenge Nights and Weekends Season 5 organized by Buildspace.
A Bit About Me
I’m a person who loves to experiment with ideas across various domains like video editing, videography, software development, and more. Despite some recent successes and connections, I felt I wasn’t truly diving deep into these areas. Balancing these experiments with my academic commitments was tough. I’d often end up researching and writing about my ideas but rarely got to fully work on them, often quitting midway.
Seeing many friends take on this challenge, I decided to join in the fun. My goal was to explore my ideas thoroughly and build something substantial.
The Challenge Begins
I dusted off my list of ideas and started with the first one:
Idea 1: GenAI B2C Service-Based Startup
Inspired by the trend of GenAI B2C service-based software, I aimed to showcase the power of prompt engineering and AI models to improve existing services. I spent a week absorbing the necessary knowledge, focusing on performance, scalability, and user experience. I delved into UI libraries, cloud providers, AI models, and overall system design, while also calculating the costs of service subscriptions and hosting.
However, I soon realized that the cost of these services would be 5–10 times higher than existing alternatives. Moreover, the project bordered on promoting piracy, which was a dealbreaker. I decided to move on to my next idea.
Idea 2: Building a Community of Tech Enthusiasts
This idea was closer to my heart. I envisioned a community where passionate tech enthusiasts could find a supportive environment, free from the pressures of college and profit-driven motives. Despite the abundance of tech groups, many are exclusive or focused on numbers and money. I wanted to create a platform where individuals could showcase and develop their projects alongside our core team.
Some of our featured projects include:
- Individual Level Flora Monitoring System using GenAI and Image Analysis (Developed by me)
- Online Compiler API in Golang, perfect for integrating into client applications (Developed by Ankan Bhattacharya)
- One-stop Service Platform for all your daily needs (Developed by Aman Singh)
We’re thrilled to welcome new members with expertise in game development, data science, and Web3. Together, we’ll build a global community of enthusiastic learners and achievers. I plan to continue working on this idea post my job placement to help and connect with new individuals
Idea 3: Upskilling and Passion Projects
My third idea was more personal: focusing on learning and improving my existing skills in software development, video editing, design, and photography. I studied industry experts and explored new techniques and styles, which I’m currently experimenting with. I’ll be posting more about these experiments after this semester.
The Outcome
Throughout this journey, I experienced both successes and failures. Each failure became a learning opportunity rather than a setback. I connected with people globally and rediscovered a part of myself that had been overshadowed by academic and career goals.
Final Thoughts
I hope to inspire others to trust themselves and believe in their small projects. Go beyond the numbers game and build something meaningful.
Signing off for now!
Adios!
Connect with me: dilpreetgrover.vercel.app
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