Building while studying: choosing the hard path instead of the safe one

0.01% — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 10:51:22 +0000

I’m a student, and instead of focusing only on landing a 9–5, I’m trying to build something alongside my studies.

Not because I dislike stability — but because building teaches things I never learned in class:

breaking vague problems into solvable parts

staying consistent without deadlines or managers

handling failure quietly and continuing anyway

There’s no guarantee this leads anywhere.
No salary.
No external validation.

But the process itself feels valuable. I’m learning faster, thinking deeper, and understanding how real products come together — even when progress is slow.

I don’t think everyone should take this path. The traditional route works well for many people, and that’s valid.

For me, the harder part isn’t the workload — it’s choosing uncertainty and being okay with not knowing the outcome yet.

discuss

If you’re a student or early in your career:

Did you build something alongside studies or work?

Was it worth the trade-offs?

What did it teach you that a job or course didn’t?

I’m curious to hear different perspectives.

As a Student, I Built a Startup to Answer One Simple Question: Where Can I Watch This Anime?

0.01% — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 06:20:57 +0000

I Got Tired of Searching Every Anime Streaming Platform—So I Built This

I’m a student, and Indie builder who enjoys coding and building things. Like many anime fans, I subscribe to (or at least check) multiple streaming platforms—Netflix, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, HIDIVE, and more.

And yet, I kept running into the same frustrating problem:

Finding anime was harder than watching it._

Every time I wanted to watch a new anime, I had to:

Google the title
Open multiple streaming apps
Read outdated blogs or Reddit posts
Still not be sure if it was available in my region

Sometimes the anime was available—but only on one platform.
Sometimes the info was completely outdated.
Sometimes I just gave up.

That’s when I decided to build WhereToWatch.

🚀 What I Built

WhereToWatch is a simple platform where you can search any anime and instantly see:

Where it’s legally streaming
Which platforms offer it (region-aware)
Whether it’s free or paid
Direct links to start watching
Basic details like genre, year, and language (dub/sub)

The goal is simple:

one search → clear answers → start watching.

🧩 Why This Problem Matters

Anime streaming is fragmented.
Each platform shows only its own catalog.
Search engines don’t stay updated when licenses change.

This confusion often pushes fans toward piracy—not because they want to, but because legal discovery is broken.

I believe finding legal anime should be easy.

🔮 What’s Coming Next

I’m actively working on:

📌 Filler episode lists for every anime
📺 A personal watchlist across platforms
🧠 Community feedback to keep data accurate
🤖 AI-based anime recommendations (future)

🙌 Why I’m Sharing This Here

I’m still early, still learning, and still building.
I wanted to share this on dev.to because many of you:

Build products to solve your own problems
Appreciate simple tools with clear value
Give honest feedback

If you’re an anime fan—or just curious—check it out.
I’d genuinely love feedback, suggestions, or criticism.

Thanks for reading 🙏
Happy building.

DEV Community: 0.01%