DEV Community

Play Button Pause Button
RealToughCandy.io
RealToughCandy.io

Posted on

🔺 5-step guide to developing your OWN personal software projects

In this video, we’re going to plan a software development project in five steps.

Tell me if this situation sounds familiar: You’re browsing your Udemy courses and see a cool project. You follow the tutorial step-by-step and soon have a nice-looking project that also has some sweet functionality. Right on! Problem is, 100,000 other people have that same exact project freshly pushed to GitHub. Sad trombone…

What happens when you’ve reached the point in your software development journey where you’re ready to develop your own projects? Where and how do you start? Rip open a code editor and hope for the best? Sure that's an option - but is it an ideal option? 🤔

No doubt, experimentation is fun and can lead to some great ideas.

But without testing your technical ideas or even asking yourself if they’re feasible, you’re going to be spending a lot of wasted time in front of a computer screen. Why put that unnecessary strain on your eyes, even in dark mode? Instead, we're going to step up our productivity game.

Watch this video and you'll be well on your way to better project results. You can not only show these off proudly in your portfolio, but also take full credit for as the creator.


Come check me out on YouTube where we are rockin' the dev life!

Top comments (11)

Collapse
 
davidmm1707 profile image
David MM👨🏻‍💻 • Edited

Great video!

About brainstorming, before starting my blog/youtube channel, I said to myself that I had to find 50 topics to write about. If I couldn't, I shouldn't have one as I would drop them.

Now I have a Google docs file with more than 100 ideas to do. Always take a notepad/mobile app/Google docs/whatever to write down the new idea that came to you while doing groceries, walking or working.

Collapse
 
realtoughcandy profile image
RealToughCandy.io

That's a great idea. I do that too for my YT channel & I've noticed the other benefit is that some days you just aren't in the mood for topic X –– so with a big diverse list you have the freedom to pick something that appeals to you that day.

Collapse
 
bobwalsh47hats profile image
Bob Walsh

Excellently produced video, RealToughCandy - will be following you at DEV and checking out what else you have on YouTube, etc.

I realize you're repurposing this from elsewhere, but the heavy "Share, Share, Share" social media mantra is a little off-putting. I think you would get more shares by not pushing that particular petal all the way down. Just a thought.

All in all, worth watching, and thinking about.

Cheers,
Bob

Collapse
 
adam_cyclones profile image
Adam Crockett 🌀

Not a beginner, but I really enjoyed your video none the less. The portfolio is something I am building now (5 years later and I already have a job) 😬 top tip, do everything in the wrong order. 😁

Collapse
 
realtoughcandy profile image
RealToughCandy.io

Thanks Adam!

Collapse
 
davidmm1707 profile image
David MM👨🏻‍💻

It is not in the wrong order if that portfolio lands you a new (with a better salary) job, right?😉

Collapse
 
adam_cyclones profile image
Adam Crockett 🌀

Well yes and no, I got into the current well paid and well known company without a portfolio website, is that luck? I don't know. I question the value of portfolios so instead this is just fun for me.

Collapse
 
thepeoplesbourgeois profile image
Josh

Great advice, thank you for making this video!

Collapse
 
realtoughcandy profile image
RealToughCandy.io

Thanks Josh for tuning in! Glad it was helpful.

Collapse
 
bbarbour profile image
Brian Barbour

I found your Youtube channel a week or so ago and love the content! Keep up the great work.

Collapse
 
realtoughcandy profile image
RealToughCandy.io

Woohoo! Thanks Brian, lots more goodies coming on the channel!