The Power of Side Projects: Learning Beyond Your Day Job
If you want to grow as a developer, nothing beats working on side projects. These are the personal projects you build outside of your main job or schoolwork,sometimes just for fun, sometimes to scratch an itch, and often to learn something new.
Why are side projects so valuable? First, they give you the freedom to experiment. In your day job, you might work mostly with the same stack or solve similar problems. But with side projects, you can dive into new technologies, frameworks, or even whole new areas of development without pressure or deadlines.
Take my own experience as an iOS developer. Most of my professional work is focused on building apps for Apple platforms, using Swift and UIKit. But I wanted to understand the bigger picture of how software is built and delivered, so I started side projects in web development,learning both frontend and backend. This hands-on practice with React, Next.js, Node.js, and databases gave me a much deeper understanding of how the pieces fit together, and made me a better iOS developer too.
Side projects are also a great way to explore technologies you don’t use every day. For example, I’ve built projects with MapKit to learn about maps and geolocation in iOS, and even tried out SpriteKit to experiment with game development. These experiences stretched my skills and made me more confident tackling new challenges at work.
The best part? Side projects are yours. You set the goals, choose the tools, and decide when you’re done. You can share them with the world, use them as portfolio pieces, or just keep them as playgrounds for learning. And when you hit a roadblock, you learn how to solve problems on your own,an essential skill for any developer.
In short, side projects are one of the fastest, most enjoyable ways to level up as a developer. They help you learn new tech, build confidence, and keep your passion for coding alive. If you haven’t started one yet, pick something that excites you and dive in!
If you’ve read this far, check out some of my side projects below:
Cafeza Club
A space for coffee lovers to share experiences, recipes, and discoveries. Cafeza Club was born from the desire to create a community for people who truly enjoy coffee,whether you’re a barista, an enthusiast, or just curious. More updates coming soon! (portuguese only, sorry :/)
Solitude Space
A web app designed for those who value focus and mindfulness. Solitude Space helps you create a calm digital environment, block distractions, and track your moments of deep work or meditation. Perfect for anyone looking to reclaim their attention in a noisy world.
Readme Builder (Browser Extension)
A browser extension that makes it easy to create, edit, and polish README files for your projects. With Readme Builder, you can generate beautiful, well-structured documentation right from your browser,no more excuses for messy repos!
And stay tuned: I’m working on new apps and projects that will be released soon. More updates coming!