Reasons to Start a Side Project at Work

How a "side project" helped fast-track my promotion at Amazon in 2016: I built an internal newsletter about "A/B testing case studies" that grew to 1000+ subscribers (including VPs) while working as a data scientist. Here's the crazy part - no one asked me to do it. Why did I do it? - Every team was running similar A/B tests, making the same mistakes, and nobody was sharing learnings - We were sitting on a goldmine of data from hundreds of experiments - Teams were literally reinventing the wheel because they couldn't see what others were testing. I saw the pain point the teams were facing. I knew this project would help teams learn fast and save them hours of research. Although it was not a typical data science project, it was a high-impact project. However, I had other priorities, so this became my passion project, which I still took seriously. I spent my weekends learning how to write well. I took writing courses. I obsessed over every word. My first newsletter took 3 weeks to write. The result? - Directors and VPs became subscribers - I built massive influence without a senior title - I got the "Learn and be curious" award at my organization This became one of the most important projects for my promotion. The lesson: The most powerful career moves aren't about solving the hardest technical problems - they're about solving the invisible ones right in front of us. --------- If you struggle with creating more impact and reaching the next level, I'm selecting 20 experienced data scientists ready to transform into high-impact tech leads in Jan 2025. This isn't another course about algorithms. It's the exact career playbook I developed over 7 years at Amazon, now helping dozens of data scientists: ✅ Lead data science & ML initiatives and create more business impact ✅ Turn stakeholders into advocates who champion your vision ✅ Position yourself as an expert and get the promotion you deserve Learn more and sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eKr_MFud

The most reliable way to accelerate your career is to start building, tinkering, or volunteering beyond your day job. After speaking with hundreds of job candidates, I've noticed a clear pattern: the people who proactively take initiative outside of work tend to stand out most. It’s not about education, age, or personality type—it's about demonstrating curiosity and proactive growth. This works effectively because it provides three major benefits: • Exposure: You gain hands-on experience with new skills, methods, and networks beyond your everyday role. • Low-risk experimentation: You can safely learn and make mistakes without negative consequences. • Proof of commitment: You're showing that you can tackle challenges confidently and stretch beyond your current expertise. We're not aiming for overnight success—just steady, practical skill-building. For example: You're an engineer? Design, prototype, and finish a small-scale product idea. A customer service rep? Take a sales course to sharpen your persuasion skills. Or a finance professional? Volunteer your financial skills for a nonprofit’s critical projects. Of course, side projects alone won’t land you a job—you still have to meet core requirements. But investing your own time can shift you from repeated early rejections to consistently moving forward in the interview process. This strategy has worked wonders for me—but I'd love to hear your story too. What's a side project or volunteer experience that unexpectedly accelerated your career?

Building side projects has made me a better developer. 🚀 I've picked up tech and tools that aren't part of my day job. 👉 When I created Agendaful, I learned to build Slack apps from scratch and got hands-on experience with Supabase, Prisma ORM, AWS Lambda, and Serverless. 👉 Feature Cue taught me how to craft effective AI prompts and uncover insights from user-generated content. 👉 Working on Resume has introduced me to Twilio's API and legal compliance for SMS campaigns. Plus, I've explored new AI tools like Cursor and v0. At your day job, adopting new tech means meetings, approvals, and roadmap delays. With side projects, you're in charge. No waiting, just learning and creating. If you're sitting on a fun, helpful app idea, start today. You’ll gain skills, make new connections, and open doors you didn't even know existed. I’d love to hear what you’re building. Share your latest side project below.

👉🏼 The biggest career lie? "I'll build that side project when I have more time." I've watched brilliant engineers say this for years. Then layoffs hit. Or they get passed over for promotion. Or they realize they've been coding in the same stack for 5 years while the industry moved on. Suddenly, they need options. And they have none. The truth is, waiting for "more time" is waiting for a moment that never comes. Your schedule doesn't get lighter. Your responsibilities don't decrease. Your energy doesn't magically increase. The engineers who survive market downturns aren't the ones with perfect resumes. They're the ones who built escape hatches. Here's what I see in engineers who always land on their feet: ✔️They treat learning like compound interest—small, consistent investments over time. ✔️They ship tiny projects that solve real problems, not perfect codebases that impress no one. ✔️They build in public, creating a trail of evidence that they can deliver. ✔️They network through contribution, not through coffee chats. ⭐️The harsh reality: Your current skills have an expiration date. That React expertise? Frameworks change. That domain knowledge? Companies pivot. That team relationship? People leave. But the ability to learn, build, and ship? That's portable. My rule: Spend 1 hour per week on something that doesn't exist in your current job description. Learn a new language. Contribute to open source. Build a small tool. Write about a problem you solved. Not because you need it today. Because you might need it tomorrow. Your safety net isn't your savings account. It's your ability to create value in multiple ways. What are you building outside your day job that could become your next opportunity? #CareerIndependence #BuildYourOptions #TechnicalLeadership #SideProjects