Introduction

It's a tough market out there, and the ability to stand out is very important. Most (if not all) resumes for software engineering roles contain several projects. But most of them are generic clones that all recruiters (and even interviewers) have seen hundreds of times. Such projects may well help you to fill up that resume, but they don't really add much of a value.

How to come up with a project idea

This may seem like a daunting task, but it is also incredibly rewarding. Some of my tips:

1. Identify your interests and strengths: Start by identifying your interests and strengths in software engineering. What technical or programming language do you like? What skills are you good at?
2. Research Current Products and Technologies Research: Keep up to date with current products and technologies in software technology. Look for emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, or AR/VR, that have the potential to disrupt industries or solve complex problems. Choosing such technology can set your project apart and reflect your forward-thinking approach.
3. Think unique solutions to common problems: Think outside the box and come up with unique solutions to common problems. Consider how you can use technology to automate tasks, improve productivity, or enhance the user experience in new and innovative ways.
4. Seek feedback and validation: Once you have a few ideas in mind, ask for feedback from classmates, mentors, or industry professionals. Their feedback can help you refine your idea and choose the most promising one for your project.
5. Be open to iterative development: Be open to iteration and refinement, and be willing to adapt if necessary. The final project may look different from your initial idea, but as long as it aligns with your goals and showcases your skills, it can be a successful and impactful project

List of Ideas

The following curated list contains more uncommon projects, that take a bit more time and effort to create. Naturally, if you have such projects in your resume, the chances of getting selected for the interviews is much higher.

1. Interactive Resume Website: Create a dynamic website that showcases your skills, experience, and services using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Include interactive features like animations and infographics to keep visitors engaged.
2. Virtual Reality (VR) Portfolio: Create a VR experience that showcases your projects and accomplishments. Use frameworks like A-Frame or Unity to create an immersive environment.
3. AI-Powered Personal Chatbot: Build a chatbot that can answer common questions about your industry, skills and experiences. Use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to improve its responsiveness over time.
4. Gesture-driven web applications: Create web applications that can be operated via gestures. Use libraries like TensorFlow.js or OpenCV.js for gesture recognition.
5. Augmented Reality (AR) Visualization Tools: Visualize an AR application that visualizes complex data or concepts. Use AR.js or Unity AR Foundation to create interactive AR experiences.
6. Blockchain-based credential verification system: Develop a system that uses blockchain technology to verify credentials and certificates. Use smart contracts to manage the verification process.
7. Real-time code collaboration platform: Create a platform that allows multiple developers to collaborate on code in real time. Use WebSockets for real-time communication with code editors like Monaco Editor or CodeMirror.
8. Voice-Controlled Task Manager: Create a task management application that can be operated using voice commands. Use a speech recognition API such as Web Speech API or Google Cloud Speech-to-Text.
9. Automated Code Review Tool: Create a tool that automatically reviews code to look for common problems and suggest improvements. Use static code analysis tools such as ESLint or SonarQube.
10. Artificial Intelligence Art Generator: Develop an AI-powered tool that generates unique pieces of art based on user inputs such as colors, styles, and themes. This project demonstrates your ability to create innovative and artistic applications of AI.

Conclusion

While it's important to have come up with, and worked on unconventional projects to showcase and set you apart, it's equally important to be able to replicate the design, reason and defend the design and technology choices & trade offs, during interviews. When explained and defended well, it leaves a positive impression on the interviewer, and highly increases the chances of selection.

If you like this, I write and publish technical content on my personal blog.