12 Projects In 12 Months Challenge

Introduction

In this blog post, I’m going to talk briefly about the benefit and the challenge of starting 12 projects in 12 months and why it’s important to do it.

Every engineer will reach a certain point where we stuck on a particular project for a long time that we only got a very little improvement or new knowledge from the projects. It became too repetitive and boring, this point will leads you no where and eventually your skill will be stagnant or dull.

We have to keep learning about new technologies, new stuff, new tools, and new ways of doing things. That’s the path that we should take to become a better engineer. An engineer nowadays will be easily outdated if they don’t keep up with the latest technology.

Problem

The problem is we cannot achieve that by just working on the same project for a long time. We need to have a new project to work on, to learn new things, to try new stuff, and to keep our brain fresh and sharp.

Why? What will you do? You will experiment with the current project? Your employers or clients will not be accepting your proposal. It is risky for business to switch new technology every day. They have to settle on certain technology and stick with it for a long time.

It is also expensive for the company. They have to train their employees, they have to buy new tools, they have to hire new people with the knowledge of the new technology. It actually does not matter either for the user, they don’t care about the technology you use, they only care about the product you deliver.

Solution

We have to do it ourselves. We have to take the initiative to start new projects on our own. This will helps us stay sharp, stay fresh, and stay relevant in the industry. It doesn’t matter if the project is small or big, as long as it is something new and challenging.

It doesn’t have to be a new language, a new framework or a new tool. You can build a to do app with a different technologies. You can build a clone of a popular app with the knowledge you have. You can build a new feature for an existing project. You can build a new project that solves your own problem.

Benefits

By starting new projects, you will:

• Learn new skills and technologies
• Improve problem-solving abilities
• Increase your adaptability
• Build a diverse portfolio
• Stay motivated and engaged
• Enhance your career prospects

You can’t lose if you decided to do this challenge. You will only gain new knowledge, new skills, new experience, and new friends. You will become a better engineer, a better person, and a better professional.

Seriously, you will be thankful by the end of the day, especially when you lost your job, you will have a lot of projects to show to your future employers. It’s a win-win situation.

Rules

1. Start a new project every month. It has to be a MVP or Minimum Viable Product. Don’t spend too much time on it. Just build something that works.
2. Document EVERYTHING in Public. Write a blog post, record a video demo, and show it to the world. It has to be public learning log, no matter what.
3. You can work on the previous month project, but it has to be a new MAJOR features.
4. At the end of the month, reflect on what you’ve learned, what you’ve done, and what you’ve achieved. Write a blog post about it.

Let’s Get Started

It’s almost 2025, let’s start this challenge together. Make a plan on what you want to build each month. Promise to yourself that you will finish it no matter what. You will learn a lot from this challenge, trust me.