Hi friends, in this article, we are going to look at a few tips to get side projects and add to your earnings. This article is most applicable to developers and Engineers but can also be helpful and applicable in other fields as well.

If you consistently and patiently work on these tips, you will undoubtedly get side projects time and again. For the sake of Diana, let’s get started.

TIP 1: PUT YOUR WORK OUT THERE

Whatever you do, whether on social media or networking with others, or chatting with your friends, make sure you let others know what you are doing.

If you are a developer, don’t fill your posts with politics. Whatever you post on social media platforms, that’s the picture you communicate to others of who you are.

If you keep posting about software development, you are setting yourself as an authority on those matters, people who see your posts will assume you are an expert and whenever they want a software developed, they will inevitably run to you for either consultation or development.

This method helped me to get side projects such as websites, Logo design, Mobile Apps, etc.

Your social platforms should be able to communicate what you do if you are serious about getting side projects.

TIP 2: A PORTFOLIO

This article would be incomplete without mentioning this. If you use your social media for fun and you don’t want to associate it with your professional life, then you must have a portfolio by all means (I cannot overemphasize how important this is).

This may be a website or a Youtube channel. A website is much more preferable as you would set it up to your own terms, conditions, and likings.

Make sure to showcase your work on this platform. Upload your previous work, recommendations, testimonials, future projects you intend to do, and so on.

Just make sure this site or channel speaks for you and what you can do.

Your portfolio is going to be more authoritative than your words when trying to win projects. More often than not, people are more interested in seeing what you have done than what you say you can do.

In my case, I have a Youtube Channel (Arkim Phiri) and this site (Arkiana.com). By providing insights and sharing my knowledge with others on these two platforms, I communicate a message to my Readers and Viewers of my Capabilities and range of skills.

TIP 3: MAKE FREE SIMPLE PROJECTS FOR OTHERS AND YOURSELF

This may seem counteractive but it works, especially when you are trying to build your portfolio. You can offer to make a free project for others (just make sure it’s simple and basic to save time),

Whatever you have made and whoever you have made it for will communicate the message that it was made by you.

I did this and it worked, I made a Fellowship Hymn Mobile App (Fellowship Hymn) for our church, it’s a simple app in English and Nyanja. A lot of churches ended up using it and contacting me for similar projects.

In summary, your biggest voice is what you have done as an Engineer or a developer, Let people know about the work you have done, if you have free time, use it to develop simple projects for your platform (Portfolio) and tell your friends to tell their friends what you do.