The difference between a side-project and a side-hustle

Since I started writing my first lines of code a little more than 10 years ago, I've never stopped creating projects, one after another, sometimes for fun, sometimes to learn (while having fun) and sometimes to try to make a profit from them or simply to make myself useful.

This frenzy of launching new projects (which I've managed to channel in recent years) took up a lot of my time, but it also brought me a great deal, both technically and in terms of project management or strategy.

And the goal of this article is to help you save as much time as possible and reduce your frustrations if you ever feel like launching a new project as a developer.

Obviously this vision is my own, it may not be universal, but it's a recipe that works for me and that I've seen work for others too!

A side-hustle

We always hear about side-projects, no matter what motivation drives them, yet the way we think, design, set goals and derive satisfaction should depend on that motivation.

The term "side-hustle" is used to describe a way of earning money (originally used in a pejorative sense) alongside one's job or studies.

Don't be ashamed of trying to generate money with your projects, don't hide behind the simple term "side-project"!

One of the mistakes many developers make (myself included, many times) is diving into a project by telling themselves: "I'm launching a project, I'll learn new technologies and at the same time try to make a bit of money with it."

Every time I've built a project with this mindset I've felt a lot of frustration, because I couldn't focus on a specific goal, and as a result: the learning wasn't happening fast enough for my liking, neither was the project's progress, and even less so the revenue.

If the goal is to make money with the project, then the subject must genuinely solve a problem that enough people encounter on a daily basis, and that's what you need to keep in mind when making your choices of technologies, features, etc... So go with technologies you already master!

And don't worry, you'll still gain technical, business,... experience, even if that's not your main goal.

A side-project

Conversely, not all projects are meant to generate money, far from it. Creating a project to learn, to help, or even just to have fun is a wonderful way to invest your time to grow and thrive.

I always recommend setting goals for a side-project, but unlike with a side-hustle, the goals you set for a side-project are there to help you stay motivated, even when you're stuck, when things aren't progressing the way you want, when it's harder than usual, or when it feels like nobody cares.

These goals should remain very accessible and repeatable every day (discovering a new concept, helping someone, having a good time) and help avoid frustration.

And above all, never expect to make money from it, even if it's possible and happens by chance—you should never count on it, at the risk of making the wrong decisions or feeling frustrated again.

For my part, this blog is one of my side-projects, and even though it's starting to be the case today, my goal was never to earn a single cent from it. My only goal is to manage to teach at least one concept to a new person every day, even if that visitor is the only one I get that day.

It's a very low bar, but one I manage to meet every day, and it keeps me motivated, because sharing knowledge is extremely rewarding.

Conclusion

Before launching a project, and above all else, decide what type it will be, either a "side-hustle" or a "side-project."

If your project's goal is to make money, set yourself goals, put into practice the technical knowledge you already have, and don't feel guilty about stopping this project at any moment if it fails to live up to your expectations.

If the purpose of your project is to learn or have fun, never expect it to generate money and learn to find satisfaction in learning and in the positive impact your project can have on people's lives alone!