Acquiring a degree in the field of information technology, computer science or even software engineering is not an easy path to take. Today’s generation of learners is lucky enough to have so many resources available at their front door. In some countries, a degree in the computing field is not necessary but what is important is to have the required skills for the big challenges you may encounter in the computing field. In some instances, not all college graduates acquire enough skills compared to those people who are self-taught about programming. Indeed, when you plan to jump into the field of programming, you need to consider what programming projects or languages you want to master and be an expert in.
Are you going to focus on a stand-alone application? A web application? Or a mobile application? Having a polyglot skillset needs talent and requires a lot of skills and brain cells! Regardless of the type of application, the level of expertise and the kind of programming language are very important. Thus, here are some programming projects that can make you stand out among other applicants.
1. Financial-Related Application Projects
Every business involves money for moving transactions, may it be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Although there is ready-made software related to finance, some of these programs may not be fit for the specific business. Some companies hire on-the-job trainees to help create this software that is specific to the need of the company. For the lucky newly hired on-the-job trainees, this is an opportunity to be able to learn and grow in this kind of project. A financial-related software application is one of the most simple yet complex applications. You have to deal with confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data.
These software programming projects involve not only cash flows but also the totality and organizational processes such as inventory, acquisition, payroll, and so many other movements. When talking about finance-related apps, it is not only limited to traditional financial software. Instead, it specifies certain company requirements, but in today’s generation, online transactions are also covered. Applications with integration to online payments are way better and faster. Here are some common payment options you can choose to integrate into your systems.
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Payoneer
- Google Wallets
As the advancement of technology increases, mobile applications become helpful in so many aspects. Aside from the mentioned payment platforms above, mobile wallets using smartphones are also popular today. Here are some examples of mobile wallet programming projects that you might be interested in joining! Some of these are popular in a specific country.
- Apple Pay
- Paypal One Touch
- Square Cash
- Google Pay
- Paybook
- GCash
- Coins.ph
2. Online Communication
Facebook Messenger is one of the biggest chat channels of today’s generation. In some countries, Facebook is not allowed and blocked, including the Facebook messenger. As an alternative to Facebook Messenger, there are other apps created by most citizens in a certain country. Here are some examples of online messenger programming projects or applications used for text and call:
- KakaoTalk
- Viber
- Slack
- Skype
- Snapchat
Some of these apps also incorporated with online payment platforms or mobile wallets. For some, it would be convenient to send money to their loved ones and relatives, inside and outside the country of origin.
3. Mobile Games & Online Games
Creating games with almost perfect effects in graphics is quite complex from design to the logic of the game. Employers can see your talent and skills in this kind of project. Most likely, hiring managers would see that you are flexible in developing both front-end and back-end coding. Here are some popular online and mobile game programming projects that might interest you in jumping into development as a personal project.
- Counter-Strike
- Minecraft
- DOTA 2
- PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG)
- HearthStone
- Call of Duty
- Fortnite
- Clash of Clans
- Mobile Legends
4. Mobile or Online Shopping Apps
For some people, shopping is one way for them to relax; however, for others, shopping and going to a store is a headache. In some countries like the Philippines, people are very much fun about going to the mall. Shopping malls in the Philippines are very alive and booming. People queue to a very long line just to buy their favorite shirt or brands. Because of this problem encountered in most shopping malls, online shopping has been a solution. Instead of going to shopping malls or stores, costumers will browse shopping websites. Furthermore, customers can also use mobile shopping apps to get the items that they want to buy, and they will be delivered at their front door.
Compared to a traditional shopping mall, online shopping gives convenience and ease to the consumers. Online and mobile shopping applications allow costumers to do a lot of things. They can receive the latest trends, updates, discounts, promos, and reviews on the products that they want. On the other hand, online or mobile shopping does not only benefit the customers but also the entrepreneurs. It saves them money for renting space and manpower, and it saves time. In other countries, eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba have been the biggest players in online shopping.
Here are other online and mobile application ideas for possible personal and actual development experience.
- Google Shopper
- ShopSavvy
- PriceGrabber
- Smoopa
- Milo
- Lazada
- Shopee
- Zalora
- Wanelo
5. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
Along with mobile and online games, other popular applications make use of augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR). These two popular applications sometimes get confused with each other. For the non-techy people, AR and VR are the same. However, the difference is that VR makes use of actual intervention or complete immersion in the real world. With mobile AR apps, you can still hold your phone and observe the real world but with added virtual elements that you can see on your screen. One of the most popular games in AR is Pokemon Go.
On the other hand, VR applications totally immerse you in computer-generated worlds or dimensions. You usually have to wear VR headsets like the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. Some of the top-rated VR games are Half-Life:Alyx and Beat Saber.
AR and VR technologies greatly enhance the experience users can achieve from games and applications. If you undertake such projects, they can surely add huge value to your resume and employability.
6. AI / Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence or AI is a feature of machines and applications that designs and programs them in a way that they act and think like human beings. It became an important aspect of our daily lives in the current era of the fourth industrialization.
Humans use technology to develop a machine in replacement for some of our daily tasks. By using this machine, it speeds up the activities and services and gives accurate results to some processes. Some people would think that AI and machine learning are the same, but the truth is, machine learning actually refers to a system that learns from previous data. Thus, machine learning is just one aspect of artificial intelligence. Most AI involves knowledge, behavior, and learning. Projects involving AI/Machine learning is up to date and trendy in today’s generation.
7. Internet of Things (IoT)
The concept of IoT concerns the collecting and sharing of data from different people and devices all over the world. There are a lot of devices that connect to the internet. Some of these are home appliances such as refrigerators, computers, cellphones, TV, lights, and other home devices. Devices connected to the internet are not limited to home and office appliances but also include transportation devices such as cars, bikes, trains, and planes. Some of these devices are being tapped and incorporated with artificial intelligence. By using AI, they are able to communicate real-time without human involvement. This kind of project requires a lot of patience and skills.
8. Social Media
Facebook is one of the most successful experimental or academic projects you can take. It became one of the biggest social media websites of today. Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media have become one of today’s trends. People using social media intend to use it for socialization, connection, current events, and business. Most people use social media are for business. Thus, they can earn money out of social media marketing, and entrepreneurs also are able to market their products.
9. Transportation Applications
In the present fast-paced environment, everything must be a one-stop-shop! Commuting in public transportation may add stress to you in going in and out of work. This problem leads to the development of transport apps. Transport apps give convenience to commuters. Here some popular transportation application ideas.
- Uber
- Grab
- Micab
- Mober
- Citymapper
- EasyWay
- OneBusAway
- Transit
These transportation apps are not only used by commuters but also for business and other important transactions. These applications are very helpful for the most local and non-local travelers.
10. Website or Blog Building
In order to meet the increasing demand and expectations of a customer, many businesses have chosen to go digital. That means, companies nowadays have started to embrace the digital transformation and make the best out of it. While everybody wants to go digital, not many skillful candidates are proficient in this industry. Thus, having the knowledge to build a full-fledged website is an impeccable mastery that should give you the upper-hand against the others.
Typically, to excel in this industry and to give your resume a boost as a web programmer, we recommend you first start building your own website as one of the programming projects to kickstart your career. It should serve as a training ground to practice your coding skills and to help you be prepared for an online portfolio. Regardless of your choice of field in web development, you can either choose to be a web designer or web developer. Though some argue that web designers don’t require any coding knowledge thanks to the pre-made templates, it’s undeniable that web designers with coding skills in front-end development are essential. Thus, the basic understanding of the functionality of CSS and JavaScript is rather important for an individual to customize and to troubleshoot any problems that may arise.
So, for front-end web developers, we recommend GitHub and Sublime Text to practice your coding skills. As for Chrome Developer tools, these tools are especially useful if you wish to brush up your HTML and CSS skills and to edit them in real-time. They are also a great web development tool if you wish to have a deeper understanding as to how the browser works and it’s powered by Google. That would mean you’ll always stay updated with the latest changes in this industry.
Resume Guide
In your resume, it is better to add most of your personal projects. Include them on your list along with your work experience and education. You can start by using a resume creator, where you state your programming projects, most importantly present the different technologies and other APIs used.
Some employers would see your personal projects as added points in your application. Employers can gauge that you can go beyond what they expect you to do in your field of expertise. When it comes to placements or arrangements of your experiences in your resume, here’s some guide you may follow.
- At the top of your resume, highlight your professional experience from your past and current projects. You may also include personal endeavors that are related to your field of expertise.
- For fresh graduates, you can highlight your personal and past projects.
- You can also show your academic achievements as some employers would take them as an added point in your application.
- Include the necessary technologies, API, and tools you handled and experience with all your projects.
- Omit unnecessary information in your resumes such as age, birthday, family members, and others that are irrelevant and unrelated to the job opening.
