Gaining Real Tech Experience: My Journey Beyond Tutorials — 2nd half is something you may not heard of before 🤫

If you’re a software developer starting out, I’ve been in your place. What I’ll be talking about here, is what comes from experience navigating the tech industry. I know, starting out in tech can feel overwhelming. You follow tutorial after tutorial, build projects that you can then add to your portfolio. But more often that not, these projects feel more like checkboxes than real experiences. This is why you get imposter syndrome when going to interviews. You have hundreds of hours of tutorial following behind you, and you’re not looking any different than the tens of other people interviewing for the job. I realized this a bit late, but better late than never. That is why I wanted something more — real-world projects that not only sharpen my coding skills but also help me grow personally and professionally. Here’s how I found meaningful tech experience and why you might want to too.

Tutorials vs. Real Projects

Don’t get me wrong — tutorials are great for learning the basics. They give you a step by step way to understand new technologies and build something that you can show off to others. But typically, they follow a set path, leaving little room for creativity or dealing with unexpected challenges. That’s where real-world projects come in. They push you to solve real problems, collaborate with others, and think on your feet — just like in a professional environment. Now you…