Build momentum with these small projects that you can finish in an afternoon. Start, implement, and finish. Working through projects quickly will dramatically improve your self-esteem and skills.

00:00 Why quick wins are so important
00:35 Not for beginners
01:14 Connect Four
02:07 Build an API for public information
02:50 Deploy a dice roll Lambda
04:03 Create a simple mobile app
04:57 Real-time transit data feed
05:45 Build a live chat with websockets
06:40 Pull your financial data using Plaid
07:42 JSON load/dump in a low-level language
08:43 Visualize & analyze large data sets
09:36 Manipulate audio files
10:31 Do these projects quickly

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This week on the podcast, I share my experience and insights on starting a consulting business.

Covered in this episode:

• How to find your niche
• Horizontal vs vertical specializations
• Product, service, or productized service
• How to acquire your first clients
• Scoping projects
• Pricing services based on value

Starting a consulting business is really hard! It won’t solve all your problems to work for yourself — in fact you’ll probably have more problems.

But it can also be really cool, if you can build a business that works for you.

I discuss the dilemma of whether or not to refactor code that may not have the best design.

There are always trade-offs involved in leaving messy code versus investing time in making it better designed. It’s not straightforward whether you should undertake a refactor.

Understanding the scope of the refactor is also critical. Your changes can have a big impact on future developers and the overall system. In the video, I provide a set of questions to ask oneself before undertaking a refactor and emphasize the need for collaboration with the team.

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that refactors drive value and benefit both developers and end users.