#32: How a serial side project builder built a successful career in tech
Utsav, a 20-something professional developer, decided not to pursue college after grade 10th, and went on to build 40+ scalable side projects and publish 20+ open source libraries
Today's issue features Utsav Barnwal, a serial builder who is currently working as a software engineer at Agoda, and who carved his career path through side projects.
đ±Built 40+ apps in 5 years
đžFirst app to get monetized was an app built for a problem his brother faced
đšđ»âđ»Side Projects led him to teaching, freelancing, and a successful career in tech
***Utsav participated as a builder at the first edition of BuildHQâs initiative - BuildCamps and along with 2 other builders built BillSplit (ranked as the #2 Product of the day on Product Hunt)
How a long streak of shipping side projects led to a rewarding career
Our hustler today, Utsav, hails from a small Indian town. He describes himself as a serial builder who started building projects at the early age of 13. Since then, Utsav has built over 40 projects and has also published 20+ open-source libraries. Utsav has never built any project with the sole objective to make money , but to enhance his learning and expanding his skills portfolio. His consistency with solving problems through building projects led him to teaching, freelancing, and now an established successful career as a professional developer in high-growth tech that he enjoys.
A decision to quit school fueled by the confidence gained through building projects
As a school kid, Utsav was just an average student with no interest in making big in academics. Utsav belonged to an Indian middle-class family where the foremost desire parents have is to see their children finish their studies academically. But in grade 6th itself, Utsav had a realization that he need not be limited by the schooling system. Utsav loved gaming and as a kid was really curious about how these games are built. At 14 years of age, he learned C ( a computer language) in just 4 months and realized that his learning is not bound by his age. The first project Utsav built was a quiz game, called Computer Quizz. By now he was sure that he doesnât want to continue schooling.
Learning that led to a teaching job and freelancing
While his counterparts were busy preparing for entrance exams of esteemed engineering colleges in India, Utsav wanted to do something different. In his pursuit of trying out something different, Utsav moved to Delhi to learn Android app development at an institute. Within a short period of learning, he felt confident that he can teach coding skills to other students and discussed the same with the institute director. The Director was not sure at first and talked to all of Utsavâs instructors if Utsav is equipped to take classes. All his instructors gave a thumbs up and Utsav was offered a teaching job at the institute.
After a gap year. when Utsav returned home, he was not sure how to tell his parents that he doesnât want to pursue school further. With the confidence that he gained through the teaching job, he told his parents that if everything goes wrong he will still have a job. Still, his parents didnât agree and wanted him to finish his studies. But Utsav didnât want to do something half-heartedly. He eventually skipped his grade 11th exams. After skipping the exams, he felt that now he need to keep going on the alternate path he decide to pursue and started freelancing. For the first project, he charged a modest âč5000 to build an Android app.
From freelancing to a high-growth tech career
Freelancing was going great for Utsav with word of mouth and he never cared about the uncertainty of freelancing as his needs as a young lad were not much. Around this time, to solve a problem that his brother was facing while running the shop operations, Utsav built a product called Price List Lite. He eventually uploaded the app on Play store and till date, this app gets 30 active users every hour. The Price List Lite side project served as the biggest source for getting clients for his freelance business.
Utsav now wanted to establish a career in high-growth tech and thatâs when he came across Pesto ( a cohort-based program to mentor developers to become global product engineers). Utsav came out of the program with flying colors and was the first person in his cohort to bag a really good high paying job. Currently, Utsav works as a software engineer at Agoda (a large-scale travel tech company) and lives in Thailand. He still continues his streak of building side projects as he considers that itâs a great way to expand his skill stack as a developer.
You can find the details of some of the projects built by him on his website.
âMy advice for anyone looking to venture into side project building is to solve your own problems or the problems of people around you"
Utsavâs advice to anyone starting a side hustle
Hustlers Insights of the Week
To gain confidence, build: The best way to learn anything is by building. Utsav gained confidence in his decision to quit school by building projects. Until you build by utilizing the skills you learn, you will never gain confidence in your skills.
Solve your own itch: Most of the time when thinking about ideas to work on, people think of solving big problems and never get started with the building. If you want to become a builder, solve your problems first.
Expand your skill stack through the building: Build projects to build on your skills portfolio. Whichever skill you want to learn, build a project using that skill.
We recently concluded BuildCamps Dharamshala with 30 amazing builders. You can follow the stories of fun, experiences, and building that unfolded at Dharamshala here.
âWe are now gearing up for the public demo night where you will have an opportunity to first-hand witness the magical products that were built as part of BuildCamps Dharamshala.
âYou will also have an opportunity to understand what BuildCamps really is, ask questions to the builders, and be inspired to stop thinking & start building đ„
âWe are inviting 100 people to the Public Demo night, if you want to be one among them, confirm your spot now.
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