Side projects can help your PM career: demonstrating skills, building portfolio, creating interview material.
But they can also become distractions—consuming time without advancing your goals.
Here's how to choose side projects that actually help.
Why Side Projects Matter
Demonstrate skills: Talking about PM skills is different from showing them. Side projects are proof you can do the thing.
Fill gaps: If you're transitioning into PM or want to learn new areas, side projects let you gain experience without needing permission.
Create interview material: "Tell me about a product you worked on" is easier to answer when you have something concrete.
Differentiate: Most candidates just have their job experience. Side projects make you stand out.
Genuine learning: Some projects are just about learning something you're curious about. That has value too.
Projects That Help
Building Something
The most powerful type: actually build a product.
This doesn't have to be complex. A simple tool, a Chrome extension, a mobile app. Something users can use.
What it demonstrates:
- •You can ship
- •You've made product decisions (what to build, what to cut)
- •You understand users (how did you identify the need?)
- •You can work with technical constraints
Bonus if you can talk about:
- •User research you did
- •Metrics you tracked
- •Iterations you made
You don't need to code it yourself—you can partner with developers, use no-code tools, or lead a small team.
Writing About Product
Content demonstrates thinking:
- •Blog posts about product topics
- •Teardowns of products you use
- •Analysis of product decisions
- •Lessons from your experience
Writing forces clarity. It shows how you think.
Good topics:
- •Deep dives on specific products
- •What you learned from something that failed
- •Frameworks you've developed
- •Hot takes on PM topics
Product Teardowns
Analyze products you use:
- •What's working and why?
- •What's not working?
- •What would you change?
- •How do you think they prioritized?
This is excellent interview prep. It trains product thinking. And it creates artifacts you can share.
Open Source Contributions
Not just code—product thinking for open source projects.
Many open source projects need:
- •Product direction
- •Prioritization help
- •User research
- •Documentation
Contributing product thinking shows you can apply PM skills in new contexts.
Community Building
Starting or leading communities:
- •PM meetups
- •Slack communities
- •Discord servers
- •Newsletter communities
This demonstrates leadership, communication, and ability to create value.
Projects That Don't Help (Much)
Courses and certifications without application: Completing a course is learning, not doing. Apply what you learn.
Following trends without interest: Building an AI project because AI is hot, when you don't care about AI. Inauthenticity shows.
Projects you never ship: A half-built idea in your spare time for two years isn't a project—it's a hobby.
Time sinks disguised as career development: Some "side projects" are really just procrastination.
Time Management
Side projects can consume unlimited time. Boundaries matter:
Set limits: "I'll spend 5 hours per week on this, max."
Set deadlines: "I'll ship the MVP by end of month."
Know when to stop: Some projects should be killed. That's fine.
If you're job searching, job searching comes first. Side projects fill gaps, not the calendar.
Showing Side Projects in Interviews
When you have side projects, use them:
In your resume: Include a "Projects" section.
In interviews: Reference them when relevant. "Let me tell you about a side project where I faced a similar challenge..."
In your portfolio: Document the project with context, decisions, and outcomes.
Be prepared to discuss:
- •Why did you build it?
- •What decisions did you make?
- •What would you do differently?
- •What did you learn?
The discussion matters as much as the project itself.
Finding Motivation
Side projects fail when motivation fades:
Work on things you care about: Genuine interest sustains effort.
Make it social: Build with others, share progress, get accountability.
Connect to goals: Know how this project helps your career. Keep that connection visible.
Celebrate progress: Ship milestones, not just final products.
If you can't stay motivated, maybe it's not the right project.
The Bottom Line
Side projects can differentiate you and accelerate your career.
Build things. Write about product. Analyze products you use.
But don't let side projects distract from job searching or your actual job.
Choose projects that demonstrate real PM skills, that you'll actually complete, and that you genuinely care about.