Projects That Showcase Your Engineering Skills

Most engineering internships focus on maintenance. Fixing bugs. Writing tests. Optimizing database queries. These are valuable skills, but they rarely ignite passion. We decided to take a different approach with the students at California State University, Fullerton. Instead of burying them in a backlog, we partnered with them to build something tangible. Something you can touch, see, and interact with. We call it Lightwall. It is an 6-foot wide, AI-driven, kinetic art installation. Here is the breakdown of what these students built: - Human detection: The wall uses radar sensors to detect human presence and movement in real-time. - AI speech recognition: The art installation has a microphone and can listen to you when you approach it - LLMs: The art installation speaks back to you - Kinetic hardware: It translates motion digital signals into physical motion using arrays of stepper motors and white LEDs pointed at prisms - Complex integration: They had to bridge the gap between high-level software logic and low-level hardware control. This wasn't a theoretical exercise. It was a lesson in the messy reality of shipping hardware. In my book, Grow Up Fast, I talk extensively about "Hiring for Ability, Not History". I wanted to give the students an opportunity to showcase their abilities. When you look at a resume, you see history. When you look at a project like the Lightwall, you see ability. These students didn't have 10 years of experience. They had curiosity, constraints, and a deadline. And that is often a more powerful combination than a senior title. The gap between academia and industry is often criticized for being too wide. Projects like this are how we build the bridge. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gKT-i9Gk

𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲. Their answers changed everything. I used to think any project on my resume was better than nothing. So I built a to-do list app, a calculator, a weather tracker—you know, the usual. Then I asked recruiters from Amazon, Meta, and Google what projects they instantly ignore. Their response? “If we’ve seen it 100 times before, we skip right past it.” Here’s what they told me not to put on my resume: ❌ To-do lists ❌ Calculator apps ❌ Basic CRUD apps with no real-world impact ❌ Portfolio websites (unless you’re a designer) ❌ Copy-paste tutorial projects 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁? Recruiters want to see projects that show real-world impact, problem-solving, and creativity. ✅ 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗜-𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 – A tool that scans job descriptions and suggests resume optimizations. ✅ 𝗔 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 – Helping them adjust pricing during off-peak hours to boost revenue. ✅ 𝗔 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 – Aggregating user feedback and behavior for product teams. ✅ 𝗔𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 – Something that saves time or reduces manual effort in a business process. ✅ 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 – If a company can see how your project could be useful, you’re already ahead. The best projects aren’t the ones that showcase your coding skills—they’re the ones that showcase your ability to solve real problems. If your portfolio projects aren’t getting you noticed, it’s time to build something that actually matters. What’s the best project you’ve built?

Looking for a job? Build a portfolio. Not just a résumé. If I were job hunting in 2025, here’s what I’d do. Build ONE great portfolio project in the next 30 days. Something that shows - not tells - your skill, thought process, and creativity. I say this as someone who's also hired half a dozen people in the past 2 years. There's too much noise out there. You've got to find a way to stand out. Here are 3 roles and 3 portfolio projects you can build in the next 30 days to stand out: 👩🏽💻 1. Product Manager Build: A new feature for an app you love → Pick a product (Spotify, Notion, Duolingo) → Design a new feature: user problem → solution → wireframes → Write a PRD (problem, KPIs, edge cases, success metrics) One of the most creative ways I've seen a friend get an interview was this: He mocked up a "Spotify Social Listening" feature - then sent it to Spotify PMs. This got him an immediate response and interview. Tool stack: Notion, Figma, Canva, ChatGPT, Whimsical 📱 2. UX/UI Designer Build: A 2-week redesign challenge → Pick a real-world flow that sucks (e.g. booking train tickets on IRCTC lol or the entire Goodreads web app) → Interview a few users (just ask around within your friends) → Redesign the flow with better UX → Share your case study on Behance or your website Write a post on the entire process you followed. Tool stack: Figma, Maze, Framer, Medium 📊 3. Data Analyst Build: A dashboard + case study → Choose a public dataset (NYC taxi data, Netflix ratings, upcoming Indian startups) → Clean + analyze it using SQL/Python → Build a dashboard in Tableau or Power BI → Publish your insights + charts as a case study Once again, write a post on the entire process you followed. Tool stack: SQL, Python, Tableau, Canva, Medium ... It's easy to get stuck in the rut of applying to jobs every day. Try something a tiny bit different... and you can easily stand out from the noise. Best of luck! 🌿 Found this useful? Repost it to help someone who’s job hunting. 🟢 Want a free guide to acing your first PM interview? Comment below “portfolio” below and I’ll send it over. :)

Last month, I was mentoring a final-year engineering student who said: “Didi, mera resume toh blank hai, internships nahi mili, aur placements mein toh sirf CGPA dekhte hain na?” I asked him to show me what he had done. He hesitated and said, “Kuch YouTube tutorials se chhoti moti cheezein banayi thi…” But when I dug deeper, I found gold. ✅ He built a weather app using APIs. ✅ Tried making a budget tracker for his family. ✅ Attempted an ML model for crop prediction. All self-initiated. No certificates. No internships. I told him: “You must add these projects in your blank resume. Aur agar sahi tarike se dikhaye jaaye, toh yeh hi tumhara biggest strength ban sakta hai.” We added those to his resume, wrote crisp one-liners: 📌 Built a weather forecast web app using OpenWeather API – used by 50+ users weekly 📌 Created a budget management tool for household tracking – reduced manual expense logging by 80% Guess what? He cracked a remote internship in USA based finance startup in just 3 weeks. And recently, he messaged me — “Didi, finally placement bhi ho gaya!” Projects that got me into my Dream Product Based Company : https://lnkd.in/gTSvg2mi Set reminder - https://lnkd.in/gqhmkfFb Your resume doesn’t need big brands, it needs real work. Projects show your ability to apply knowledge. They speak louder than college grades. They are proof that you can build, solve and think. 👉 If you’re stuck without experience, create your own. It counts. #project #career #resume #selflearning #guidance #interviewtips #jobs #engineeringstudent #careerchange

2026 Cyber Alert: Hackers are using AI to outsmart defenses but what if YOU could build the tools to fight back? As threats explode with quantum risks and deepfakes, I've curated the TOP 10 projects every cybersecurity engineer MUST build this year. These aren't just experiments; they're your ticket to high-impact roles and unbreakable skills. Ready to level up? Let's go! 1. AI-Driven Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Craft a smart IDS that uses ML to predict and block attacks in real-time. Train on datasets like NSL-KDD with Python and Scikit-learn. Why 2026? AI threats are surging – this makes you a proactive defender! 2. Quantum-Resistant Encryption Tool Develop a plugin for apps to integrate post-quantum algos like Lattice-based crypto. Test with NIST standards. Quantum computers are closer than ever – safeguard data before it's too late! 3. Deepfake Detection Analyzer Build an AI model with CNNs to spot fakes in videos/audio. Use libraries like DeepFace and datasets from FF++. In an era of misinformation, this skill is gold for forensics and trust verification. 4. IoT Honeypot Trap Simulate vulnerable IoT devices with tools like T-Pot to lure and study attackers. Log exploits for intel. With billions of IoT devices online, this hones your deception tactics against real-world breaches. 5. Phishing Campaign Simulator Create a safe platform to run mock phishes, track clicks, and educate users. Backend with Node.js, frontend React. Phishing is still king – empower teams to spot AI-enhanced scams. 6. Ransomware Early Warning System Monitor file systems with decoys and ML to detect encryption patterns. Integrate auto-isolation. Ransomware is evolving with AI – this project builds endpoint mastery for SOC heroes. 7. Malware Reverse Engineering Lab Set up a sandbox with Cuckoo to dissect malware, analyze behavior, and craft YARA rules. Malware sophistication is peaking – reverse eng is your edge in threat hunting. 8. SIEM Dashboard with Wazuh Deploy Wazuh for log analysis and custom dashboards. Add threat intel feeds. SIEM is core to modern secops – visualize risks like a pro. 9. Password Cracker & Auditor Build a tool to test weak passwords using hashcat. Include policy checks. For ethical hacking – strengthen auth before attackers crack it. 10. Homelab Security Fortress Turn your setup into a fortified network with pfSense, Suricata, and VLANs. Simulate attacks. Hands-on labs are timeless – but in 2026, they're essential for zero-trust mastery. These projects blend AI, quantum, and hands-on defense – perfect for GitHub portfolios or job interviews. I've built a few myself, and the insights? Game-changing. What's YOUR top project for 2026? Share below, tag a cyber buddy, or DM to collab. Let's make security unbreakable! 👇🔒 #Cybersecurity #InfoSec #AIinCyber #QuantumComputing #EthicalHacking #Projects2026

🚀 Unlocking Interview Opportunities: The Power of a Strong Project Portfolio : During my recent job search, I discovered a game-changing strategy that significantly boosted my chances of landing interviews with top tech companies. The secret? Building an impressive portfolio of substantial projects that go beyond simple tutorials. Here’s what made the difference: 1. Depth over Breadth: Instead of numerous small projects, I focused on creating significant, in-depth projects that showcase real-world problem-solving skills. 2. Cutting-Edge Focus: My projects demonstrate expertise in Generative AI and advanced Software Engineering concepts, aligning with industry trends. 3. GitHub as a Powerful Tool: My GitHub repository (https://lnkd.in/eniMxVbd) became a compelling showcase of my capabilities, catching recruiters’ attention. Key projects that stood out: • Cli Gen: Leveraging LLMs for automated test case generation • Protein Structure Explorer: Combining web development with AI for scientific visualization • LLM Research Implementation: Collaborative cutting-edge language model research • GenoQuery: Innovative NLP-to-SQL solution for genomic data analysis This approach led to interview opportunities with industry giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, Intuit, Docusign, Microsoft, and more. A huge shoutout to Professor Nik Bear Brown for constantly pushing students to build impressive projects to boost their portfolios. Your guidance has been invaluable for students and graduates alike. To my network: How have you leveraged projects to enhance your professional profile? What’s your take on the importance of substantial portfolio pieces in today’s tech landscape? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Check out my GitHub for project details, and let’s discuss strategies for standing out in the competitive tech job market! #TechPortfolio #ProjectBasedLearning #SoftwareEngineering #GenerativeAI #CareerGrowth