Whether you're skilling up in a LaunchCode class or are applying to our apprenticeship job program, you'll need to build a project to demonstrate your ability and show potential employers your skills in action.
Stuck on what to build?
Don't worry, you don't have to create the next Amazon or Netflix. The most successful projects we see are ones that solve a problem the candidate has real-life experience with! For example, someone with retail or restaurant experience could build an app to address an issue like inventory management or server scheduling. Flashy projects are great, but substance and functionally is more impressive to a potential employer. You also don’t have to reinvent the wheel! You or your team could build an app that mimics the functionality of a familiar application but maybe improves the user experience or adds a new function.
What Employers are Looking For:
- Projects should address a business issue or solve a problem that is of interest to the candidate.
- Projects should feature substantial use of a key programming language and framework or libraries when applicable. For example:
- Back end projects should utilize Java / Spring Boot or C# / .Net.
- Front end projects should utilize JavaScript / React (or Angular, Ember, etc.)
- Data analysis projects should utilize Python / pandas or R
- Web projects should have 3 to 5 features, where each feature represents a significant component with non-trivial functionality. A feature is one that requires interaction with information, including the processing, storing, manipulation, and retrieval of data.
Back End Project example features:
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Use of an API or database using SQL, MangoDB, or similar is strongly recommended
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Basic CRUD functionality is also highly recommended - A user can upload an item to a database, delete that item, and edit that item
- Search - A user can type in a keyword and search for things within a database
- User Authentication - A user can register for a new account and login
- Like / Unlike Button - A user can like something on the app (whether it be an article, comment, whatever) and the button unlikes if you click it twice
- Map feature - A user can use some kind of maps API integration to get directions somewhere
Front End Project example features:
- Click and Drag - A user can grab and drag something with the key across the screen
- Use of marketable JavaScript Framework
- Clean Responsive Design
- Navigation bar
- Fetching data from a service (API)
- At least one user form with basic validation
- Routing
Data Analysis Project Requirements
- Address a business issue with the learner’s chosen dataset.
- Use a data science notebook application to illustrate the project flow.
- Showcase how the candidate cleaned and pre-processed their data.
- Showcase what exploratory data analysis (EDA) the candidate performed with their data.
- Visualization of key data insights using a tool like Tableau.
- An attempt at statistical analysis and mathematical modeling
Real-Life Examples
Let's keep it legit — don't copy these exactly. Doing so is grounds for removal from LaunchCode's programs.
Check out LaunchCoders' full stack project.
This group project was built using Angular, JavaScript, and Bootstrap on the front end with a Java back end using a Spring Boot framework utilizing Spring Security. It's connected through a Restful API and was deployed on AWS.
See this example GitHub repo.
This repo is an example of standard data analysis that can be used for inspiration.
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