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Roast My Startup Idea
1 point by its_ab24 77 days ago | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments
Hi everyone, as the title suggests I’d like you all to roast my idea in order for me to get a better understanding of the problem as well as the solution.

I recently finished my second year at university and realised a lot of jobs/internships require a portfolio or personal projects - I know realised a bit too late ):. All my experience with projects was through tutorials, so I felt a bit lost on where to start with actual projects as I was stuck in “tutorial hell”. After talking to some friends, I found out many people feel the same way.

This got me thinking: what if there was a platform for project-based learning in coding? Like LeetCode, but for real-world projects across various tech domains (web dev, app dev, AI, cloud, etc.). You could pick a project, follow a structured set of instructions with checklists (no solutions like YouTube tutorials, will require you to problem solve read and research but obvs get hints and help), get feedback and review, add it to your portfolio all in one place. Content would be community-driven, with devs contributing projects for a fee. What do you think? Would this be helpful?

You might ask how is this different to freeCodeCamp or Codecademy? The platform will not only provide a specific curriculum to follow, it will give the user the freedom to choose any project using any tech stack, complete in a fun and interactive way, get feedback on their work, and add it to their portfolio. As I mentioned, think of it as LeetCode but for projects, but obvs a bit different to LeetCode (:

TL;DR: Thinking of a project-based learning platform for coding, like LeetCode but for building real-world projects. Would you use it?

Would love to hear your thoughts!




I have some reservations about this idea.

First, education and training products often struggle to gain traction because they go against human nature, much like gyms. Unless the benefits are immediately measurable and closely tied to advancement in education (e.g., homework answers) or employment (e.g., LeetCode), it's challenging to achieve widespread popularity. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/2024/07/26/long...

Second, how many jobs actually require project-based skills? Are these projects essential, or just nice to have? If employers know that projects are completed by following a tutorial step by step, without much problem-solving or creativity, will these projects still hold value?

Lastly, if the content is community-driven, what's the incentive for contributors to create tutorials, especially when the platform is small? This is a classic chicken-and-egg problem, and it's not an easy one to solve. Creating a tutorial is far more involved than making a photo or video, so how will you ensure the quality of the content to attract and retain users?


Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! You’ve highlighted some critical challenges, and I’d like to address them:

Engagement and Traction for Educational Products: I do recognise the challenge of maintaining user engagement with educational products. To tackle this, the platform can focus on immediate and measurable outcomes closely tied to career advancement. My idea is to offer projects aligned with specific job roles and certifications, similar to the approach used by LeetCode for interview prep. Additionally, I can integrate gamification, rewards, and real-world portfolio-building to motivate learners and demonstrate tangible progress.

Relevance of Project-Based Skills: I believe project-based learning is valuable because it demonstrates hands-on experience and problem-solving skills. This platform will focus on creative and open-ended challenges rather than step-by-step tutorials, emphasising critical thinking and real-world scenarios. This approach ensures projects remain relevant and credible to employers, showcasing the learner's ability to tackle complex, real-world problems.

Consider a simple project like building a To-Do List application. In a traditional tutorial, learners might be guided through a linear set of instructions, such as:

Step-by-Step Instructions: "First, create an HTML file with an input field and a button. Next, add JavaScript to capture the input and append it to a list. Finally, style the application using CSS."

Pre-Defined Code: Learners are typically given all the code snippets they need to copy and paste.

In contrast, on this platform, learners can be given a more open-ended task:

Problem Statement: "Create a To-Do List application where users can add, delete, and mark tasks as complete. Consider how to handle data storage, user interactions, and performance optimisation."

Guided Problem Solving: Instead of providing specific code snippets, learners are given prompts to encourage independent thinking. For example:

Prompt: "Now, implement a function in script.js to add new tasks to the list. Try to think about how you might dynamically create new list items and append them to the task list." Interactive Hints and Mini-Challenges: If learners struggle, the platform provides hints or offers mini-challenges to guide them toward the solution. For example:

Hint: "How would you select the input value using JavaScript?"

Mini-Challenge: "What happens if you enter an empty task? How can you prevent adding empty tasks to the list?"

hey aren't just copying and pasting code; they're learning to think like developers, considering edge cases, making design decisions, and troubleshooting errors.

Incentives for Community-Driven Content: To overcome the chicken-and-egg problem, we can start with high-quality seed content created by a chosen team of experts. For community contributions, we’ll offer incentives such as monetary rewards, revenue sharing, increased visibility, and professional recognition. We can also implement a robust quality control system to maintain high content standards and ensure valuable learning experiences.

I would greatly appreciate your opinion on all the points I mentioned!




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