Got half-finished apps, tools and games sitting in your GitHub? You’re not alone. In this episode of SEEK Bytes, Seamus, Elliott and Will kick off Season 2 by diving deep into side projects in tech – why we start them, why they stall, and how to actually ship things alongside a full-time IT job.

In this episode, we explore:

• Where great side-project ideas really come from – using annoying real-world problems, interview prep and portfolio goals to spark projects that matter (and look great on GitHub).

• How to fight decision-fatigue and stay motivated – why “projects about nothing” fizzle, how tiny, shippable increments beat grand architectures, and practical tactics like shrinking scope, embracing “good enough” and expecting motivation slumps from day one.

• Balancing passion, learning and paid side work – real stories of late-night coding, paid gigs on game sites, internal tools like Conductor that became critical at SEEK, and why sometimes your day job’s learning and L&D time are all the “side project” you need.

Whether you’re a software engineer, tester, data person, SRE, sysadmin or IT manager thinking about a side hustle, a portfolio piece, or just a fun game on the side, this episode will help you pick better projects, manage your energy and actually finish more than you start.

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