What are Side Projects? Startups or Entrepreneurship?

No, it's not like that! It's more like... just a kind of hobby activity, I guess? 😆 Maybe those who are new to side projects might think, ‘Is this something to do after quitting your job?’ or ‘Wouldn’t this affect my main job?’. Of course, there may be people who actually start side projects with the intention of starting a business, but BetaAI is more like a study group or AI club(?) project! That's why we started BetaAI with a few principles to prevent the situation where the side project takes priority over the main job.

💡 We shared the principles below with everyone before starting the project. It is necessary for a mutual agreement, and it helps us to subconsciously keep thinking about the purpose and direction of this project.

BetaAI Project Principles

Since we have limited energy to spend in a day, after focusing on our main job, most of our remaining time is likely to be exhausted..🫠 Nevertheless, we share the 6 principles of BetaAI side projects that enable us to work on the project 🙌 without much burden.

1. Lightly and Enjoyably, No Overcommitment, Not Going All-In

• It’s a "side" project, right? Let's not take it too seriously. It's important to lead the project in a way that we can enjoy it unconditionally. To enjoy, it should be a topic that I am interested in, it shouldn’t drain too much energy, and it should have a reasonable sense of accomplishment.. We need to find a balance. For example, a project that can be done for 30 minutes a day, or 2-3 hours on weekends seems appropriate.

2. The Goal is Not a Sprint But a "Marathon"

• To achieve a reasonable sense of accomplishment through this project, we need to experience the entire process from the beginning to the result. Just like when running, if we spend too much energy from the beginning, we end up almost worn out at the end with little energy left. Therefore, our goal is not a sprint but a marathon! Let's try to complete it with a reasonable pace to the end!

3. Choose ideas that can be implemented based on what I have learned

• This is a prerequisite to keeping the second principle. If you choose too difficult ideas to implement as a side project, you are likely to exhaust a lot of energy at the beginning and give up in the middle. It is better to choose topics of appropriate difficulty by distinguishing what I can and cannot do.

4. The side project period is exactly one month! Choose something that can be achieved within a month

• The BetaAI team set the project period exactly to "one month". We thought that this period is both a time when we can sustain the burning will enough and a period that can prevent a decrease in morale if the project period becomes too long.

• According to this premise, when choosing the project topic, select a topic that can be completed within a month.

• Even after one month, the team does not disband, and if you want, you can develop the previous topic and spend another month, or take a break for a while and then challenge the next project!

5. Be dedicated for a short time, only for a month!

• We’re only going to do the project for just one month, so let's dedicate ourselves to the project for that period. Even if it's a side project that we're going to put our hearts into, we need to take care of it, because no matter what, we are going to be concerned about it. Let’s invest in the side project for at least 4 weekends during that one-month period! (or invest at least 30 minutes every day) If it's a time when there are no weekends because our main job is extremely busy... then please bear with the side project for a while!

6. Keep Records

• It’s our precious time and effort spent on side projects, right? Just like what’s left after a trip is photos, what’s left from a side project is records, records, and records! Moreover, since all team members participate in the project remotely, leaving documentary records is very important for smooth project progress.🙂 Write down the processes I participated in as documented records and use them effectively when a portfolio is needed in the future.