How do I motivate my friends to work on side projects? | Hacker News Reader

How do I motivate my friends to work on side projects?

7 points_oenq17 comments

I'm a college student studying CS and I'm constantly working on 3+ side projects as well as trying to stay up to date with all the newest trends in CS and teaching myself several new languages, and I think this makes me pretty marketable to companies as well as keeps me continuously fascinated.

I can tell many of my friends sort of want to work on side projects too, but aren't really passionate enough to dive in and actually do them. These are my friends who I really want to see succeed though, so I'm looking for advice on how to motivate them. I don't necessarily want to just invite them to work on every one of my personal projects with me, but some maybe.

Any of your input would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure many of you have faced the same sorts of situations. Thanks a lot!

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Between the ages of 16 and 22, I hung out with a bunch of really smart people who weren't really passionate about actually diving in and actually doing stuff. We thought of ourselves as musicians, philosophers, thinkers, people who "got it", better than everyone else, avoiding the rat race, etc. We liked talking. Didn't like doing. Most of us were underachievers at school.

Here's what I've learnt. THE SINGLE GREATEST THING you can do to motivate them is to become successful yourself. This applies in everything from fitness to relationship success. Want to get people fitter? Get fit yourself. Etc.

You may find that it's actually best for both you and your friends for you to FIND and work with people who are passionate enough. Some of them will be inspired by your example. Others will never be interested, and your precious, limited time is better spent focusing on people who actually care.

The advice I wish I got when I was 16- find kickass, badass friends who get shit done. Otherwise you're all just validating each other's fiction and bullshit about why you're dicking around.

... all of this is really more about me and my experience than you- your mileage may vary, your experience might be completely different. Maybe your friends just need to watch a few great motivational videos (this one is my favorite- I've watched it so much it's started to seep into my self-talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jwWYX7Jlo).

But just putting this out there in case it's useful or triggers something.

I have many friends who are in Sales. I have shown them many side projects and tried to convince them to sell it in their spare time. They are all enthusiastic at first and joke about which sports car they will buy when it takes off.

The truth is they never even attempt to sell it, not once.

I do not get mad at them though, I have just learned not to work with friends. You need boundaries in business. I suggest you do the same :).

You can't force people to be motivated. You can only show them the way. Build out your own projects. Pick one friend, show them what you've been working on, ask them if they want to join you, if they say yes, then tell them exactly what you need and by when. If they don't put anything together by the due date, then you do it yourself and move on.

Hey also a Computer Science student here. I know it is no fun hacking alone and sometimes you feel like having your own badass hacker crew crunching code and saving the day. As they say "Charity Begins at Home" Your first step could to show the fruits of your own passion and motivation to your friends on something cool you hacked during the weekend. I am motivated by Python Celeb programmers like Kenneth Retiz and how he made a badass Python library called "requests". It is the innate ability to take charge and do it. If you think you can solve a problem, by the philosophy of open source you are under an obligation to solve that problem and make it available to everyone else. On the other hand it's their freewill. They can choose to hack on side projects or not depending on their priorities. They might have more higher priority obligations to do and pursuing a side project is really not on their list right now.

> These are my friends who I really want to see succeed though, so I'm looking for advice on how to motivate them.

I was reminded of Richard Branson's motley collection of friends he started with in business. Some stayed with him for several years, while others who made vital contributions moved on after a few seasons. Ultimately, you're looking for people who want to join the fun. Growth, success, & money follows.

Incidentally, you might find Branson's book of interest> http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211099.Losing_My_Virginit...

Look, it may sound harsh, but get new friends.

Take the time that you'd spend trying to find some way to get your friends to work on a project with you and channel that energy into finding other people who actually want to work on stuff. Join meetups, find local groups, get out there.

If you feel like you're pulling teeth now to just get them to start, imagine once you're actually working and hit a speedbump. Trust me, you're gonna have a bad time.

Sorry, but that's pretty crazy. Not everyone you meet has to have the exact same set of goals and priorities as you. It's good to broaden your circles and be friends with people who don't always agree with you or enjoy doing what you do.

I don't think we disagree. You don't have to ditch your old friends, but if you wanna build side projects you should find new people who are into that instead of wasting time trying to convince people who obviously aren't.

Just a question: why should your friends want to work on side projects? Or, why do you believe your friends should want to work on side projects?

I think they should work on something whether it is side projects, research, etc. just to better themselves as CS students and as potential job candidates

Frankly, it sounds like you need to distance yourself from them if they aren't as motivated as you are. If you are constantly with them, they will probably bring you down when they hear about your side projects. Focus on yourself first always.

You can't teach passion

Perfect answer.

"You can take a horse to water, But cannot make it drink"

That's like saying they are a lost cause. And nobody is a lost cause

You will find that many people just aren't motivated enough for things like side projects. It's the same thing with business. I have tried 3 times (and failed) to start side-businesses with friends..and failed each time because my friends were not motivated enough to spend their free time on something besides relaxing or partying.

Let them have fun their own way.

I'm going to expand on this because it's important. You're only young once, don't waste it. Go outside, get some fresh air, find some dudes and / or ladies to consensually smooch upon, there's plenty of time later for the toil.

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