Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

Hi everyone, 

In this blog, I’ll introduce you to my Personal Learning Network (PLN) and explore the topic of tech solopreneurs developing micro-SaaS (micro software-as-a-service).

Micro-SaaS are essentially small apps solving one or two problems, making them ideal for solo developers. This is one way that software engineers can work on a side hustle, which sometimes can blow up into successful big tech startups! As a soon-to-be Computer Science graduate, this is a dream of mine too.

Supportive Youtube Communities

I’ve been following this topic for the last few months after coming across this YouTube video by Marc Lou that sparked my interest:

This video completely changed my perspective on making money out of selling apps. I used to think apps need major commercial value or offer tons of features to succeed, but Marc showed that simple apps like habit trackers or Mood2Movie can be incredibly effective because people actually use them! This video also got me considering a less traditional career path.

💭 My question to you: Have you came across any YouTube videos or social media post that changed your mindset as much as this one did for me?

Other YouTube channels in my PLN that I have found really entertaining and educational to watch are:

• Marko: A software engineer who lives in Norway. He consistently works on personal coding projects in his daily vlogs, explaining his thought process and problem-solving methods that I can really learn from.
• Jacob Sucks At Code: A software engineer in New York city. His vlogs are really fast paced, and you can feel the lively vibes of the tech scene in New York city, where there are so many cool ideas to pursue. Watch these if you want some motivations!

Alongside YouTube, they often also leverage X (formerly Twitter) to give smaller daily updates. The real hidden gems are the Discord group chats that these developers set up so that their followers can hang out (more on this later).

The Power of Sharing

Aside educational videos, I was surprised to find daily vlogs on these channels also attract a lot of interest. Oftentimes, these developers simply share their daily routines without necessarily setting out to teach. Yet, the audience still finds much value in them, feeling like they have a mentor and friend on their life journey. This is exactly how I feel when I watch these types of videos as well.

This leads me to think about the motivation behind this course and the power of sharing your learning and personal experiences. One person’s common knowledge can really be another’s key insight! If more people are open to learning in public, we all benefit from it. Moreover, it’s not a one-way street; in the YouTube comment section, people also contribute valuable technical advice and recommendations to the content creator and other viewers! To top it off, social media provides huge leverage in terms of influence and reach.

💭 My question to you: Is there something you could share that others might learn from?

Engaging with Learning Communities

I have always been a silent follower, who has never left any comments under Youtube videos or engaged with the learning community. Now that I have equipped myself with better online safety understanding, my goal is to join a couple of these developers’ Discord group chats, get to know other people and their projects, and discover more communities to expand my PLN further. In the longer term, I have been thinking about writing a few blog posts to share the projects I have worked on. Personally, I always discover new insights or feel inspired when I read about others’ projects, and I hope my blogs can offer the same to someone else.

Privacy Practices

In these Discord groups, and on any other online platforms, while I’m open to sharing my coding experiences, I won’t be disclosing any other personal information. I don’t want to be overly cautious to the point that it hinders me from interacting with others. As long as we are mindful and follow good privacy and security practices, we should be okay. My mindset is to have others build up trust rather than grant it to them from the beginning.

That’s it for this week’s blog. I hope you enjoy reading!

Until next time,

Julia