3 Standout

Coding Projects to
Land a $100,000+ Job
in 2025

BASHIRI SMITH
 Hey!
A LITTLE ABOUT ME

My name is Bashiri Smith.

In just under 12 months & without

a college degree or any work
experience, I received 2 offers for
more than $115,000 for my first job
as a software engineer.

Since then, I have gone on to earn

over $265,000p/y as a software
engineer and I have also founded
my own tech startup. (Interlade)

Throughout my journey to learn how to code, I've found that the

unique information to ACTUALLY land a job is hard to come by
regardless of if you go to college or a coding bootcamp.

My mission is to make it easy for anyone to change their life with

coding!

This guide is for aspiring coders who want to

earn $100k+ as a software engineer ASAP.
 CONTENT
PROJECT

01
Cybersecurity Threat Detector

PROJECT
02
Fake News Detector

PROJECT

03
Environmental Impact Analyzer

CHAPTER

04
How to Pick Your Own Project

CHAPTER

05
Still Need Help?
 Important Reminder!!

⭐️meant
Each project's instructions are
to be VAGUE. The purpose of
this is to prepare you for coding in
the real world. Jobs will rarely give
you a step by step guide to exactly
what you need to do in order to get
the work done.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
Project Overview
Objective: Develop a system that uses transformer models to analyze
network traffic and system logs to detect anomalies and predict
potential cybersecurity threats before they occur.

Technical Problem Solved: Improves security posture by proactively

identifying and mitigating risks, reducing the likelihood of successful
cyber attacks.

Project Breakdown
1. Project Planning
Define Scope: Decide whether to focus on network traffic analysis,
system log analysis, or both.
Identify Data Sources: Determine where you'll get the data (e.g.,
simulated network traffic, open-source datasets).
Set Goals: Establish what types of threats you aim to detect (e.g.,
malware, DDoS attacks, insider threats).
2. Tech Stack Selection
Frontend:
Framework: React.js or Angular for building a responsive user
interface.
Visualization Libraries: D3.js or Chart.js for data visualization.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
Backend:
Server: Node.js with Express or Python with
Flask/Django.
Database: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, or Elasticsearch for
storing logs and analysis results.
AI Models:
Transformer Models: Use Hugging Face transformers
adapted for anomaly detection.
Libraries: PyTorch or TensorFlow for model
development.
DevOps:
Containerization: Docker for containerizing
applications.
CI/CD: GitHub Actions or Jenkins for continuous
integration and deployment.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
Implementation Steps
1. Data Collection and Preprocessing
Gather Datasets:
Public Datasets: Utilize datasets like UNSW-NB15, CICIDS2017 for
network intrusion detection.
Simulated Data: Generate synthetic data using tools like Wireshark or
custom scripts.
Data Preprocessing:
Normalization: Standardize data formats.
Feature Engineering: Extract relevant features such as IP addresses,
ports, protocols, timestamps.
Labeling: Label data for supervised learning (normal vs. anomalous).
2. Model Development
Model Selection:
Transformers for Sequence Data: Since network traffic and logs are
sequential, models like BERT or GPT can be adapted.
Training the Model:
Fine-Tuning: Fine-tune pre-trained models on your dataset.
Anomaly Detection Approach: Use models to predict the next sequence
and flag deviations.
Evaluation:
Metrics: Use precision, recall, F1-score, ROC-AUC to evaluate model
performance.
Cross-Validation: Ensure model generalizes well to unseen data.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
Implementation Steps
1. Data Collection and Preprocessing
Gather Datasets:
Public Datasets: Utilize datasets like UNSW-NB15, CICIDS2017 for
network intrusion detection.
Simulated Data: Generate synthetic data using tools like Wireshark or
custom scripts.
Data Preprocessing:
Normalization: Standardize data formats.
Feature Engineering: Extract relevant features such as IP addresses,
ports, protocols, timestamps.
Labeling: Label data for supervised learning (normal vs. anomalous).
2. Model Development
Model Selection:
Transformers for Sequence Data: Since network traffic and logs are
sequential, models like BERT or GPT can be adapted.
Training the Model:
Fine-Tuning: Fine-tune pre-trained models on your dataset.
Anomaly Detection Approach: Use models to predict the next sequence
and flag deviations.
Evaluation:
Metrics: Use precision, recall, F1-score, ROC-AUC to evaluate model
performance.
Cross-Validation: Ensure model generalizes well to unseen data.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
3. Backend Development
API Development:
Endpoints: Create RESTful APIs for data ingestion, analysis results, and
alerts.
Integration with AI Model:
Model Serving: Use frameworks like FastAPI or Flask to serve the model.
Real-Time Analysis: Implement streaming data analysis with tools like
Apache Kafka.
4. Frontend Development
Dashboard Design:
User Interface: Build dashboards to display alerts, analytics, and system
status.
Visualization: Implement charts and graphs for real-time monitoring.
User Authentication:
Security: Implement role-based access control (RBAC) for different user
levels.
5. Testing and Deployment
Testing:
Unit Tests: Write tests for individual components.
Integration Tests: Ensure components work together seamlessly.
Deployment:
Cloud Services: Use AWS, GCP, or Azure for hosting.
Scalability: Ensure the system can handle high data volumes.
Monitoring:
Logs: Implement logging for audit trails.
Performance Monitoring: Use tools like Prometheus and Grafana.
01 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector
Challenges and Considerations
Data Privacy: Ensure compliance with data protection regulations (e.g.,
GDPR).
False Positives: Tune the model to minimize false alarms.
Latency: Optimize for real-time detection with low latency.
Security: Secure the system itself against attacks.

Learning Resources
😊
(go find the links it’s a part of being an engineer )
Hugging Face Transformers Documentation
PyTorch Tutorials
Cybersecurity Datasets:
UNSW-NB15 Dataset
CICIDS2017 Dataset
Books and Courses:
"Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and
TensorFlow" by Aurélien Géron
Coursera's "Cybersecurity Specialization"
02 AI-Enhanced
Cybersecurity Threat
Detector

Why This Project Will Impress in 2025

Relevance: Cybersecurity threats are increasing in complexity; AI-driven
solutions are highly sought after.
Innovation: Combining transformers with cybersecurity is a novel
approach that demonstrates forward-thinking.
Impact: A tool that can proactively detect threats has significant value
for organizations.
Skill Showcase: Highlights your abilities in AI, full-stack development,
and understanding of cybersecurity.
02 AI Fake News Detector
Project Overview
Objective: Build a full-stack application that uses AI to detect fake news
articles by analyzing text content and predicting the likelihood that an
article is misleading or false.

Technical Problem Solved: Helps combat misinformation by providing

users with a tool to verify the credibility of news articles, enhancing
information integrity.

Project Breakdown
1. Project Planning
Define Scope:
Decide whether to focus on specific types of news (e.g., political,
health, finance) or cover all domains.
Determine the languages supported (e.g., English only or
multilingual).
Identify Data Sources:
Collect datasets containing labeled real and fake news articles.
Plan for continuous data updates to improve model accuracy over
time.
Set Goals:
Achieve high accuracy in distinguishing between fake and real news.
Provide explanations for predictions to enhance transparency.
2. Tech Stack Selection
Frontend:
Framework: React.js or Vue.js for building an interactive user
interface.
Styling: CSS frameworks like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS.
02 AI Fake News Detector

Backend:
Server: Node.js with Express or Python with
Flask/Django for handling API requests.
Database: MongoDB or PostgreSQL for storing user data
and logs.
AI Models:
Transformer Models: Use pre-trained language models
like BERT or RoBERTa fine-tuned for fake news
detection.
Libraries: Hugging Face Transformers, PyTorch, or
TensorFlow.
DevOps:
Containerization: Docker for containerizing the
application.
Deployment: Heroku, AWS, or Azure for hosting.
01 AI Fake News Detector
Implementation Steps
1. Data Collection and Preprocessing
Gather Datasets:
Public Datasets:
LIAR Dataset: Contains short statements labeled for truthfulness.
FakeNewsNet: Includes real and fake news with social context.
Kaggle Fake News Dataset: A collection of labeled news articles.
Data Preprocessing:
Text Cleaning: Remove HTML tags, URLs, special characters, and stop
words.
Tokenization: Use Hugging Face tokenizers compatible with the chosen
model.
Label Encoding: Convert labels into numerical format for model
training.
Splitting Data: Divide into training, validation, and test sets.
2. Model Development
Model Selection:
Choose a transformer model suitable for text classification (e.g., BERT,
RoBERTa).
Fine-Tuning the Model:
Load the pre-trained model and tokenizer from Hugging Face.
Set up a classification head on top of the transformer model.
Define training parameters (learning rate, batch size, epochs).
Use the training dataset to fine-tune the model.
Evaluation:
Use the validation set to tune hyperparameters.
Evaluate model performance on the test set using metrics like accuracy,
precision, recall, and F1-score.
Analyze confusion matrix to understand misclassifications.
01 AI Fake News Detector
4. Backend Development
API Development:
Endpoints:
/analyze: Accepts text input and returns prediction results.
/feedback: Allows users to submit feedback on predictions.
Integration with AI Model:
Load the fine-tuned model into the backend server.
Ensure the model is loaded once to optimize performance.
Security Measures:
Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse.
Sanitize inputs to prevent injection attacks.
5. Frontend Development
User Interface Design:
Create a clean and intuitive interface for users to input news articles or
URLs.
Display the prediction results clearly, including the probability scores.
Show explanations if explainability is implemented.
Additional Features:
History: Allow users to view previous analyses.
Feedback Mechanism: Enable users to report incorrect predictions.
Responsive Design: Ensure the application works well on various devices.
6. Testing and Deployment
Testing:
Unit Tests: Test individual components and functions.
Integration Tests: Ensure frontend and backend communicate correctly.
User Acceptance Testing: Gather feedback from potential users.
01 AI Fake News Detector
Deployment:
Containerization: Use Docker to containerize the application.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):
Set up pipelines using GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
Hosting:
Deploy the backend and model to a cloud platform.
Host the frontend on services like Netlify or Vercel.
Monitoring:
Implement logging for errors and user interactions.
Use monitoring tools to track application performance.

Challenges and Considerations

Bias and Fairness:
Be aware of potential biases in training data.
Ensure the model does not unfairly target specific news sources or topics.
Data Privacy:
Handle user-submitted data responsibly.
Comply with regulations like GDPR if applicable.
Model Performance:
Address overfitting by using regularization techniques and cross-
validation.
Continuously update the model with new data to maintain accuracy.
Ethical Implications:
Provide disclaimers about the limitations of AI predictions.
Encourage users to verify information through multiple sources.
01 AI Fake News Detector
Learning Resources
(go find the links 😊 it’s a part of being an engineer )
Hugging Face Transformers Documentation
PyTorch Tutorials:
Natural Language Processing with Transformers by Lewis Tunstall, Leandro
von Werra, and Thomas Wolf.
Courses:
Coursera: "Natural Language Processing Specialization" by
Deeplearning.ai.
edX: "AI for Everyone" by Andrew Ng.

Why This Project Will Impress in 2025

Relevance:
Misinformation remains a significant global challenge.
Tools that help verify information are highly valuable.
Technical Complexity:
Showcases proficiency in NLP, machine learning, and transformer
models.
Full-Stack Development:
Demonstrates ability to build complete applications from backend to
frontend.
Innovation:
Combines AI with social good, highlighting awareness of societal issues.
Scalability and Practicality:
Potential for real-world application and scalability.
03
Environmental Impact
Analyzer
Project Overview
Objective: Develop a full-stack application that uses AI to evaluate and
inform users about the environmental impact of consumer products. The
tool analyzes product descriptions, manufacturing details, and supply
chain information to provide an environmental footprint score or
assessment.
Problem Solved: Empowers consumers and businesses to make informed
decisions by understanding the environmental implications of products,
thereby promoting sustainable choices and encouraging eco-friendly
practices.

Project Breakdown
1. Define Scope:
Decide on the categories of products to focus on initially (e.g.,
electronics, clothing, food).
Determine whether the tool will cater to consumers, businesses, or
both.
Identify Data Sources:
Gather data on products, manufacturing processes, and supply
chains.
Utilize publicly available databases, APIs, and possibly partner with
organizations for data access.
Set Goals:
Provide accurate and understandable environmental impact
assessments.
Ensure the tool is user-friendly and offers actionable insights.
03
Environmental Impact
Analyzer
2. Tech Stack Selection
Frontend:
Framework: React.js or Angular for building a dynamic user
interface.
Styling: Use CSS frameworks like Material-UI or Bootstrap.
Backend:
Server: Node.js with Express or Python with Flask/Django.
Database: PostgreSQL or MongoDB for storing product data
and user interactions.
AI Models:
Transformer Models: Utilize Hugging Face transformers for
natural language processing (NLP) tasks.
Libraries: PyTorch or TensorFlow for model development.
APIs and Data Sources:
Web Scraping Tools: Scrapy or Beautiful Soup for extracting
data from websites if permitted.
Third-Party APIs: Open APIs providing product and
environmental data.
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Implementation Steps
11. Data Collection and Preprocessing
Gather Product Data:
Public Databases: Use databases like Open Product Data or EcoInvent.
APIs: Access APIs from retailers or sustainability organizations.
Web Scraping: Collect product information from e-commerce sites
(ensure compliance with their terms of service).
Collect Environmental Impact Data:
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Data: Obtain data on the environmental
impact of materials and processes.
Supply Chain Information: Map out typical supply chains for different
product categories.
Data Preprocessing:
Data Cleaning: Standardize units, handle missing values, and normalize
data.
Feature Engineering: Extract relevant features such as materials used,
manufacturing location, transportation methods.
Text Processing: Use NLP techniques to analyze product descriptions
and extract environmental indicators.
2. Model Development
NLP for Information Extraction:
Entity Recognition: Use transformer models to identify key entities (e.g.,
materials, certifications, manufacturing locations) in product
descriptions.
Sentiment Analysis: Assess language that may indicate environmental
friendliness.
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Environmental Impact Scoring Model:
Algorithm Design: Develop a scoring system that weighs various
factors like carbon footprint, water usage, energy consumption, and
waste generation.
Machine Learning Models: Train regression or classification models
to predict environmental impact scores based on extracted features.
Model Training:
Training Data: Use labeled data where the environmental impact is
known to train and validate models.
Evaluation:
Use metrics like Mean Squared Error (MSE) for regression
models.
Use accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score for classification
models.
3. Backend Development
API Development:
Endpoints:
/assess: Accepts product details or identifiers and returns an
environmental impact assessment.
/products: Retrieves product information from the database.
/feedback: Collects user feedback on assessments.
Integration with AI Models:
Implement the models within the backend to process requests
and generate assessments.
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Data Management:
Database Schema: Design tables for products, assessments, user feedback, and
environmental data.
Caching: Implement caching mechanisms to improve performance for frequently
assessed products.
4. Frontend Development
User Interface Design:
Input Methods: Allow users to search for products by name, scan barcodes, or input
product URLs.
Display Results:
Show the environmental impact score prominently.
Break down the score into components (e.g., carbon footprint, water usage).
Provide visual aids like charts or color-coded indicators.
Additional Features:
Comparison Tool: Enable users to compare the environmental impact of similar
products.
Recommendations: Suggest more sustainable alternatives.
User Accounts: Allow users to save assessments and set preferences.
5. Testing and Deployment
Testing:
Unit Tests: Test individual functions and components.
Integration Tests: Ensure the frontend and backend work seamlessly.
Usability Testing: Collect feedback from potential users to improve the interface
and functionality.
Deployment:
Containerization: Use Docker to package the application.
Cloud Hosting: Deploy using AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Set up pipelines for
automatic testing and deployment.
Monitoring and Maintenance:
Performance Monitoring: Use tools like New Relic or Datadog.
Error Logging: Implement logging for debugging and improving the application.
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Challenges and Considerations
Data Availability:
Incomplete Data: Not all products will have readily available
environmental data.
Data Accuracy: Ensure the data sources are reliable and up-to-date.
Scalability:
Data Volume: Handling large amounts of data efficiently.
Real-Time Analysis: Providing quick assessments as users input
data.
Ethical and Legal Considerations:
Data Privacy: Protect any user data collected.
Compliance: Ensure adherence to data usage policies and
regulations.
Liability: Be cautious about the accuracy of assessments to avoid
misinformation.
Complexity of Environmental Impact Assessment:
Multifaceted Impact: Environmental impact includes various factors
that may be difficult to quantify.
Dynamic Supply Chains: Supply chains can change, affecting the
accuracy of assessments.
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Learning Resources
(go find the links 😊 it’s a part of being an engineer )
Sustainability and Environmental Data Sources:
EcoInvent Database
Open LCA
NLP and Transformer Models:
Hugging Face Transformers Documentation: Link
Natural Language Processing with Transformers by Lewis Tunstall,
Leandro von Werra, and Thomas Wolf.
Web Development:
Frontend Framework Tutorials: React.js Link
Backend Development with Express.js: Link
Machine Learning and Data Science:
Coursera: "Machine Learning" by Andrew Ng.
Udemy: "Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp with
Python."
 Environmental Impact
03
Analyzer
Why This Project Will Impress in 2025
Relevance:
Environmental sustainability is a critical global issue, and
tools aiding in eco-friendly decisions are highly valued.
Innovation:
Combines AI, NLP, and data analytics to solve a complex
problem.
Impact:
Has the potential to influence consumer behavior and
promote sustainable practices.
Technical Complexity:
Demonstrates proficiency in handling large datasets,
machine learning, and full-stack development.
Future-Proofing:
Addresses a growing demand for transparency in product
sourcing and manufacturing.
04 What is a
"Resume Quality" Project
Qualities of a Resume-Level Project
1. Complexity: Demonstrates a high level of technical skill and problem-solving
ability.
2. Scalability: Shows consideration for scalability and performance.
3. Usability: Has a well-designed user interface and user experience.
4. Documentation: Includes comprehensive documentation for both users and
developers.
5. Testing: Includes unit tests, integration tests, and possibly end-to-end tests.
6. Version Control: Uses version control with a well-documented commit history.
7. Deployment: Is deployed and accessible online, showcasing real-world usability.

Checklist to Pick Your Own Resume-Level Project

Identify a Problem: Choose a real-world problem that interests you.
Research Solutions: Investigate existing solutions and identify gaps or areas for
improvement.
Define Scope: Clearly define the scope of your project to ensure it is achievable
within a reasonable timeframe.
Plan Features: List the features your project will have and prioritize them.
Design Architecture: Plan the architecture of your project, considering
scalability and maintainability.
Develop Incrementally: Build your project incrementally, testing each feature as
you go.
Document Thoroughly: Write comprehensive documentation for your project.
Test Rigorously: Implement and run tests to ensure your project is robust and
reliable.
Deploy and Maintain: Deploy your project online and maintain it, fixing bugs
and adding improvements as needed.
04 Find & Work with
Teammates
The Importance of Teamwork
Working on a team is crucial for creating a resume-worthy project. Teamwork not only simulates
real-world software development environments but also offers numerous benefits:
Effective Communication: Learn to articulate your ideas and understand others'.
Diverse Perspectives: Gain insights and solutions from different viewpoints.
Task Division: Leverage individual strengths to tackle various project components efficiently.
Finding Teammates in a Community
To help you find and team up with other members of the community, follow these steps:
1. Join this FREE software engineering community: https://www.skool.com/become-a-
software-engineer/about
2. Introduce Yourself
Post a brief introduction in the community (under the TeamUp category), including
your skills, interests, and the type of project you want to work on. This helps others with
similar goals and complementary skills find you.
3. Create a Project Board
We have set up a dedicated space where you can pitch your project ideas and look for
teammates. Each post should include:
Project Description: What the project is about.
Required Skills: What skills are needed to complete the project.
Commitment Level: The expected time and effort.
4. Participate in Networking Events
Join our regular virtual meetups and networking events. These sessions provide
opportunities to discuss your projects and form teams. Keep an eye out for
announcements about these events.
Meetups to be scheduled!
5. Utilize Collaboration Tools
We recommend using tools that facilitate teamwork, such as:
GitHub: For version control.
Trello: For project management.
Slack: For communication.
By following these steps and engaging with your peers, you’ll be well on your way to creating a
project that stands out on your resume. Teamwork makes the dream work!
04 Get Your
Project Idea Verified
Before you start working on your resume-level project, it's crucial to ensure that
your idea meets the necessary criteria and will effectively showcase your skills to
potential employers. To get your project idea verified, you can reach out to me
directly.

How to Verify Your Project Idea

1. Outline Your Idea: Write a brief outline of your project idea, including the
problem it addresses, the features you plan to implement, and the technologies you
intend to use.
2. Contact Me: You can DM me or use the link on the last page to book a call with
me.
3. Receive Feedback: I will review your project idea and provide feedback,
suggestions, and verification to ensure it aligns with the qualities of a resume-level
project.

Why Verification is Important

Verifying your project idea helps you:
- Ensure your project demonstrates a high level of technical skill.
- Align your project with industry standards and expectations.
- Receive guidance on best practices and potential improvements.
- Increase your chances of impressing potential employers with a well-crafted
project.

Don't hesitate to reach out for verification; it's a critical step in your journey to becoming a
successful software engineer.
05 Still Need Help?
I know learning how to code on your own can be extremely
daunting and just make you feel so lost. I felt the same way
while I was on my journey. So now I help aspiring coders who
feel lost land their first $100,000+ coding job!

This mentorship is ONLY for serious people who want to land a

job ASAP.

If this sounds like you we can set up a call!

On the call, you and I will come up with a custom plan of action
personalized for you so you can see exactly how to become a
$100,000+ software engineer.

This call is completely FREE and is guaranteed to help you get

crystal clear on your next steps.

Fill out the form below and I will reach out to you ASAP!

https://forms.gle/xJ4p7ZHAkmcEMreC9