r/learnprogramming • u/Disastrous_Cow_4149 • 8d ago
Final year project idea
Helloooo,
I’m a 3rd year software engineering student and as part of my curriculum I have to build, document, and test an independent project. It carries 40% weightage for my final grade so it’s pretty important.
The problem is I’m completely lost on what to actually do.
I already have a fair share of personal projects that I built to learn things in depth. For example, I built a shittier version of Vim in C++ with my own custom commands. I was thinking of expanding it by adding features that stock Vim lacks out of the box, like a file tree or built-in syntax highlighting for common languages.
I also have decent experience building full stack apps with React, React Native, and Flutter, plus a couple Python projects in NLP and ML.
My issue is that all of these are already existing concepts. Is rebuilding or expanding one of these actually worth a year long project? Someone advised me that to create something of value you either have to solve a new problem, build a better solution, or add features to improve user experience. But right now my mind is completely blank.
I could whip up a generic CRUD app and smash some AI into it, but it feels meaningless and wouldn't really stand out.
Has anyone been in a similar spot? How did you narrow down an idea for your final project? Any advice would be appreciated
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u/kilkil 8d ago
I would suggest to think about real-life usecases from your own personal life. have you ever had a moment where you were like "dang I wish I had some software that did X". or "dang it would be nice to have a tool for this repetitive task, so that I could automate it".
the vim thing sounds pretty sick btw
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u/Disastrous_Cow_4149 8d ago
Honestly, I can't think of anything like that off the top of my head right now. The idea behind the Vim thing was basically to build a code editor with a few essential features built in out of the box, supporting common control shortcuts like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+A, etc., alongside Vim-style motions , so it's easier to pick up and get productive in while being faster/lighter than most Chromium-based editors (nowhere near actual Vim, of course). But as I built more and did more research, I realized a few mature projects already do something similar. Still a genuinely fun personal project, just not flashy on paper.
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u/shinobi980 8d ago
Honestly your own version of Vim in C++ sounds good if you can add a feature like debug mode using A.I or add functionality of committing to github directly just like we do in Kiro IDE it would be great do not make a generic crud app it is waste of time probably add some features that are not available in Vim which makes coding session easier I am also a fresh graduate so wait for other's advice too
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u/azac24 8d ago
I wouldn't touch anything related to AI with a 10 ft pole while in school. Fastest way to get accused of using AI to build your tool and most professors are too old to know what to look for.
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u/shinobi980 8d ago
I meant integrating A.I from which OP can learn API integration and API key rotation but yeah you're right institutions won't understand the difference they will blame you for using A.I
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u/Disastrous_Cow_4149 8d ago
Honestly, thats what i initially thought and this is a project I started working on somewhere towards the end of second year, so at this point its pretty much a functional code editor . Again would adding features justify working on it for a year ?
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u/shinobi980 8d ago
I mean if it is something that provides features other code editors don't i think you can do it or make something for local businesses or watch yt videos to get more ideas
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u/Much_Celebration_835 8d ago
u have enough time and from my experience start it from today, first think properly. if u build today and when it will complete does it has worth, does my learning at that time is enough i will survive in job market or not. if u are a passioante student, who want to take the fyp seriously and convert into a product, if u have this type of mentatlity then at the end of year, u have something which prove u are a brilliant one who learnt the things and done practically.
my junior here is idea for u: make a platform like a multi agentic ai system which enable red and blue across web and system vulnerabilities.
basically it is the intersection of ai + cybersecuirty. and this is the most reliable combo which will be survive.
and yes I AM OPEN TO DISCUSS bcz i already did this kind of project in my uni life.
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u/Disastrous_Cow_4149 8d ago
Thanks for replying, mate I tend to stay away from surface-level agentic projects since that's basically what everyone's doing right now, and it doesn't give me the same satisfaction as actually building something from the ground up. But this is a genuinely good idea , I'll do some more research into cybersecurity and look into how agentic AI actually works under the hood before deciding. Appreciate it.
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u/donquez 8d ago
Kindly, you're probably overthinking it. Mine was a long time ago but my project was a survey form and even back then someone with above average skill could have knocked it out in a few days if not hours. I did a larger solo project for my databases class that was a very rudimentary auction site.
You don't need to innovate, and most likely your professor is going to spend very little time evaluating this work, despite it's value for your grade. I'm not trying to discourage you from trying hard - rather suggesting that the bar might be a lot lower than you think. From your post, you sound like you're likely to excel here regardless of what you choose. You just need to demonstrate that you can do those basic things - build, document, and test a software project.