Build Your IoT Portfolio in 90 Days: A Hands-On Plan for Students and Engineers

If you’re a student exploring embedded systems or a professional developer looking to transition into the embedded side of IoT, building a personal project is one of the most effective ways to grow your skills. Courses and certifications are valuable, but real-world experience (and well-documented, open-source GitHub repositories showcasing your projects) can set you apart on your resume or in job interviews.

This guide outlines how to level up in IoT over 12 weeks with just one hour a day. Whether you’re interested in smart home automation, remote monitoring, or sensor networks, this plan will help you learn by doing. We start by assuming you know a little about electronics and programming but want to dive into IoT device development. By the end, you’ll have a small (but fully functioning) IoT device network to show off your new skills!

Weeks 1-4: Learn the Platform and Build the Fundamentals

Start by choosing your preferred development platform. For example, you might use Arduino for ease of entry, ESP-IDF for professional-grade development on the ESP32, or Zephyr RTOS if you want to explore a heavyweight real-time operating system. Then, select a “getting started” course or introductory book focused on that platform. These resources typically take 10 to 20 hours to complete, making them ideal for 4 weeks of daily study.

Your goal should be more than just passively consuming the content. You should recreate all example projects, complete every quiz, and build the final projects from scratch. If you’re taking a course with assessments or certification, make sure to earn the certificate and share it on your resume or LinkedIn. You should walk away with a solid grasp of development tools, basic firmware structure, and hardware interfacing.

Weeks 5-6: Build and Document Your First Personal Project

Next, apply what you’ve learned by designing and building a simple IoT prototype. Choose a project that aligns with your interests or environment. To help you brainstorm ideas, you might build a temperature and humidity monitor for your room, a soil moisture sensor for your plants, or a motion detector for a hallway. Your device does not need to be polished at this stage: a prototype on a breadboard will do fine.

As you build your device, make sure to document everything. Create a public repository (e.g., GitHub) and include your schematic, code, photos, and a detailed README. Use clear commit messages to track your progress. This is your first portfolio piece, so clarity and reproducibility matter. Get in the habit of writing short weekly updates or blog posts, which will serve both as documentation and as public proof of your work.

Weeks 7-8: Set Up a Cloud Dashboard or Open Source IoT Hub

To expand your project’s capabilities, add a data dashboard. You can either build one using a cloud platform like ThingsBoard, Adafruit IO, or AWS IoT Core, or install a local hub like Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi or virtual machine. Note that ThingsBoard is open source and also has a local installation option. Connect your IoT device to the hub via MQTT or HTTP and start streaming real-time sensor data.

Once connected, configure dashboards, notifications, and logging. This step demonstrates your ability to integrate edge devices with cloud-based or local backends, which is a critical skill in IoT development. Be sure to screenshot your setup and note any performance metrics or design trade-offs in your documentation!

Weeks 9-10: Expand the System with a Second Device or Visualization

Now it’s time to build a second device or extend the capabilities of your existing setup. For example, you could add another sensor node in a different location, or create a physical display (e.g. LCD or OLED screen) that shows live metrics from your main hub. This second device should communicate with the first or publish data to the same dashboard.

If you have access to a 3D printer, you might also design enclosures for your devices. At this stage, focus on system-level thinking: how multiple components interact, how data is visualized or used, and how you can ensure reliability. Keep your repo updated and continue sharing your progress online.

Weeks 11-12: Final Polish, Documentation, and Public Showcase

With the technical work complete, your final focus is polish and presentation. Build or assemble enclosures to protect your hardware and improve aesthetics. Refactor your code for clarity and modularity. Ensure your GitHub documentation includes setup instructions, wiring diagrams, dependency lists, and usage examples. Add photos or videos of the working system. In theory, anyone should be able to follow your directions to reconstruct your project (devices and hub).

Then, create a showcase piece. This could be a blog post detailing your journey, a short YouTube demo, or a LinkedIn article explaining what you built and what you learned. Make sure your work is easy to find, well-documented, and professionally presented. If you completed a course or certification earlier in the process, now is a great time to add that credential to your resume and online profiles.

Ongoing: Share Your Progress Every Week

Throughout this 12-week process, make it a habit to publish at least one update per week. This could be a quick blog post, a LinkedIn post, or a short video on Instagram. Sharing your work builds visibility, attracts feedback, and demonstrates your consistency to future employers or clients. It also builds your personal brand as a learner and builder in the IoT space.

Conclusion

This structured plan helps you build not just skills, but also a narrative. You’ll gain hands-on experience with sensors, cloud platforms, and system integration while producing tangible work that others can see and evaluate. Many companies are looking for real, hands-on project work over LeetCode problems, and having a portfolio can be a testament to your skills while attracting employers.If you’d like to get started, check out my courses at https://shawnhymel.com/courses/.