How do you pick a project?

Lately folks have asked me: What type of project should I pick to work on?  The issue?  The question can come from an Electrical Engineer or a Maker novice.

Often someone has an idea of a project they would like to tackle.  So as an Engineer, I tell people to not reinvent the wheel, look for tutorials or other material  to build on.  My phrase: "Try to find information on the Internet, if you can find a similar project or tutorial, you can put the extra effort into designing your own project".

To complement this, Carlyn Maw has written a good post on How to Pick a DIY Electronics Project which expands on my philosophy by asking a set of questions to narrow ones selection of how to approach your work.

Once you narrow down your parameters, it makes it easier to design what you want to do and what you want to look for in an Internet tutorial to assist you.