I love making projects, software, hardware, and art, but I always find it hard to share with other people. I like getting an idea, seeing other people’s versions, and adapting or creating my own to fill the gaps, but I struggle to show it off. Maybe because I think it's not finished yet, or maybe because I don’t like showing a folder called C++ testScriptV2(1). Through this process I get to see how everyone else’s workflow is different from mine and am always improving not only the current project but future ones. So the first step is to do your research.
This is the most general tip on this list, and one of the most important. This can be as long or as short as you want it and is mainly just for you. This is where you look at other projects that exist, and take elements or ideas from lots of other people and incorporate it into your own projects. The nice thing is that this research can be into anything and it’s going to help a lot of aspects.
My projects usually have a circuit board, so a lot of my research goes into datasheets, and example schematics. But it could just as easily go into looking at other people’s circuit boards, the silkscreen art they have, and what components they use. A software project research could be surfing Github, or stack exchanges, or other people’s tutorials for a new language.
This is my favorite, and because you're on this website you've seen it in action already. A logo goes a long way to make things feel cooler. Seeing a circuit board with your personal logo, as well as the product logo makes whatever the final product is a lot better. This one is super easy too, I use Logo.com for all my projects and it gives you 1 logo for free, as well as a font and colors. For code, the flow is pretty similar, I usually make a title card image for my projects, even if it's different from its logo.
People love to see other projects, see tip 1, and it helps a lot to see not only the design process, but also how to use it. So make it easy for other people and document it. Personally I use both Github and this website to make slightly different write ups for my projects, and host all my files open source on Github. In doing this, other people are able to find, research, and recreate my projects. This makes it a lot easier to get feedback and grow projects. For software, this means you should probably comment your code.
Professional projects aren’t about being fancy, they’re about being clear, and thoughtful. Research well, brand smart, and document everything. Do those three things, and every project (totally) you make will be a lot more professional.