Read on Twitter
Are you building a portfolio website to land a job as dev? You might actually do more harm than good. Read this thread to learn
1. Why portfolio websites often become such a waste of time
2. Why they can even backfire
3. What to focus on instead
#100DaysOfCode (1)
1. Why portfolio websites often become such a waste of time
2. Why they can even backfire
3. What to focus on instead
#100DaysOfCode (1)
With a portfolio website, you typically want to increase your chances to find a (first) job as a web developer. Many even think it& #39;s mandatory to have a website.
I& #39;d like to challenge this perspective. (2)
I& #39;d like to challenge this perspective. (2)
When you apply for a job an employer wants to see that you can
- write code and build applications
- work professionally
- communicate problems and ideas
- be integrated into a team
- be ambitious and eager to learn
And what does a portfolio website show? (3)
- write code and build applications
- work professionally
- communicate problems and ideas
- be integrated into a team
- be ambitious and eager to learn
And what does a portfolio website show? (3)
A portfolio website shows
- that you can build a static website
- your design skills
- a touch of your personality
But building a static website isn& #39;t difficult nowadays. And design skills are nice to have but not important for a software developer. (4)
- that you can build a static website
- your design skills
- a touch of your personality
But building a static website isn& #39;t difficult nowadays. And design skills are nice to have but not important for a software developer. (4)
The real challenge for a modern web dev is to build dynamic data-driven applications. And a portfolio website usually isn& #39;t very interactive. Thus it doesn& #39;t show the essential skills, even if you open-source its code.
So what are the disadvantages of a portfolio website? (5)
So what are the disadvantages of a portfolio website? (5)
When I write a custom website I start with a nice design in my head. I start writing code. A few hours in I realize it looks like crap. I start moving elements pixel by pixel, add a border here, change a color there. I find some examples that I can copy... (6)
But the end result looks mediocre... at best.
Let& #39;s face it: Most developers aren& #39;t born designers. And they don& #39;t need to. (7)
Let& #39;s face it: Most developers aren& #39;t born designers. And they don& #39;t need to. (7)
But the problem is that a bad design can make you look incompetent even though everything works fine and the information on the website isn& #39;t bad at all.
So you could end up catching an eye with your website... but in a negative way. (8)
So you could end up catching an eye with your website... but in a negative way. (8)
So instead of going down the rabbit hole and designing a custom portfolio website that looks ... eh... rather focus your energy on more important things. For example
- Cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn
- Your GitHub portfolio (9)
- Cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn
- Your GitHub portfolio (9)
If you want to improve your resume read this thread by @RandallKanna. It contains LOTs of great tips including many quick fixes (10) https://twitter.com/RandallKanna/status/1287950733380218880?s=20">https://twitter.com/RandallKa...
If you want to polish your GitHub projects my favorite tips are:
1. Write an informative and descriptive README (e.g. screenshots, technical decisions, links to important code)
2. Use a linter
3. Write tests
You can get more tips here (11) https://jkettmann.com/tips-for-outstanding-portfolio-projects/">https://jkettmann.com/tips-for-...
1. Write an informative and descriptive README (e.g. screenshots, technical decisions, links to important code)
2. Use a linter
3. Write tests
You can get more tips here (11) https://jkettmann.com/tips-for-outstanding-portfolio-projects/">https://jkettmann.com/tips-for-...
If you want to read the complete thing on one page and in more detail you can find it here. (12) https://jkettmann.com/dont-waste-your-time-on-a-portfolio-website/">https://jkettmann.com/dont-wast...
Also don& #39;t miss my FREE email course that explains the hiring process and has lots advice on how to stand out of the crowd of job applicants. (end) https://jkettmann.com/your-first-tech-job-email-course/">https://jkettmann.com/your-firs...
