2nd question from the Dev Pools series.
Same rules as before. Since we can't add polls, we select an emoji.
Do you own portfolio site or not?
❤️ - Yes, of course
🤯 - Nahh, don't need it
Btw, why do you think its important, or why you think its not needed?
Top comments (24)
Not important at all, but if you're going to make one, be aware it can actually count against you if it's a pile of ****.
Agree on the second part
Far more important is to have an active and interesting GitHub/GitLab/whatever account. Anyone hiring who actually knows what they're doing will put very little weight on a portfolio site.
I agree, thats why I said portfolio of some sort actually. I think it may come in different formats, github is one of them. It doesn't have to be a personal website as long as it tells what you can bring to the table
My point is that it shouldn't be something curated with the intention of trying to impress, as that does not give a very accurate picture of who you are as a developer. 'Warts and all' is preferable, and requires far less effort.
Now that I think of it, it makes sense that a Github/Gitlab would be a better option to depict your achievements and expertise. Do you believe that, as a Frontend or Fullstack dev, it makes sense to build your portfolio as a website? Or you should always focus on your GitHub, being an engineer or developer:?
I honestly don't believe in consciously building a portfolio at all - I certainly never have. Just develop what you want to develop... it doesn't really matter. Crazy ideas, false starts, unfinished projects, mistakes... these all help to give a flavour of who you are as a developer and how you've progressed.
If you really must build a portfolio site, then I would suggest trying to come up with something totally original that actually stands out - not just a cookie cutter "CV as a web page" that has been over-engineered with unnecessary frameworks and libraries.
Now that I see your point, I couldn't agree more. I can see the value in trying things out and going after your "developer identity" if that makes any sense. I appreciate your input.
Maybe a bit controversial opinion, but I believe every dev should have a portfolio of some sort, but some are approaching this subject in a wrong way. At least for me it should show your past experience, stuff you are building or working on etc, general feeling of how it would be to work with you. More like a remote cv then the list of technologies you have used in the past 10yrs or so.
But dev work is usually proprietary to the company you work for. I can’t (shouldn’t) copy code from a dashboard I made in a full time position, into my portfolio.
I don't have one anymore. I did but I wasn't keeping it up to date, so I shut it down. I felt it was important while I was freelancing and looking for clients. But it's less important if you're looking for full-time jobs where I think they will be more interested in a traditional resume. I do link to my GitHub which is sort of a portfolio I suppose.
❤️
I think it's important to have one, because it outlines your identity, your brand.
This is mine: domenicotenace.dev
It's fine not to have a portfolio if you've got an impressive GitHub and/or Stack Overflow profile. But having a poor portfolio is worse than having none. Ideally, a good portfolio is best for those who can create one.
Keeping a portfolio up-to-date is a lot of work. You also have to decide what to put into it. A bloated portfolio of all your completed projects is of no real use. Companies are more interested in what you can do for them in future rather than what you did in the past.
You won't forget the experience of a project you are proud of. You won't forget the lessons a failed project teached you.
How do companies figure that out? Based on your past reputation..
When you find an interesting company, you gonna meet the team, have an interview... Plenty of time to talk an share experiences before both sides can decide whether it's a match or not.
No company will hire a guy solely based on portfolio on GitHub.
A portfolio should match the type of work, so as a web developer, I have my own portfolio website. Other types of developers (backend or offline) might be better off focusing on GitHub/GitLab, StackOverflow and code contributions, while graphic designers have behance, dribbble, pinterest boards and instagram. So a portfolio isn't "not important at all", but of course it depends.
As a frontend dev, I believe resume is not just enough. you got to have a portfolio that shows your work, your brand, your thoughts, and there is so much more that cannot be written on resume, while it can be easily consumed if its presented in your portfolio.
So ❤️ - Yes, of course
Here's mine - msquare.vercel.app
Both!!
❤️ Yes, of course AND 🤯 - Nahh, don't need it as a personal website; you can make a portfolio on your GitHub profile or showcase projects that are already deployed (web/mobile apps in stores)..
I don't know if it has some value, but I don't think it will harm you if it has valuable information like your CV and project links. Here is mine if you're curious, I had no idea what was I doing, but here we are:
marques-developer-portifolio.netli...
In my own opinion, I believe having a portfolio is ideal.
Here is why:
It showcases your skills and projects- it is more compelling to show your projects you have worked on, the technologies used and how the solutions were implemented.
Practical Demonstration- as software developers it's necessary since you won't just list the things you're capable of doing on your resume or in the interview but to have a practical demo of how you structure your code, how you solve problems, how you decide on which tools to use, how you can apply your knowledge to solving real world problems.
Differentiating Yourself - it could be a strategy you can use to set yourself apart from other developers. This is important since the job market is now full of competition hence you would need to differentiate yourself from other developers.
Builds Credibility- software development is not easy. It requires a lot of commitment. Having a portfolio allows you to showcase how committed you are with your project. For example using GitHub to commit improvements of your project. If you are passionate about something you will commit to it no matter how hard it might be. It's another way to prove the progress you have made to your project, from something simple to something innovative.
Attract clients and job opportunities- every client/company want to stand out from the market. Nowadays recruiters want to see your previous work you have done. Therefore it would be difficult to assess if they can hire you or not if you don't have any kind of visibility. They believe what they see not what they hear!
Personal Branding - having a portfolio builds trust since you have an online presence of all the skills and projects you have done. As well as showing how you applied the skills and knowledge you have to build your projects. It then becomes easy to be considered for a certain job.
In summary I would say having a portfolio is ideal as it provides so many advantages that are overlooked. These advantages will help you to be easily noticed and fairly considered in this fast paced world of tech as competition is seriously mushrooming. In addition, take it as a way of documenting your work, whether you're doing it for a job or not. The idea is to be ready for any opportunity that might arise in your job market.
My résumé came with a bloated portfolio.
A previous director had told me — after I was hired, fortunately — that my résumé was about the worst résumé he had ever seen. Sterile. Long. Boring.
❤️ - Yes, of course
I agree you need a portfolio to promote yourself and it is like a resume and well detailed