Build a Software Developer Portfolio Website in 5 days
The ultimate guide to creating a portfolio site for fresh coders
A portfolio website is an essential tool for a programmer
The site serves two purposes — first to highlight any projects a developer may have worked on in the past, second to show off the coding skill of the developer by designing and building the portfolio site itself.
It’s a look inside the mind of the developer. A junior dev and a senior dev with structure their websites in entirely different ways, from the layout of the page, thinking in components, or structuring the visual identity. A good portfolio site demonstrates not just the aesthetic of a developer, but also their coding philosophy — are they minimalistic, maximalist, do they favor bold choices or clean lines?
The goal of this article is simple — to break down the process into small, achievable, and tangible goals every single day . The five day duration is a guideline— these steps can be done altogether or over the course of several weeks.
Let’s get started!
Day One: Back to Basics
Today, there are four goals — creating a badass LinkedIn page. An unfinished LinkedIn paired with a beautiful portfolio is like wearing your rattiest pair of sneakers with a bespoke tuxedo. If a company is looking to hire a developer, they will likely look both at the LinkedIn and the portfolio website.
- Follow this tutorial to make a killer LinkedIn profile.
- Make sure to add the relevant programming skills to the profile — HTML/CSS, SQL, ES6, Project Management, Ruby on Rails, React, Python, Django. Ask your friends, colleagues, bootcamp students, etc to endorse those skills or better yet, write a LinkedIn recommendation.
- Assemble a list of all of the social links you want to link on your portfolio site, such as GitHub, Medium, LinkedIn, Instagram. Make these links consistent — add a nice photograph and a short bio to each profile.
Day 2: The Domain
Once the LinkedIn profile looks professional, the nest step is to tackle the site itself. Often…
