Portfolio 2.0
Ditching the Textbook and Building a Portfolio Recruiters Will Love (and I'll Love Too)Introduction: A New Chapter, a New Portfolio
Hey there! I’m excited to finally launch the redesign of my portfolio website! There was a very long period of misunderstanding what content should be included, followed by months of researching and soul-searching. This isn’t just modifying the style sheet; it’s a complete rebuild, reflecting a pretty significant shift in how I see myself and my work asa a developer.
My last iteration felt… well, like another school project. It checked the boxes, and definitely taught me some lessons. But in my hunt for a W-2 paycheck, I realized that my portfolio is not ideal for recruiters. Version 2.0 is all about injecting authenticity and purpose. It’s about moving beyond the buzz words and creating a digital space that truly represents who I am and what I’m passionate about.
The “Old” Portfolio: Learning the Ropes (and Following Instructions)
Version 1.0 served its purpose. It the core project for GIT413 - Professional Portfolio Design and Presentation. A lot of the direction of the site was based on the curriculum and suggestions from my professor. While there were a lot of great suggestions, like simplifying it to one page, and the logo design tweaks (which I kept), it still wasn’t a portfolio for a developer.
One requirement was to include “Case Studies”. It made sense: treat each project like a real client engagement, detailing the problem, my approach, and the solution. It was meant to showcase my problem-solving process and ability to think like a professional developer. However, as I started to actually build the case studies around my school projects, something felt a little… off-kilter.
Pretending these were client projects just didn’t resonate with me. It just felt inauthentic to the point of being fraudulent, and I only went along with it because I was determined to maintain my 4.0 GPA. While the exercise was valuable, I realized that in the real world, a portfolio needs to be direct, transparent, and, above all, authentic. The disconnect between the classroom simulation and the purpose of a portfolio became increasingly clear.
Portfolio 2.0: Authenticity and Functionality Take Center Stage
With V2, the guiding principle became authenticity. I wanted to create something that felt genuinely me – not a student playing a role, but a developer eager to connect with others and showcase my abilities in a clear and honest way. This meant shifting towards a more “resume-like” approach, focusing on directness, functionality, and letting the projects speak for themselves.
Portfolio 2.0 is about building a foundation of honest self-representation.
Key Features and Tech Choices: Under the Hood
Chatbot: A (Slightly Imperfect) Peek into the Future
One of the coolest additions, in my opinion, is the chatbot! I integrated it as a fun experiment in on-browser question answering using transformers.js. I was excited to explore the possibilities of bringing a bit of AI directly into my portfolio. It’s definitely a conversation starter, and a way to showcase my interest in emerging technologies.
Now, full transparency: it’s not perfect. transformers.js is powerful, but the question-answering models running directly in the browser can be a bit… well, let’s just say its responses are sometimes more creative than reliable! But that’s part of the learning process, right? I’m actively exploring switching to a more robust API, likely through OpenAI or Google. This would significantly boost the chatbot’s accuracy and usefulness, turning it into a genuinely helpful feature for site visitors. I think one of the issues is that I tried to give it too much context. For now, it’s a fun demonstration of my willingness to experiment and push boundaries – even if the results are still a work in progress.
I think transformers.js has it’s place, and it’s not for a chatbot, at least at the moment. It’s a very simple API and I think I’ll play with it more in future projects.
The Blog: More Than Just Code Snippets
As a web developer, I believe a blog is absolutely essential – and not just for SEO points (though that’s a nice bonus!). For me, it’s about:
- Sharing Knowledge and Giving Back: The web development community is incredible, and I want to contribute my own experiences and learnings to the collective knowledge pool.
- Showcasing Deeper Expertise: A portfolio showcases projects, but a blog allows me to dive deeper into technical topics, explain my thought processes, and demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of web development principles.
- Personal Branding and Connection: It’s a space to develop my own voice, connect with other developers, and build a more personal online presence.
- Documenting My Journey: I see this blog as a kind of developer’s journal, a place to reflect on my growth, challenges, and breakthroughs.
Ultimately, the blog is about creating a richer, more dynamic online presence that goes beyond just displaying code. It’s about engaging with the community and sharing the journey.
Tech Stack Confessions: Why Sveltekit, Vanilla CSS, and Lucide?
Alright, let’s get to the fun nerdy stuff – the tech stack! For this version of the portfolio, I really doubled down on tools that I genuinely enjoy working with, even if they aren’t always the “industry standard.”
- Sveltekit: My Magical Framework: I chose Sveltekit, and I’m not afraid to admit it, even though Next.js seems to be the dominant force these days. Next.js is fantastic, I get it. But for personal projects, Sveltekit just… sparks joy. There’s a certain elegance and “magic” to it that makes development feel incredibly fluid and fun. It aligns perfectly with my personal project philosophy of prioritizing developer happiness and a smooth, intuitive workflow. It’s bizarre how Svelte is compiled but feels more like vanilla JS than React. And I like the idea of directly modifying the DOM rather than a Virtual DOM. It seems like React will be, if ever, the last modern framework to jump on board with signals.
- Vanilla CSS: Full Control: Yes, I know Tailwind CSS is incredibly efficient and popular, and believe me, I’ve tried to get on board. But in the end, I always come back to the pure, unadulterated control of vanilla CSS. Tailwind, to me, sometimes feels like the Bootstrap of our era – incredibly useful for rapid prototyping and consistent styling, but maybe not ideal when you crave a truly unique and custom aesthetic. With the rise of AI frontend generators, like Bolt.AI, I feel that the developers who want to stand out will start to avoid Tailwind (More on that later). Plus, and maybe this is just me, but I actually enjoy writing CSS from scratch! There’s a certain satisfaction in crafting every detail exactly as you envision it.
- Lucide Icons: Boxy Icons Begone!: I used to be a die-hard FontAwesome user – it’s been a web development staple for ages. But lately, FontAwesome icons started feeling a bit… boxy and generic to my eye. I switched to Lucide Icons, and the difference is night and day for me. Lucide icons are cleaner, more refined, and feel much more modern. Plus, I appreciate Lucide’s generous open-source approach and the greater control it offers, especially without needing a paid subscription.
Coming Soon: Enter the Experimental Portfolio (Prepare for a Twist!)
But wait, there’s more! Portfolio 2.0 isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning of a new phase. I’m already secretly tinkering away on something… different. Something… experimental.
Imagine this: you land on my portfolio, and you have a choice. You can browse the “resume-style” Portfolio 2.0 you see now, or… you can flip a switch and view the experimental portfolio (still working on a name). What will this experimental version be? Well, that’s the surprise! Let’s just say that it’s not something that will be generated by a couple of prompts and the main idea is to break convention.
I’m incredibly excited about this upcoming project, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned for updates, and prepare to see my portfolio in a whole new light!
Conclusion: A Portfolio That Grows with Me
This portfolio redesign has been more than just a technical exercise; it’s been a journey of self-discovery and a conscious step towards building a more authentic online presence. Portfolio 2.0 is a reflection of my current skills, my evolving design sensibilities, and my commitment to continuous growth as a web developer. It’s about moving beyond simply following instructions and starting to make intentional choices that align with my own vision.
I sincerely invite you to explore the new site, poke around the projects, maybe even dare to chat with the (slightly unpredictable) chatbot, and definitely let me know what you think! Your feedback is incredibly valuable as I continue to refine and expand this digital space.
Thanks for reading!