How to Start Filling Your Web Developer Portfolio at College

All employers value job experience, but when it comes to such areas as web development, portfolios can be more important. In fact, your complete lack of job experience can be outshined by several outstanding tools you’ve developed. However, that is possible only provided that you have enough skills and sources of ideas.

Type in ‘help me write my essay’ to find a service that can help you with your assignments and focus on making your portfolio pretty. What should it look like? Where do you start? How can you tell if something is worth including in your portfolio? Let’s figure it out.

Take Freelance Projects

As a student dealing with web development, you will probably not have much time to work without a flexible schedule. Even ‘hire essay writer’ services might not give you enough time to deal with a full-time job. So, the main way to go in this case is to start searching for freelance offers. Real projects are highly valued by employers. They show that you worked for someone and satisfied their needs.

When you’re ready to dive into the real world of web development, monitor the offers on freelance websites, and mind the three don’ts:

do not rush into serious projects that will only make you anxious when the deadlines approach;
do not take several tasks at once;
do not accept an offer unless you’re sure that you can handle the technologies to be used.

Also, don’t hesitate to ask your clients for recommendations and comments on your profile. It’s better to do it quickly so that you don’t have to chase the person later when they do not need any updates from you.

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Consult With Your Teachers

This tip is essential in general since many students rarely approach teachers to get a piece of advice. Meanwhile, you can obtain from them a lot of information about upcoming competitions and projects you could participate in. Sometimes, teachers share it with the whole group. Yet, not all projects allow for many team members, and this information is withheld to avoid stiff competition among learners.

This is a perfect loophole for proactive students. So, be one of them. All studies become boring at some point, but you can make them more interesting and enriching for you. And don’t be shy to ask your teacher about the skills you might need to develop or hone to handle technology. Maybe one of the tips will spark your interest in something new and promising.

Start Optimizing Your Learning Process

As you learn new things, the image of how your studying (or even daily chores) can be automated becomes clearer. You may start with a small and basic website/app and then complement it with new features. It can be connected to anything:

keeping your digital notes organized;
transferring data with less manual work;
managing specific calculations faster;
automating your learning schedule, etc.

Also, think about what can help not only you but your classmates as well. Some ideas can turn into projects that will go viral. This is a great plus since the website with your repository or, for instance, the NPM package will track statistics of its usage. Such achievements are even more valuable.

Moreover, if you plan to take freelance projects as recommended previously, you’re going to need proof that you’re able to write proper code.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/0K7GgiA8lVE

Use Opportunities to Complete Team Projects

Teamwork in web development is integral. Even if you manage small assignments yourself, the real challenge comes when you and your classmates gather as a team and try to make it work. Soft skills tested and developed during teamwork can be more precious than tech ones. Many technically skilled candidates don’t get recruited exactly because of poor soft skills like:

time management;
working in a team;
communication with co-workers;
willingness to help each other out.

So, the earlier you realize your weak spots, the better. As soon as you finish your first team project, your assignment can be used in the portfolio with a note saying that you completed it working in a team. You may also add a bit of analysis regarding what you’ve learned and how it can help you in your career.

Also, consider indicating technical details such as:

used bundler;
frameworks;
packages;
additional technologies you’ve had to work with for the first time.

Summing Up

The creation of a portfolio is not a challenging task itself. You need to be concise and show the best of your works. However, to compile a collection of those, you will have to be proactive and on the lookout for opportunities.

Starting to complement your portfolio at college is a good idea if you do not want to waste time and lose the connection with your major after graduation. So, ask for advice, hone your soft skills, and be open to new information. It should be quite enough to succeed.