From 2AM Debugging to $1000: How I Built My AI-Powered Portfolio

This is a submission for the New Year, New You Portfolio Challenge Presented by Google AI

About Me

I'm a final-year B.Tech student who basically made a Faustian deal where I traded sleep for AI knowledge. By day, I'm grinding through multimedia systems, ML algorithms, and cybersecurity concepts. By night (and I mean literally 2 AM), I'm building projects with Python, JavaScript, and whatever Google AI tool I can get my hands on.

I've been freelancing, creating content across Dev.to, Twitter, and LinkedIn, building AI-generated video and image content, and competing in every challenge that promises rewards and bragging rights. This challenge? Perfect fit for someone who's been juggling a portfolio refresh for months while being too busy "just starting one more quick AI experiment."

What I'm Building

My portfolio is my digital middle finger to generic templates. It showcases:

• AI & ML Projects: Text-to-image generators, text-to-video experiments, and ML models from graphical models to generative AI
• Web Dev Work: Full-stack projects with clean UI, responsive design, and actual personality
• Technical Writing: Dev.to blogs, GitHub documentation, and content that doesn't put people to sleep
• The Real Me: Casual, slightly sarcastic, obsessed with automation, and absolutely fueled by Gemini API documentation and cold coffee

I deployed it to Google Cloud Run because (a) it was surprisingly painless, and (b) I wanted to prove that building modern portfolios doesn't require a PhD in DevOps.

How I Built It

Tech Stack: HTML/CSS/JavaScript on the frontend, Python for any backend logic, and Google Cloud Run for deployment.

Google AI Integration:

• Used Gemini via AI Studio to help brainstorm portfolio copy that sounds natural, not robotic
• Leveraged Google Cloud Run free tier (because student budget = zero budget) to deploy without crying
• Experimented with embedding AI-powered features directly into the portfolio to showcase my skills

Design Philosophy: Modern, dark-mode friendly, fast, and with enough personality that judges remember me as "that person who cracked jokes in their portfolio" and not just another submission.

What I'm Most Proud Of

1. Honesty Over Hype: This portfolio actually represents who I am—a B.Tech student obsessed with AI and shipping things, not some fictional 10x developer who knows every framework
2. AI Integration Done Right: Not just slapping "powered by Gemini" on things; actually using AI tools meaningfully in both the building and the presentation
3. Speed & UX: The site loads fast, looks good on mobile, and doesn't throw 50 pop-ups at visitors
4. The Copy: Every project description feels like I wrote it while caffeinated at 3 AM (because I did), but it's still clear and compelling

Why I'm Here

Honestly? The money's nice. The feedback from the Google AI team? Even better. But mostly, I'm here because building is what makes me feel alive, and this challenge forced me to stop procrastinating and actually deploy the portfolio I've been planning since November.

If I win, that's $1000 toward my next adventure (probably server costs for some overambitious AI project). If I don't, I still have a portfolio I'm genuinely proud of, and that's not a small thing.

Let's see if the judges appreciate my blend of technical skill and comedic timing. 🚀

Portfolio

Note to readers: To embed your live Cloud Run portfolio here, follow the Cloud Run embedding guide and use the label --labels dev-tutorial=devnewyear2026 during deployment. Your portfolio URL will appear live in this post.

My portfolio is currently live and showcases all the projects, skills, and personality described above.