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Can I get some portfolio feedback.

Dwayne on December 01, 2021

I am freelancing and I want to land a full-time position. What are your thoughts on my skill level? Any thoughts at all are appreciated ✌🏽Check it out

Tran Minh Tri • Dec 1 '21

You should include skills section where you list all the skills you have used in your projects like HTML CSS JS React JAM like whatever related

This help the recruiter who found you through linkedin know what you know immediately.

Dwayne • Dec 1 '21

I had a skills section but I removed it because I added technology/skills badges on the projects to show what tech/skills I used to build this specific project. Thank you for your feedback.

Przemyslaw Michalak • Dec 1 '21

I'm not sure for what job you are applying. On one hand you call yourself web developer on the other you saying you are looking for a job where you can use Wix, Wordpress and other drag and drop tools. Web developers are creators of CMS systems not users.
I couldn't find any reasonable form on any of your websites, creating and managing form is one of the major things. The only one form I found was made in Wix, so again I'm not sure for what job you want to apply with this portfolio.

Dwayne • Dec 1 '21

Thank you for the feedback I don't understand the point you are trying to make but I appreciate you! Do you have any constructive thoughts about my portfolio, or how I can land a full-time web development job?
Thanks again.

Przemyslaw Michalak • Dec 2 '21 • Edited

My point is to actually help you to get a job instead of just telling you how nice your portfolio looks like. Sorry if I will sound harsh, but I really want to help you, so take my feedback cold. I personally would appreciate feedback like that in the times I was looking for a first job. And remember that's only my opinion. I'm just trying to help you, instead of tapping your shoulder.

So to start from the beginning. Do you want to get a job as a actual web developer that is using code (as JS, Node, PHP etc.) to build web apps? Or do you want to be (I think so called) 'data entry clerk'?

If you just want to build websites in Wordpress, Wix etc. Build some online shop. That's the main market. You need to show skills in importing and managing products on the client website. Adding new blogs and content etc.
Taking a template and adding your own picture and text doesn't show any value. CMS for building websites has been designed for business owners, students and self-employed people that has nothing to do with web development. That said, showing you can use it, proves only that you have IQ above room temperature level, because everyone can use such a system.
So you need to look at actual businesses and see what content they keep on their websites. Apparently BBC website is build on Wordpress. So a lot of blogs, articles and videos. Many online shops is build in Wordpress, so you need to know how to build and manage actual items in the shop.

Now, if you want to be a real web developer, you can ditch all of that you have done. The only project in your portfolio that shows some skills is the one with stock market (or something like that, well, the one with chart :D ) and it doesn't work properly (or I didn't know how to use it, which is on you as well). As a actual developer you need to focus on forms, data tables, charts etc. but most important, on handling data in your web app. Make some forms with validation, on submit sent data to backend that will transform it and put it in the data base and those records will be shown on frontend in some table. You can make two examples:

the form and the data table on the same page, to show how do you handle reactivity, so right after submit the new record will appear on the same page without any reload.
create another page with the same data table, showing same records just to show how do you handle routing etc.

Then you can make two copies of this app:

Using pure React, JS and for example NodeJS, this will prove you understand and know how to use basics
Using as many popular libraries, for example formik for forms, bootstrap for CSS, chartJS for charts etc. this will prove you know how to integrate with popular libraries and how to use it.

To short everything down. You need to focus on what is important in the job you are trying to land.

Dwayne • Dec 3 '21

Sweet much appreciated! My issue I guess is narrowing my focus. I want to do everything to be employable but I feel like I’m not headed in the right direction. These are clear issues I can improve on 👍🏽

Ben Sinclair • Dec 1 '21

Looks pretty good. It does everything I imagine you want it to and doesn't have any obvious issues except a couple I'll list.

Accessibility

The way the background image moves just a little bit under the main CTA, in combination with the animated typing text gives me motion sickness.
Same but less so with the way things ease into view.
When I use the tab key to navigate I can't see what has focus. I have no idea where I am on the page.
The overlay on portfolio items has poor contrast in some places (see the WIX logo on "Unintentional Purpose" for example)
The "view design" popup doesn't let you zoom and is... a popup (popups baaaad). This means we don't really get to see it very well unless we have a 2m tall monitor (see the popup for "Comfy Libra" for example)

Your CSS does have some support for prefers-reduced-motion, but it only covers some aspects (like smooth scrolling) and not others. Everything is on by default, and this means that users on systems where it's not well-supported (so 95% of visitors) will see the transitions and movements.