I'd love to give you my two cents on this but will put a disclaimer up front.
I'm a student as well and almost done with my Bachelors. I've done two software development internships and have had a job as student developer whenever I wasn't a full time intern. Keep that in mind while reading this 😅
It depends. As a UI/UX researcher or designer there are multiple ways you can present yourself online and show off your work. Dribbble and Behance are popular platforms for designers for example. I'm not sure what the Research equivalent is, but it would not surprise me if it exists. If you decide to build your own website you have more control over how you present your work because you don't have to use the format of the platform.
If you decide to go for your own website, do include some projects you're proud of! In my experience this can really help when looking for internships and jobs because employers are able to look at the things you've already done. I've seen plenty of websites that include professional experience and blogs too. Whatever you put in there, make sure it's information you want to share publicly. There is not really an objective right or wrong in my opinion, just things that could help or hurt (if that makes sense).
If you don't want to code you could use Webflow to build your site visually or WordPress with a theme or site builder. Both of these options come with a cost if you don't want ads on your website. You could also use a static site generator like Jekyll or Gatsby and host your site at Netlify or github pages for free. This does involve some programming, even if you use an off the self theme.
I hope this was somewhat helpful, good luck with your journey!
Thank you so much for all of that, it was really helpful! I haven't looked at things like Dribble or Behance, so I will look into that. I totally agree that having your own website enables you to do whatever you want and showcase anything. I think having the freedom to do so is really important. I am familiar with some of the site builders but do you think it's more impressive to create a website that does involve programming? Thanks again!
That really depends on the company. Some like the idea of putting in extra effort and a display of knowledge about things that aren't necessarily directly needed for the job. Other companies have a laser focus on the end result and want see people pick tools that enable them to get the best results.
I'm personally always impressed when people coded their own thing. I build my own site with a static page generator and designed it myself which takes a ton of time. Anyone who has built a website or personal portfolio and used some code will understand how much effort you put into it. (That doesn't mean that building a website visually is easier though! It just faster because you don't have to learn how to code).
Oh ya for sure taking the time to code your own website is a lot more time consuming but you get a lot of credit for doing so. I would love to see your site if you don't mind sharing.
Can only agree with everything @maniflames
said. I've just today relaunched my personal website (loilo.de) because I'm in the process of relocating and therefore will need a new job.
I took job search as a motivation to get a fresh look out to my site and decided to present some of my Open Source projects there. Part of it of course is presenting myself to potential employers I'm applying for, but at least the same amount is pure personal satisfaction coming from presenting my own projects in a nice visual way. If you have the time to spare, you may want to try it out for that reason alone. 🙂
I just checked out your website and it's amazing! A big part of it is for jobs and to show off myself, but I am looking forward to just playing around with creating a website to design it how I want it to look and represent me. I am looking to do this in my spare time as a for fun type of thing so I am excited to see what I can do.
Hi,
I'd love to give you my two cents on this but will put a disclaimer up front.
I'm a student as well and almost done with my Bachelors. I've done two software development internships and have had a job as student developer whenever I wasn't a full time intern. Keep that in mind while reading this 😅
It depends. As a UI/UX researcher or designer there are multiple ways you can present yourself online and show off your work. Dribbble and Behance are popular platforms for designers for example. I'm not sure what the Research equivalent is, but it would not surprise me if it exists. If you decide to build your own website you have more control over how you present your work because you don't have to use the format of the platform.
If you decide to go for your own website, do include some projects you're proud of! In my experience this can really help when looking for internships and jobs because employers are able to look at the things you've already done. I've seen plenty of websites that include professional experience and blogs too. Whatever you put in there, make sure it's information you want to share publicly. There is not really an objective right or wrong in my opinion, just things that could help or hurt (if that makes sense).
If you don't want to code you could use Webflow to build your site visually or WordPress with a theme or site builder. Both of these options come with a cost if you don't want ads on your website. You could also use a static site generator like Jekyll or Gatsby and host your site at Netlify or github pages for free. This does involve some programming, even if you use an off the self theme.
I hope this was somewhat helpful, good luck with your journey!
Thank you so much for all of that, it was really helpful! I haven't looked at things like Dribble or Behance, so I will look into that. I totally agree that having your own website enables you to do whatever you want and showcase anything. I think having the freedom to do so is really important. I am familiar with some of the site builders but do you think it's more impressive to create a website that does involve programming? Thanks again!
That really depends on the company. Some like the idea of putting in extra effort and a display of knowledge about things that aren't necessarily directly needed for the job. Other companies have a laser focus on the end result and want see people pick tools that enable them to get the best results.
I'm personally always impressed when people coded their own thing. I build my own site with a static page generator and designed it myself which takes a ton of time. Anyone who has built a website or personal portfolio and used some code will understand how much effort you put into it. (That doesn't mean that building a website visually is easier though! It just faster because you don't have to learn how to code).
Oh ya for sure taking the time to code your own website is a lot more time consuming but you get a lot of credit for doing so. I would love to see your site if you don't mind sharing.
Last time I touched it is a long time ago, it definitely needs work 😂
It's imanidap.nl!
Can only agree with everything @maniflames said. I've just today relaunched my personal website (loilo.de) because I'm in the process of relocating and therefore will need a new job.
I took job search as a motivation to get a fresh look out to my site and decided to present some of my Open Source projects there. Part of it of course is presenting myself to potential employers I'm applying for, but at least the same amount is pure personal satisfaction coming from presenting my own projects in a nice visual way. If you have the time to spare, you may want to try it out for that reason alone. 🙂
I just checked out your website and it's amazing! A big part of it is for jobs and to show off myself, but I am looking forward to just playing around with creating a website to design it how I want it to look and represent me. I am looking to do this in my spare time as a for fun type of thing so I am excited to see what I can do.
Thanks! Show off your site here on DEV when it's done, I'd love to see it 😁