I’m currently working on getting through the Skillcrush program, updating my portfolio site (www.kandisflick.com - feedback appreciated) and also want to make more projects to add to my portfolio. I’m thinking of starting to apply for jobs in January. Nothing is holding me back other than trying to do all of this on top of a full time job and taking care of two small kids!
My reply:
Hey, Kandis! Thanks for reaching out to me.
I always encourage people who are looking for full time jobs to consider doing some freelance work while you’re job hunting. It’s a great way to direct your further learning, start understanding what being a professional web developer actually entails, and get paid something while you’re doing it. It will help you seem less risky to potential employers too, since you will have completed projects for clients. You’re less of an unknown quantity.
Your portfolio looks nice! A few thoughts on it:
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Your hero image of the lake is very large (3.1MB). That makes it look amazing, but it makes the page weigh a lot. You might look into optimizing it to make it smaller.
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The full-height hero image is sometimes a usability issue as users don’t understand the page can scroll. For the audience you’re trying to appeal to, this may not be a problem since they’ll likely try scrolling the page even without any indication there is more content. One other related consideration that’s more important, though, is that this part of your page is extremely valuable. Everyone who hits your URL will see it. There’s no guarantee anyone will scroll past it, so you might want to put your most important thing here. Think about what you want visitors to this page to do. I’m guessing you’d want them to understand why they should hire you and then do that. Think about some way you might be able to accomplish those two things with this part of the page. Give your page a clear call-to-action that leads visitors to the next step you want them to take.
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I would like to see some more detail about your projects. What problem were you trying to solve? What were the challenges you encountered? How did you work around them? Mirror the problems you think your prospective employer might want you to solve and show how you solved those in your projects. If your current projects don’t solve any of the problems you think you will encounter in your job, you might want to build some that do.
Good luck in your transition, Kandis. You’re off to a great start! Reach out if there’s any way I can help further.
Her reply:
Hey Devon, thank you so much for the feedback! All great points. I will address those issues!
If you don’t mind, I have another question. I was thinking about doing Wes Bos’s JavaScript in 30, with the goal of adding more projects to my portfolio and getting better at JavaScript (I’ve only made a few JS projects and I don’t really feel very comfortable with the language). Is it OK to go through a program like that and use those projects to show my skills to employers, or will they see that and roll their eyes since a lot of people have gone through that program and have the same projects? Should I try to make something original rather than do that?
I’m also torn because I learned Python before JavaScript, and I really prefer Python… but I feel like I need to be comfortable with JavaScript before I go back to Python, since I’m already this far down the web developer path. I don’t really have any projects to show my Python skills other than a few programs I wrote during the MIT edX class I took, which are on Github and don’t have an interface (although I’m VERY interested in learning how to create a GUI for my Python programs). Do you have any thoughts on this?
I was actually thinking about building a site that helps people make running playlists based on music genre and beats per minute, since I was trying to do that myself and found the options lacking. It seems like Python would be a good language for that, but I’m not 100% sure!
Another thread:
What I want to accomplish: My goal is to leave my day job and become a full-time developer (whether it’s freelancing or a full-time job somewhere). I have two small children, and I need more flexibility in order to be as involved as I want to be in their lives. I work wayyyyy too many hours and my commute is about 2 hours per day; I don’t mind the amount of hours, but the rigidity of when those hours must be, and the commute, are not ideal.
Where I’m at now: I’m a CPA/Investment Accounting Manager. I need to somehow replace most of my income with development work. I have a feeling that, if I were to get an entry level position in development, I would need to take a substantial pay cut. I’m hoping to start freelancing before switching over, to see if I can supplement my income and build my portfolio before I switch careers.
To learn, I’m working through the Skillcrush program. I’ve done HTML/CSS/JavaScript and am now working on responsive web development. I also took an Intro to Comp Sci using Python class through MIT/edX back in August, and I’ve attended a couple Women Who Code meetups and have signed up to be a volunteer with them as well.
I’m eager to hear of any advice you’d have for me!
Kandis has taken a job from a friend for $50. Told her about my pricing article and reminded her of some of the things that will make her rate much higher than the hourly rate of a full-time employee. She seemed to be aware of those.
She talked about a position in her company that wants 5 years of experience. Told her I wasn’t sure how that would affect her in terms of office politics. Asked if that’s going to meet her goal to have more time and flexibility since it would require the same commute. She said it might because engineers in her company can work remotely, but she suspects it won’t. She asked about my schedule, and I told her.
She has been going to tech meetups. Advised her to think about who she wants to work for and to try to get in front of those people. Go to meetups where those people hang out. Told her to make her site about this too: the customer she wants to serve and the problem she solves.
She told me about a gig she found on Craigslist. I told her to explore it. She said they want a revamp of their current web site. I told her to start the relationship by getting to the “why” and then questioning whether the thing they want to build is actually going to solve that problem. Told her this positions her as a consultant rather than someone who swings a hammer.