Every time I decide to be consistent about content creation, I get (or make) opportunities to travel, explore, and network. It could be procrastination or a matter of priorities but if you are a devrel or wanna be a devrel, you already know how much networking is important for us.
Our role needs us to be social people, for our team and for the product we represent - being in the audience is as important as knowing to code.
The same thing happened to me till last November when I decided to build my own Portfolio - I was procrastinating, networking, traveling, and doing a lot of other things.
Here is a twist, I didn’t get the devrel role just by chance or luck. One of the reasons I could come across multiple opportunities is I have something that represents what I do and who I am.
That’s what lead me to where I am today - a PORTFOLIO.
Plenty of times I have heard people talking about advancing more skills, gaining more knowledge, doing this or that. However, there is a simple rule in sales - what connects is mostly, what sells. You might have a good stack but if you can’t show it, it’s almost useless while applying for jobs.
A portfolio is where you represent and show what you know, have built, are building, etc. It doesn’t have to be fancy - make it feasible and you are good.
As a developer, this should be your first step. Don’t repeat my mistake. I took more time than needed. We all have so much to show.
Let me get you on a secret. A portfolio doesn’t only help in getting jobs but also in building self-confidence.
Let me convince you a little more.
Why portfolio is important?
Proof of work - We are in an industry where we can show what we have built, and how we have built it, and we have already made a good impression on the required audience. We are the people from where POW got its fame in recent years.
High sales - If you are an independent developer, work on a few different projects at once, and want to close clients asap, a portfolio is your solution. You can show all your history, and impress your clients and it’s one link for all - saves time. After all, time is money.
Marketing - It becomes a great tool to market your skills and creativity. The best part is what you can think of as a developer, no other developer can think the same. You will always have something unique to show.
Demand - Portfolios are in demand nowadays. Let me remind you a bit about economics. You supply what a customer demands. Here recruiter is a customer and you are a supplier who needs to cater to their demands.
No FOMO - Yes, you read it right. FOMO - fear of missing out. You will not go through this emotion every once in a while when you can apply to whatever opportunity that knocks on your door.
In this digital world, one thing is for sure, you won’t need a physical portfolio most time. You can check out my portfolio here chakitarora.com.