Why You Might Want to Use a Site-Building Service for Your Portfolio?
When you first start developing applications, one of the initial projects you'll likely tackle is building a portfolio website. Whether you're entering the job market and need to showcase your skills or simply want to practice using new tools, frameworks, or services, developing a portfolio is a common first step.
While creating your portfolio can be a great way to enhance your development skills, there are compelling reasons why you might want to consider using a site-building service instead. Here’s why:
⏳ Save Time and Effort Building any application from scratch requires a significant investment of time and effort. By using an existing site-building service like Squarespace, Wix, or Carrd, you can save a considerable amount of time. You might think, “But I want more practice!” While it’s true that building your own site can be great practice, it’s worth considering whether this is the type of practice you need at this stage in your development journey.
Once you've mastered the basics of web development—layouts, styles, flexbox, grid—there’s no need to keep practicing these skills repeatedly. The web development field is always evolving, and there will be plenty of opportunities to apply your foundational skills in more complex projects. Instead of spending time on a simple portfolio, you could be tackling more advanced and challenging tasks.
🎨 Leverage Professional Design Unless you’re a professional designer, creating a visually compelling and unique design can be challenging. Even if you can put together some decent layouts, there are professionals who excel at creating stunning visuals and innovative user experiences. Companies employ UI, UX, and graphic designers for a reason.
Using a site-building service means you can take advantage of professionally designed templates and avoid the pitfalls of amateur design. This allows you to focus more on developing your skills as a developer rather than getting bogged down in design details.
♿ Ensure Accessibility and User-Friendliness Accessibility and user-friendliness are crucial aspects of web development. While any good developer should be able to create accessible and user-friendly sites, doing so takes time and expertise. Site-building services are designed with these principles in mind, ensuring that your site is accessible to a wider audience and provides a seamless user experience.
Instead of spending hours tweaking your site to ensure it works on all devices and screen sizes, you can rely on a service that handles these issues for you. This allows you to apply your skills to other projects where you might get more value for your time.
💸 Cost-Effectiveness You might think that using a site-building service is more expensive than creating your own static site. While a self-built site can be cost-effective in terms of direct expenses, the time investment can make it more costly in the long run. Managing your site, ensuring it’s hosted correctly, and dealing with updates can consume a lot of time.
For instance, consider a simple feature like a contact form. Implementing this yourself might require integrating an email API or using a workaround like Netlify forms. While these solutions can be free, they aren’t always the easiest or most elegant. A site-building service can handle these features seamlessly, allowing you to focus on what matters most: honing your development skills.
Conclusion Building your own portfolio site can be a valuable learning experience, but it’s not always the best use of your time and effort. Using a site-building service can save you time, provide professional design, ensure accessibility, and be more cost-effective. This way, you can concentrate on developing more advanced skills and working on projects that push your boundaries as a developer.
Consider the benefits of site-building services and make an informed decision about how to best showcase your talents and advance your career.
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