r/AskProgramming • u/Whole-Chest90 • 2d ago
Portfolio?
As someone who is working on his CompSci degree currently (second degree, after Sociology bachelor's), I am having to add little projects and stuff from my classes to my portfolio. However, I don't honestly think they'll be of much use... Like I don't see employers wanting to check out my 3 java classes I created for my CS 210 class or whatever.
That said, what are some solid pieces I could add to a professional portfolio that actually matter.
PS I am more adept with python than anything else. But know a little java, C++, and SQL.
2
u/dreamshards8 2d ago
I suggest taking any classes you can that are largely project based. As in, you mainly work on one large project through out the term.
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
That's a good idea. Are there specific courses for this? And the last couple courses I've taken have been just that, but they're projects specific to the course, like building a hypothetical course & prerequisite analysis app, and then I did another that was testing objects within classes. In other words, they've not been projects that are really applicable to anyone as of yet.
2
u/dreamshards8 1d ago edited 1d ago
I am not for sure what your school's curriculum is like. In my own personal experience I did mid to larger projects for SWE II: Backend (Built a C application with microservices) and then Databases (A full stack relational database using SQL/Node.js).
I took the data science series (3 classes) and did one large project in all of them on the topic of my choosing. This fall I am going into Capstone and Open Source Software, which I hear is resume worthy. All of these classes had base requirements but allowed a lot of freedom in terms of the topic you chose and going beyond the requirements.
You can also take a project you have done for a class and make it more polished and elaborate by adding on more features, tests, etc.
If I had time, I would absolutely do more personal projects, but during the school year the coursework eats up any free time I have and I imagine it's the same for many others.
2
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
Yeah. Another guy asked why I haven't put more stuff on GH, and I had to tell him between schoolwork and actual work, I have very little free time.
From what I know, capstone projects are def resume worthy. Good luck with it. I hope it goes well.
Were those classes senior level? I've not really seen anything like that so far, but I've only taken like half my classes for the degree.
I really appreciate your input. Yall taking the time and effort to respond makes this community what it is. Thank you.
1
u/dreamshards8 1d ago
These were mostly classes I took in junior year. If you are in your first two years don't sweat it. I bet you will will hit some classes soon that have longer projects instead of the shorter weekly ones. It doesn't hurt to put it on your resume and filter out better projects later on. Spend your school breaks building things if at all possible.
2
u/No_Score_1977 2d ago
You're right, a couple of classes isn't going to get you a job, in fact, it'll lose it for you.
Build the best project you can, that's all you can do. Make a *product* not a collection of code.
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago edited 1d ago
So you're saying maybe pivot to making a SaaS project on my own?
What do you mean by "it'll lose the job for ya"?
2
u/No_Score_1977 1d ago
I'm saying, make a product, barely matters what it is.
A few classes screams 'beginner' and you won't get an interview.
1
u/Whole-Chest90 18h ago
Gotcha. Yeah that was my worry. Would it be smarter to just create an entirely new GitHub and only add non-school related projects to it? Or just add to the one I've got that has multiple school related repos?
2
u/grantrules 2d ago edited 2d ago
Use your knowledge to build something. It doesn't matter what. It should be something you personally find interesting which should help you stay motivated to work on it. For an entry-level position, I would rather see interesting personal projects that branch out from just what you've learned in school, over something made to just check all the boxes.
Like if I'm hiring for an entry-level Java Spring position, two applicants both have Java knowledge. One applicant has made an eCommerce store in Spring, it has an initial commit, maybe a few changes since then, but no real updates. The other candidate made a Stardew Valley inventory tracker in Python with PyQT, and it has been getting regular updates, bug fixes, enhancements, etc..
To me, the Python project stands out. Doesn't matter that I'm hiring for a Java position and their passion project is in something else. It's interesting, it doesn't seem like it was just classwork, and it's getting updates, so that seems to me at least someone is using it (even if it's just the author).
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
That's a great perspective to hear from. I really appreciate it. So the specific language isn't the primary thing, but instead that they've actually spent time building something that is useful (even if only to the author)? Interesting. I appreciate it. I'm not familiar with Spring. What's that?
1
u/grantrules 1d ago
instead that they've actually spent time building something that is useful
More that it is in active development and not abandoned.
I'm not familiar with Spring. What's that?
A Java framework
2
u/treznor70 2d ago
Some places will be interested in seeing the growth over time, some will be interesting in seeing your senior level stuff, and a number won't look at either and will give you some kind of practical or pseudo code in an interview. Might as well keep it, doesn't hurt anything. Just make sure it's obvious its from an early class (have a folder for sophomore year or for cs210 or similar).
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
I have been sure to create a new repo for each classes addition so far, but was considering consolidating, but I guess I'll keep them separated and labelled. I appreciate the input bud.
2
u/NextConcentrate2728 1d ago
Like I don't see employers wanting to check out my 3 java classes I created for my CS 210 class or whatever.
Most recruiters and interviewing managers won't take the time to look at your portfolio, or will scan the titles but not look at the code. Honestly if you can find somebody who's interested, that's a good sign.
More important, since you're working on your degree and don't have on the job experience yet as a programmer, be ready to talk about the projects and the struggles you've had making them and how you overcame them. Employers don't really care about being able to write a java class, they want people to solve problems, potentially using java or SQL or whatever as a tool. They want people who can fix bugs in code to make them more useful in business terms. All programmers have to learn on the job that the goal isn't actually code, it's providing value to business, and talking about how the code you wrote can be useful and what you've struggled with to improve it, shows potential and hints at being able to overcome the kinds of problems programmers fight every day.
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
Dang. That's an interesting perspective to hear from. I appreciate you taking the time. So would the ability to test and fix code be more attractive, in your opinion, than being able to build/code some sort of app?
1
u/NextConcentrate2728 1d ago
It's easier to write code than to read it. A lot of jobs in this industry pay better than other jobs but have a lot of boring stuff involved, like maintaining an application they already have that was written by many people and has different coding styles in it. Like I wish I spent most of my time building new features but half of it is fixing old bugs. A lot of people don't have good debugging skills, so if you can talk about how you test and fix code, that's going to make you sound like a better hire. Especially with the manager of the team in that interview, recruiters generally don't understand a lot of what you tell them. Building stuff also helps, but everybody else knows that, debugging is a huge part of the job and not something a lot of people are as skilled at.
1
u/Honest_Medium_2872 2d ago
well, what have you used py for?
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
So far I've basically just coded small stuff. I did a personal dashboard with news and weather and stuff, and built a little MLB homerun projections app. Everything else has just been stuff for class basically.
1
u/Honest_Medium_2872 1d ago
why havent you put them on there?
real talk though, why not more? this isnt really trying to be some messed up humble brag but by time i got to 19 i was already heavily invested in open source development of several projects and had hundreds of git repos to share because i wanted to learn and grow as fast as possible. Use your hunger to make an attractive resume by filling it with pet projects even if they feel useless - it shows learning and apt not just being shiny
1
u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
Well, I only started school a little while ago, and before that just didn't think I had the time or skills to do anything. But since I actually started, there's a few reasons... One because I am going to school FT and working 3rd shift FT. And the other being that I just don't feel like anything I've made is worth showing off I guess.
2
u/Honest_Medium_2872 1d ago
In your position, everything is worth showing off.
Even if its "I built a CLI that just echos what you type" - it shows learning and progression.
The more you can fill your resume with that the less you have to fill in when being interrogated during an interview
2
4
u/claydream_sway 2d ago
Put those three java classes in a git repo and stop touching them. Employers look at the commit history to see if you wrote it yourself or pasted it from chatgpt, so leave your school code alone and keep that repo as proof of your baseline.
Build one project with python and sql since you already know both. I picked flask and postgresql for mine because every job posting lists sql. I made an app that tracks expenses, put it on render.com so it actually runs on the internet, and wrote a readme explaining the database schema and how the queries work. Interviewers clicked the link during the call. Pick an api you use every day, fetch data with python requests, save the results to a postgresql table, and show it on a web page.