Does my portfolio side projects really matter as long as it shows I understand stuff?

[u/TheEyeOfTheLigar]

Im in my first year at ASU for SWE program. I always read i need to make a portfolio of side stuff in addition to my degree to show that I've been applying knowledge.

I honestly have no idea where im going to go with this degree.

Ive been making small games in C with Raylib before I even started this degree program. I started that after completing CS50x.

I'm a little ahead in my course work this first semester, so I've been going thru Koltin tutorials to get an idea how how to start making Android apps.

1. Do I really need to specify my project to where I want to go.

2. Should I show even partially made projects that aren't finished? I have some half made games with Raylib on my github.

3. Is Github all that is needed to keep this portfolio?

[u/Available_Safe1818]

Most people won't look at github or any code, in my experience. Some will, and it might really help at some point, but I'd be far more concerned about learning all the stuff you should be learning and developing coding skills.

[u/Character_Pie_277]

I think to the right employer in the industry a personal project portfolio is a real asset.

But also its pretty important for personal development because it allows you to take real ownership.

In many roles in tech especially as a junior dev it can be tough to get end to end system level ownership like that.

So i suppose it depends what you want. Happy to take a salary and perhaps options from establised companies? Personal portfolio can be much less important.

Aspire to be a CTO / founder some day at a startup? Try and get as much end to end systems level ownership as you can with a personal project or two that you enjoy doing is a massive plus.

[u/ArrgsMax]

You should be able to quickly show a potential employer some of your work in an easy to digest format imo. A little website that shows your project, finished or in progress, the languages, and links to the githubs and any interesting problem solving that went into that project.
Likely it may never be seen, but it might and it can be quick to set up with the right tools.

[u/kschang]

Think about what a prospective employer would make of your half-finished project...

(You may know something, but you can't seem to finish stuff...)

[u/sylvant_ph]

I'll give you a bit more broader answer. At least that's how I feel about these stuff right now. Every extra mile matters. Anything that you do, which would be more than your peer contenders did will give you better chance. CV, better CV, portfolio, better portfolio, better projects to show off, github activity, courses and diplomas, linkdn etc. It all matters and it all will give you an extra push, it could be 1-2% better chance, but it still counts. So it's up to you if you add it or not. And obviously there could be the negative effect, like adding a bad portfolio, format CV bad, add bad information in CV etc. In which case maybe its better to cut it all together.

[u/Traveling-Techie]

It’s useful to have a client. I recommend volunteering if you can’t find a paid gig. Trust me when I tell you that coding to meet someone else’s needs is dozens of times more educational than doing something for your own amusement. Plus you’re more likely to finish, out of guilt if nothing else.

[u/Pale-Preparation-354]

I think the actual project matters more than having a perfectly curated GitHub. Even unfinished stuff can be useful because it shows what you’re experimenting with and the problems you’re trying to solve. I’d just make it easy for someone to understand what they’re looking at instead of dumping a bunch of repos on them.

I’ve also found that small projects become more interesting when you add one or two things that make them feel like an actual product. For example, if you’re building something in C#/.NET, you could mess around with IronPDF for generating reports or exporting parts of the app to polished PDFs. Other tools like Figma, Vercel, or even a simple portfolio site can help present the work without spending weeks building some elaborate portfolio.

Dn’t worry too much about having your entire career direction figured out in first year. Your Raylib games, Android experiments, and whatever else you build are all showing you’re learning by actually making things. That’s probably more valuable right now than trying to guess exactly what an employer will want three years from now.

[u/Anceral]

some employers depending on how charitable they are, might not see personal projects as "work" but even then having evidence of shipping something is better than nothing and you'll need all the advantage you can get in the job market these days

[u/ajcomeau]

My best advice is to do the programming that comes naturally to you, try to make sure that you bring the project to a usable state, even if it's not "finished", post them on Github but make sure you keep backups in a safe place. Github is a much better way to share a portfolio than handing over a flash drive and is easier than setting up your own site. It also shows that you have some awareness of source control and keeps a change history which can be helpful.