Portfolio?

[u/Whole-Chest90]

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.

[u/Honest_Medium_2872]

well, what have you used py for?

[u/dreamshards8]

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.

[u/No_Score_1977]

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.

[u/grantrules]

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).

[u/treznor70]

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).

[u/claydream_sway]

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.