[Non-CS Major, Surviving as a Developer] 16. Essential Tips for Writing a Portfolio as a Junior Developer

Surviving as a Non-Computer Science Graduate Developer

#16. Tips for Crafting a Killer Portfolio for Entry-Level Developers

Typically, aspiring developers preparing for job searches fall into two main categories: computer science graduates seeking jobs upon graduation and non-computer science graduates who complete bootcamps or similar programs and then pursue job opportunities.

Lately, I've been reviewing resumes and portfolios of aspiring non-computer science developers through Inflearn mentoring, and I've noticed a recurring pattern of mistakes. To address this, I'm going to provide some tips today specifically for entry-level developers (focusing on those without a computer science background) on building effective portfolios.

**[Tips for Entry-Level Developer Portfolios]**

It's crucial to include multiple project experiences within your portfolio. In bootcamps, you typically complete two projects, and these become your project experience entries. Provide detailed descriptions of each project, including the technologies used, the functionalities developed, and your specific contributions to each project.

A common mistake I see from aspiring developers is an overemphasis on the 'technical' aspects. Let me illustrate with an example.

Project Title: Job Seeker Community
Technologies Used: Spring Boot, Oracle, JPA, React.js, CSS, HTML
Responsibilities

• Improved performance by 2.5x when multiple users post simultaneously by optimizing JPA.
• Implemented MSA (Microservices Architecture) to distribute processing across services, leading to faster recovery time in case of failures and overall performance enhancements.
• Enhanced security by implementing JWT (JSON Web Token) for access control.

While the above seems to be a well-written description of the project from a technical perspective, someone seeing it for the first time might still feel like, "Okay, but what did you actually build?"

What's missing here is a description of the 'tasks' or 'services/functionalities' developed. Fundamentally, I believe a portfolio or work experience section should emphasize the tasks performed alongside the technical details. Therefore, I provided the following feedback for this portfolio.

Project Title: Job Seeker Community
Technologies Used: Spring Boot, Oracle, JPA, React.js, CSS, HTML
Responsibilities

• Developed a user-facing Q&A board where users could ask and answer questions related to job-seeking information.
  • Improved performance by 2.5x when multiple users post simultaneously by optimizing JPA.
  • Implemented a 'best answer' system inspired by Naver's Knowledge iN to encourage user engagement.
• Developed a job information crawling bot and functionalities for creating and saving resumes and cover letters.
  • Implemented MSA (Microservices Architecture) to distribute processing across services, leading to faster recovery time in case of failures and overall performance enhancements.
• Developed social login functionalities (Naver/Kakao).
  • Implemented JWT (JSON Web Token) to prevent security incidents such as token theft.
    
    

This is a simplified example, but by adding information about the developed tasks and functionalities, the portfolio now conveys a clearer picture of the services built and the rationale behind the technical decisions made during the development process. This is the kind of feedback I provided.

Personally, I believe that while technical skills are important, it's equally crucial to consider the business context. Financial institutions don't hire individuals with financial backgrounds for no reason. Developers need to possess a deep understanding of the business they are working in, exceeding that of the end users. This means demonstrating both understanding and analytical capabilities regarding the nature of the work being performed.

I hope that this information is helpful for aspiring developers creating their portfolios.