Re-Building My Personal Website

If you know me, you’ve heard the joke. I’m constantly updating my website. So, what version is this current website? Believe it or not, it’s technically Version 2. I had hoped this iteration would be the breakthrough, but surprise: it became a bigger setback than I expected. Turns out, making something you care about is never as simple as it seems.

What encouraged this change?

Networking, it was networking that helped me. Let me explain, as I have been going to more networking events inside Toronto, I asked people if they would rate my current website and would purchase them a beer at the next event as a thank you.

A lot of people had nothing to say about it, and this raised a red flag. Why? I noticed people took 5 seconds to scan my website and said nothing was wrong except for one person .

Here is what he had to say:

Your website design is great. However, your content is lacking, when I took time reading through your website it does not have a message.

What are you trying to be?

While this person did not say that word for word, that was his general feedback. I do not know why but that stuck with me. The next day I chose to look at the website the next day and really spent time reviewing the website word. I had that same realization, and noticed he was right.

Identifying the Problems

1. Inconsistent Professional Narrative: I did not pay close attention to what I was saying, and it showed. There was no “aha” moment that communicated, “This person is a software developer. If I struggled to understand my own portfolio, how could anyone else explain what I do for a living.

2. No Visual Presentation: There was no purpose for my v2 portfolio. Causing people to ask for clarification as to why I wanted to become a developer.

3. Performance Problems: Slow loading times due to my tech stack choices bloated software, uncessary tech dept and painful content updates.

Key Improvements Planned for My Website:

• Clarify the “5 W’s” (Who, What, When, Where, Why) on the landing page to immediately communicate my value.

• Maintain a cohesive theme focused on me becoming a software developer.

• Encourage engagement through blog content and projects.

• Publish articles with to showcase personality, and technical skills.

• Highlighting both design and development work with case studies and code example to demonstrate process, not just final products.

• Show employers how I learn through experimentation and trial and error.

How long will this take?

Ultimately, I’m giving myself a 1-month deadline to launch the redesigned website. To streamline the process, I’ll use a template for the core design freeing up time to focus on high-impact content and functionality that reflects my skills and personality.

Where can I contact you?

Github and LinkedIn are the best places as of now. My Github profile, is the best place for people to view my code, and projects. Linkedin is the place where I am open to messages and connecting with new people.