5 tips for your programming portfolio | XR Futures

A portfolio is a great way to show off your work and allows an employer to verify your skills and abilities. Making one can be tough, and knowing what to include or not include is important, so here are five tips that might help you out with your programing portfolio!

1. GitHub is your friend!

If you’re making your own game projects then you should already be using source control. Having a selection of your best projects accessible on GitHub is a super easy way to share your work with potential employers who can jump directly into your code and access your abilities, while also demonstrating that you know how to use GitHub effectively.

2. Show off your best work!

First impressions are important so showing your best work first can help to leave a good impression. Polished and refined projects will stand out a lot more than half-finished ones. These don’t have to be full games either; they could be tools or systems you made to do something cool. But make sure that the code is clean and it is as good as you can make it!

3. Show off your passion!

What do you enjoy making most? Maybe it’s AI navigation or procedural generation, whatever it is try to show off what you like making in your portfolio. This can really help you to stand out when applying for jobs that want specific skills such as VR, AR, Shaders, etc.

4. Keep working on it!

A portfolio is meant to demonstrate what you can do, so it should be growing as you work on new projects and explore new ideas or technologies. Try to learn new skills or hone existing ones, then show the results in your portfolio. By having an up-to-date portfolio you’ll be showing a real commitment to growing your skillset.

5. Don’t overthink it!

At the end of the day having a portfolio is better than not having one. It can be easy to get into a negative mindset and feel your work isn’t good enough to add to your portfolio but having anything in there is a great first step in showing off your skills to employers, even if you’re not 100% happy with it. Remember that companies aren’t often looking for the perfect programmer, they’re looking for people with potential and passion who they will build up over time into the best that they can be!