Your Portfolio

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Your Portfolio

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xsevensinzx One Orange Chip Points: 25560 More actions · Answer 1

Stuart Davies (8/18/2015)
I was asked for my portfolio about ten years ago by a UK company - so was aware of it coming as it does for designers, photographers etc. It is however easier for them.
I don't think it is a straight forwards as it would be for a photographer for example. Confidentiality and copyright could come into the equation - my employer owns all of the code that I write whilst employed by them - that includes anything I write in my own time, not just code created doing my job.
I also can't describe my job (according to my contract) in anything but the broadest of terms. "I work in IT" or "I work with databases" is OK, but "I work in the IT department of QWERTY Co" is frowned upon and I think "I work in IT for the widget making division of QWERTY Co" would get me on the dole. So quite how I go about creating a portfolio is a bit beyond me at the moment.

I have been under such IP agreements that have stated that anything I do while working for the employer is owned by he employer. This is actually bad form in my world. I would never sign such an IP agreement again regardless of the package. That's because you're signing over your soul and allowing the business to own you both at work and out.

Regardless, I think your interpretation of what a portfolio actually entails is not a collection of the production ready code that you have developed and deployed in your company. What it should be is a collection of the basics and potentially some advance concepts of generic code that by itself, is not used for profit nor easy to lay claim to copyrighted material or ideas (i.e.: like trying to copyright the letter "A").

That being said, I think portfolio's are a great idea. Now that platforms like GitHub exist, many programming relating opportunities ask for your GitHub usernames. This is so they can see what code you have contributed to the open source community globally. Likewise, contributing code to open source communities is a perfect demonstration of your ability to perform the duties of the position you are applying for in the long run.

For database and other IT related positions where it may not be as easy to document examples for a portfolio, then you have communities like Stack Overflow where you can openly assist people. Using your top answers on that community as your portfolio is just as good IMHO. If you disagree, just google Aaron Bertrand Stack Overflow.

chrisn-585491 SSCoach Points: 16006 More actions · Answer 2

Portfolio?

This exists on the servers of my employer. Anything remotely related to work must be vetted by them. This is why I do OSS on my time and MS on their time. :doze:

(I may start blogging under a assumed name like Phi Factor, 😀 )

StackExchange?

The moderators there would close this entire web site down as Off-Topic or Duplicate Question. 😛

GitHub?

Currently under DDOS attack. :alien:

I still think networking and constant education are the best bet. An occasional talk at a user group or helping a peer remotely goes a long way. I'm currently auditing a course and helping the instructor out with improvements and corrections.

TomThomson SSC Guru Points: 104773 More actions · Answer 3

SQLRNNR (8/18/2015)
call.copse (8/18/2015)
I am probably unusual in that I don't really like Facebook
Nope - sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Perfectly reasonable would be an understatement for me. I am inclined to thing that the vast majority of those who do like facebook are dimwit twerps.

Tom

TomThomson SSC Guru Points: 104773 More actions · Answer 4

jckfla (8/18/2015)
Eric M Russell (8/18/2015)
However, users of LinkedIn seem heavily weighted toward IT, because it's more structured and also because of the way the website automatically associates links between members based on common backgrounds and interests.
As for LinkedIn, I've found I got one thing in quantity from it: spam. I was going to use it as a way to show professional contacts, but I got 1,000 times more messages from spam than I have recruiters or even ex-coworkers. Did about as much good as putting my email and resume onto Monster. Another site that started filling an email address up with spam.

I think Eric is actually understating the case for LinkedIn not making unsuitable associations - it doesn't associate you with anybody unless either they invite you to connect with them and you accept or you invite them and they accept. It does suggest people you would like to connect, based on your contacts lists (if you give them access to your contacts lists), on belonging to the same learned societirs as you or attending the same schools as you, on having worked for companies that you worked for, or having joind LinkedIn groups that you too have joined; but that's all pretty harmless, it's easy to ignore the recommendations.

I don't receive much spam from LinkedIn. I recieve notifications of new comments in discussions I'm involved in, notifications of new discussions in groups I'm a member of, and notifications of job vacancies which are actually more relevant that the rubbish that agencies insist in sending me. I think I've received maybe a dozen things that might be classed as spam over the 15 (? more or less) years I've been a member. So I imagine jckfla must have done something weird with his LinkedIn account.

Tom

Alvin Ramard SSC-Forever Points: 41190 More actions · Answer 5

TomThomson (8/25/2015)
SQLRNNR (8/18/2015)
call.copse (8/18/2015)
I am probably unusual in that I don't really like Facebook
Nope - sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
Perfectly reasonable would be an understatement for me. I am inclined to thing that the vast majority of those who do like facebook are dimwit twerps.

Maybe we should post this on FB and get people to vote.

Alvin Ramard
Memphis PASS Chapter[/url]

All my SSC forum answers come with a money back guarantee. If you didn't like the answer then I'll gladly refund what you paid for it.

For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 6

Yes, in the UK LinkedIn is deemed an acceptable location to document one's career. Even talk about achievements. An online portfolio might be deemed a little too up oneself i.e. it would still be deemed as bragging which is not necessarily a good thing in the UK as it can be received with suspicion.

Gaz

-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

Thomas Rushton SSC-Insane Points: 22649 More actions · Answer 7

etm1109 (8/18/2015)
Your career is like a river...sometimes the current is too strong to actually go where you want too. Sometimes you paddle like mad against strong waters.. etc. Put in your metaphor here now.

Sometimes the corpses of freshly-drowned kittens go floating past.

Yup. Metaphor works. 😉

Thomas Rushton
blog: https://thelonedba.wordpress.com

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 8

ThomasRushton (3/3/2016)
etm1109 (8/18/2015)
Your career is like a river...sometimes the current is too strong to actually go where you want too. Sometimes you paddle like mad against strong waters.. etc. Put in your metaphor here now.
Sometimes the corpses of freshly-drowned kittens go floating past.
Yup. Metaphor works. 😉

Winner.

Gaz

-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!