The original portfolio I made was the first thing I ever built when I started learning React.js. As such, the code is messy, disorganized, and inconsistent. At best, it's amateur. That being said, from building that original website, I learned a TON.

Motivation

After all, that was the whole reason I even built it in the first place: to learn something new while also showcasing my current skillsets to start searching for new work opportunities. Up to this point in my college career, I hadn't really "focused" on any aspect of software development yet: I had tried my hands at developing VR games, general scripting in Python, and done mobile development in Swift. But none of that had really piqued my interest. On top of that, I had recently lost a planned internship where I was going to learn fundamental web development concepts, and just wanted to spend some time over the summer learning something.

How did I get started?

I was lucky enough at the time of getting started to have friends who were more than experienced with React.js. Initially, I received a lot of inspiration and help building out my personal website from my friends Matt Sichterman and Peyton Tanzillo. Not only were they able to answer my questions when I would get stuck, but they were able to point me to different online resources to aid in my learning of the framework. Probably the resource I used the most in getting started was freecodecamp.org. They provided me the baseline information I needed to understand how to use React.js, just not how to use it correctly and as intended.

What did I learn?

• What a component library was in React.js and how to use one
• The basic ideas behind React.js, component building, and state
• Bare basics of web development practices and principles