For people reading this who may be hiring developers:
I think all the upsides of having a portfolio have been well-outlined elsewhere in the discussion. Indeed, having a portfolio has obvious upsides.
But if you are hiring, please don't rule out candidates who don't have one. I have met several people in charge of a project who will only consider candidates with a portfolio or extensive work on open-source projects. I think this is counter-productive because there are lots of good reasons to not have a portfolio:
Candidate may have worked behind NDAs for all their projects: I've been at this for 5 years now, and just completed my first site that was available to the public.
Candidate my have a busy life outside of work and doesn't have time to put one together. This is especially true for caregivers, and falls especially hard on women.
I'm just a little bothered by the assumption that code has to be your passion and it's what you do for fun as well as work. There is so much to do in the one life we've been given. Don't spend it all on work, and don't expect others to do so, either.
Again, by all means, if you want to make a portfolio, do it. It can be fun and can open doors, especially if you're a student. Just remember as you become a senior dev or move into management, not everyone who would be a great member of your team has the time or inclination that you have now.
For people reading this who may be hiring developers:
I think all the upsides of having a portfolio have been well-outlined elsewhere in the discussion. Indeed, having a portfolio has obvious upsides.
But if you are hiring, please don't rule out candidates who don't have one. I have met several people in charge of a project who will only consider candidates with a portfolio or extensive work on open-source projects. I think this is counter-productive because there are lots of good reasons to not have a portfolio:
Again, by all means, if you want to make a portfolio, do it. It can be fun and can open doors, especially if you're a student. Just remember as you become a senior dev or move into management, not everyone who would be a great member of your team has the time or inclination that you have now.
For sure! Having a portfolio is a plus but only a plus. It Doesn't mean that some candidates are not as skilled, fit for the job, etc.