Coming Soon to a Website Near You...

So now that I’ve settled back into my daily routine, it’s time to get started with development again. While I was gone, I thought of a few changes that I’d like to implement on this website to make it more simple, streamlined, and interesting to the user. My intended audience for this site will be potential employers, recruiters, and anyone else who might want access to my services. As a result, I think I would benefit tremendously from cutting out some fluff and getting straight to the point. The most salient area that comes to mind is the “About Me” page. As mentioned previously, I’ve noticed that the aspect ratio for the images on my parallax scroll feature load quite differently on different computers. Depending on the monitor resolution, some are cut off, distorted, or render in such atrocious quality in a way that detracts from the overall production value of my site. Therefore, I figured that I could remedy these problems with one simple solution: do away with the page entirely. Faced with a mountain of applications, an average recruiter would be reluctant to wade through the short story I currently have on that page. While it certainly communicates a lot of important information about my soft skills, I feel like I could also demonstrate these throughout the interview process. My website isn’t meant to be a stopping point, but rather a means by which I can get my foot in the door. Instead, I think I’ll create a significantly redacted version of the “About Me” section and have it load on the landing page of my site. This will allow any recruiter or potential client to know exactly what I and my website are about, saving them unnecessary clicks and reading time. Additionally, I think that I’ll add a page that just loads a PDF version of my resume, which would only further my intention of saving the user time. To reiterate, the principle modifications that I intend to make are: 1. Significantly condensing the “About Me” section and move it to my home page (this includes removing all but one picture) 2. Transforming the former “About Me” page into a copy of my resume In addition to these big picture changes, I also intend to make the following minor and cosmetic improvements: 1. Implement Amazon Simple Storage Service to hold and service all of my static and media files (I’ve been having issues with some of my images not loading on other computers) 2. Implement more thorough security on my website 3. Allow users to register accounts and ensure that the comment form on my blog is functioning properly 4. Try to implement image placement in my blog posts Phew, that seems like plenty to keep me busy for the time being. Beyond these immediate short-term goals, I also plan to begin another Python project soon and might even dip my toes back into C++. That will have to wait for another post though. I’ve rambled on long enough! Happy Monday! -Joe