How did I get here

I’m looking to get a new job, and I knew I needed to sharpen my skills a bit. I was looking to learn Tailwind CSS and a few other things, so I did it. I completed the first sprint, and it was functional, but to say the least, it was terrible. So, here we go with v2… And while we’re at it, can we also learn about Astro? Would you consider adding some projects? Do you have a blog? And…

Ok, ok, let’s take it easy, please…

I know (and you do too) I’ll manage to release a new version that may or may not be awesome, yet find a way to acknowledge that it needs improvement.

But let’s discuss the technical details, right?

Portfolio Tech Stack

Astro: This is just perfect. You can write plain HTML, add a little bit of CSS when needed, and work your magic with JavaScript (plain old JS) anytime you need it. On top of that, you can mix and match any major framework you need, use TypeScript, and add all plugins you might need.
Tailwind CSS: Avoid writing numerous CSS classes only to mix them later and realize they do not work. You may find yourself unsure where to place the !important or how to refactor all your classes again. Tailwind transforms all CSS into classes. Simply use the classes you need to achieve the desired effect, and you’re all set. On top of that, if you find yourself repeating a certain pattern of classes, you can abstract that into a single class to make it easier. You may also create some reusable components.
~~ReactJs~~: Unfortunately, no. I’ve been using React for over 5 years, so I incorporated it right from the beginning. As I made progress learning Astro, I realized that I had forgotten about React. To be honest, I’ve uninstalled it while writing this post.
Prettier: As your codebase expands, you continuously make changes, refactor, add, and remove code. Let’s face it, it can be tedious to format your code every time just to locate where you need to insert that </div>, especially when it’s 30 lines below your current coding position. It is always here with me, no matter what I do.
Tailus: I’m not a fan of reinventing the wheel on every project, so I was looking for a starting point to take advantage of Tailwind. I discovered (can’t remember where) a Tailus template that was good enough for me to deconstruct and reassemble to my liking. In the process of doing just that, I discovered other templates from them and found a few other components I could reuse. It’s fair to say I’ve created a Frankenstein template of my own. From there, I adjusted the colors to be consistent, and we are ready to go.
Astro Micro: When building this blog and the projects section, I drew inspiration from Astro Micro to make things work. (Yeah, sorry, I learn by doing; documentation is boring!). I was full of ideas to write about, but now that the blog is complete, I don’t have a single idea (that’s why I’m writing this).

Ok but… why?

Sorry, I got distracted; there is no why. I believe it would be beneficial to have a platform to document things I learn but seldom use, requiring me to search for them on Google each time. That is essentially the motivation behind creating this blog. In addition, the projects section serves the same purpose, allowing me to apply the concepts I have learned by providing simple examples in code. Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos to get the hang of Tailwind CSS and explore certain CSS features I’ve never used before. Working on the corporate side tends to be dull in terms of CSS animations and the exciting things you can do in the browser.

What is next?

Don’t expect to see me writing regularly here or posting any projects. Having said that, I want to re-learn Python and Django. I self-taught myself both many years ago and then never used them again. I’m learning NextJS (with the help of Udemy), planning to take the CS50 course, and maybe even delve into Figma as well. I will try my best to document all the progress so that I can use it as notes in the future when I need to recall how something is done.

Thanks for reading until the end, and see you soon!