Balancing Portfolio, Blogging, and the Chaos of Content Creation
A while back, I made my first dollar on Medium. It wasn’t much—just a single buck. But that tiny bit of income represented something bigger: proof that my words had value. That people were willing to read, engage, and even support what I had to say. Now, I want to take that dollar and turn it into something more. A real audience. A real presence. Maybe even a real income. But how do I get there?
This post is going to be part blog, part ramble, part war chest of thoughts on the journey ahead. If you’re a developer, content creator, or someone trying to balance a portfolio with blogging, maybe you’ll find something useful in here too.
The Struggle: Portfolio vs. Blogging vs. Everything Else
Right now, I’m in a weird spot. I want to grow my blog and develop an audience, but I also need to build up my portfolio to land a job in tech. Both are important, and both require time. The problem? There’s only one of me.
Why Blogging Matters
Blogging is more than just words on a page. It’s a way to build a personal brand, create an audience, and even generate income. Writing technical posts, dev diaries, or reflections on my journey could attract like-minded developers and potential opportunities. There’s a lot of value in consistently publishing, especially on a platform like Medium where discoverability is built into the system.
Plus, let’s be real—I kind of like rambling. Writing helps me process things, and Medium gives me a space to share my thoughts without feeling like I’m screaming into the void.
Why My Portfolio Matters
At the same time, my portfolio is my calling card for tech jobs. It’s what proves I can actually do the work. While writing about tech is great, companies still want to see projects, code, and actual proof of skills. If I focus too much on blogging and neglect my portfolio, I could be shooting myself in the foot when it comes to job hunting.
So the question is: how do I balance these two?
The Plan: Merging Blogging and Portfolio Growth
Instead of treating blogging and portfolio-building as two separate things, I’ve decided to merge them. Here’s the rough strategy:
1. Tech Blogging with a Purpose
Instead of writing random tech articles, I’ll use my blog to document my learning process, break down projects, and showcase my skills in a natural way. Think dev diaries, project breakdowns, and lessons learned while coding. This way, every blog post doubles as portfolio content.
2. Using Medium as a War Chest
I see Medium as more than just a blogging platform—it’s a war chest of my experiences, thoughts, and tech journey. Some posts will be deep technical breakdowns, others will be reflections on my career shift, and some will just be me rambling about the struggles of self-teaching and job hunting.
3. Cross-Posting and Syndication
Medium is great for discoverability, but I also need to own my content. I’ll be cross-posting my blogs to my personal website, LinkedIn, and Dev.to to maximize reach. If one platform dies, I’ll still have my content elsewhere.
4. Balancing Portfolio Work and Writing
The hardest part is time management. The plan? Work on projects first, then write about them. Each blog post should ideally tie back to something I’ve built or learned. That way, I’m not just writing—I’m proving my skills at the same time.
5. Monetization as a Long-Term Goal
I’m not expecting to get rich off Medium anytime soon, but long-term, I’d love to turn this into a viable income stream. That means experimenting with different types of content, engaging with the community, and maybe even branching into video or other platforms in the future.
The Future: Where Do I Go from Here?
So what’s next? For now, I’m going to start treating my Medium blog like a serious project. That means:
- Writing regularly (even if it’s just dev diaries or reflections)
- Documenting my coding journey and portfolio projects
- Engaging with the tech community
- Experimenting with different content styles
This isn’t just about making money. It’s about building something. An audience. A personal brand. A space where I can share my experiences and connect with others on the same path.
I don’t know if this will work, but I know one thing for sure: I made my first dollar on Medium. Now, I’m aiming for a thousand.
Let’s see where this goes.
If you made it this far, let’s talk!
Are you trying to balance blogging with job hunting or portfolio building? Have you tried growing an audience on Medium? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts.