Why did I make SemihTeke.com
I love creating things. I love learning. I love expressing myself through what I make. That's it, that's literally why I decided on making this website from scratch.
It was summertime and I knew I needed a portfolio for the career fair DAE organizes. I thought about using a website builder like Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace or the 1001 other ones out there. I tried some of them, but ultimately I felt restricted.
Making the website was challenging, especially because I had never done web development before. I chose the most basic tech stack there was: HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript without any frameworks and got to work. Using resources from all around the web, I learned and applied what I'd learned directly to my website. One of the most influential resources I've used was The Odin Project, a curated curriculum of resources designed to make a full stack developer out of everyone that follows it.
I spent my off time on the website, trying things out. Seeking feedback from my family and friends to gauge what works and what doesn't. It's been a satisfying process, albeit sometimes tiring and frustrating. Especially when trying to host self-made C & C++ games by using Emscripten to port them to WASM & WebGL.
I'm proud of this website and what it has become; I'll probably rewrite it once I get better at web development sometime in the future. I'd like to have a set of tools directly integrated into VSCode or create my own text editor that is directly connected to the FTPS server this website lives on, allowing for easier creation & editing of webpages. But that's for future me.
Thanks for reading!
-Semih