I can’t recommend enough how much of a difference it makes to have your own personal website. Especially in 2016, when you can setup a domain and hosting for under $10, there is virtually no excuse to not even have a basic, minimalistic website setup. Yet, when I present this pitch to many friends, family, and colleagues, I am retorted with “sure, but why do I need one?” Well, here’s why.

It serves as a constantly updated resume

The great thing about a website is that it is not necessarily a tangible asset. It’s code. When you hand someone a resume, or a business card, and they have that with them for weeks, months, or even years- that’s what they have to your name. Yet, you, your resume, and online presence is constantly changing every single day.

With a website, you have the ability to update it whenever you want. Showcase your work, post your thoughts, integrate your other social media accounts- all of this can be done as frequently or infrequently as you want. This way, your entire network has access to your most updated resume or portfolio whenever they check your website- making it a lot easier for you to show off the current version of yourself.

It points outward to all of your other sites

Think of all of the public sites that make up your online presence. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, the list goes on. Now think about how someone discovers and explores your network. Chances are, your sites are not connected to one another- meaning that a new connection on one platform may not lead to that same connection on others. But what if this person had an easy way to access all of your social media and personal sites?

This is where a personal website fits in perfectly. A website can contain a lot of information, but it can also just be a simple page about you that points to all of your other sites you want others to discover. After recently pitching this idea to my friend, Matt, he made a great example of a minimalistic site that serves as the center of his online presence.

It is fun…and you will learn something!

In 2016, it is important to have a basic understanding of how the web works. Creating a personal website will certainly lend itself to helping you learn about web design, web development, and generally how the Internet works- and I promise it isn’t hard.

In fact, it’s a lot of fun to dedicate yourself to a project, see it come together, and show off your creativity and personal style to your friends, family, and network.

So why not?

If you still think it’s going to be a challenge and too difficult to master, have no fear. My next blog post will walk you through a step-by-step guide to how you can setup, launch, and create your personal website for under $10.

Sam Rubin

A full stack software engineer located in Arlington, Virginia

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