# Your first portfolio, from the projects you already have > A free first portfolio for CS and bootcamp students: class projects, capstones and hackathon builds written up as case studies, with your role in team projects. Capstones, class projects, hackathon builds and that tool you made for your club. Write them up properly, show your part in each, and put one link on your resume. ## You have more to show than you think Students often wait until they have "a real project". You probably have several already: - a **capstone** or final bootcamp project, usually your biggest piece of work - **class projects** where you made real decisions, not just followed the spec - **hackathon** builds, even unfinished ones, marked as such - **open source** contributions: a merged pull request counts - small tools you built for a job, a club or yourself The bar is not size, it is whether you can explain what you built and why. Pick the three to five that best fit the roles you are applying for, and put the most relevant first. More on choosing in [what to put in your developer portfolio](https://makerhandle.com/blog/what-to-put-in-developer-portfolio). ## Make a tutorial project your own Reviewers see a lot of the same to-do apps, weather dashboards and course clones, and they recognize them quickly. That does not mean you have to hide them. It means you have to **extend** them: add authentication, a real data source, tests, an accessibility pass or a feature the tutorial never covered, and write about what you changed. A short write-up that says "I followed X's course, then added Y because Z" is honest and far more interesting than the same app presented as original. ## Be clear about your part in team projects Most student work is done in groups, and interviewers will ask what you did. Each project page has a **role** field, like "Frontend, one of four" or "Built the API and the deploy pipeline", plus a **timeline**, the **stack**, up to eight one-line **highlights** and a **Markdown write-up**. Credit the team, then be specific about your piece. "Our team built a course planner; I designed the schema and wrote the conflict checker" is exactly the kind of sentence hiring managers look for. See [what counts as a portfolio project](https://makerhandle.com/glossary/portfolio-project). ## When there is no live demo Plenty of class projects cannot stay online: a backend that needed a university server, a database you cannot pay for, an embedded build. Give reviewers something else to look at instead: - a **gallery** of screenshots with captions, up to 12 images - a short **YouTube or Loom video** walkthrough, which loads only when someone presses play - a link to the **source code**, with a README that explains how to run it Then mark the project **Discontinued** or **On hold**, so nobody expects a working link. ## Free for students, and for everyone Five projects, full project pages and an **Open to work** badge are free forever, which covers a first portfolio. Your page lives at makerhandle.com/yourname, easy to print on a resume and to keep after you graduate. When you land the job, turn Open to work off and keep adding projects. If you later want your own domain, Pro is **$20 a year**. See [the portfolio link on your resume](https://makerhandle.com/for/job-seekers) and [makerhandle for developers](https://makerhandle.com/for/developers). ## Questions ### Can I include class projects in my portfolio? Yes, especially ones where you made real design or technical decisions. Say it was a class project, and explain what you chose and why. ### How do I show a group project? Use the role field and the write-up to say exactly what you built, and credit the rest of the team. ### What if my project is not online any more? Add screenshots, a short video walkthrough and a link to the source code, and mark the project Discontinued. ### Is there a student discount? The free plan is free for everyone and covers five projects with full project pages. Pro is $20 a year. --- Source: https://makerhandle.com/for/students makerhandle: makerhandle is a link in bio for makers and founders: every project with its status and revenue verified from Stripe, Paddle and more.