TL;DR
- The website started as a place to gather CV + projects in one place (and avoid the "where is that now?"-trap).
- It quickly evolved into a small system: Portfolio, Resources/Downloads, and a Blog for notes.
- I built statistics pages (course stats and training stats) to show progression rather than just claims.
- The goal is to make things easy to find: fewer clicks, clear navigation, and documentable content.
Why build a personal website at all?
I've always had a fairly classic challenge: many projects, many files, many versions. And when you work with study projects, code, teaching materials, and a CV, "link chaos" quickly becomes a reality.
So the idea was actually simple and a bit old-school: one place that I own, where the most important things live. Not just a profile — but a structured base where I can update things continuously without having to reinvent everything every time.
How it was built (without making it unnecessarily fancy)
I chose a "keep it clean" approach: pure HTML/CSS, a clear navbar, and reusable cards for content. It sounds simple — but that's exactly what makes it maintainable.
Principle 1: Structure over aesthetics
DesignIf the navigation is logical, the site can look 20% less "fancy" and still be 10x more useful.
Principle 2: It must be extensible
SystemNew pages (courses, certs, notes, media) must be plug-and-play: same layout, same footer, same style.
Principle 3: Documentation beats vibe
ProofThat's why the statistics pages became a thing. It's hard to argue against data when it's presented clearly.
Timeline: from "CV page" to mini-portfolio
- Version 1: CV + contact. (The minimum requirement.)
- Version 2: Portfolio with projects + cases. (The extra mile.)
- Version 3: Resources/Downloads. (Tools I use myself and can share.)
- Version 4: Blog with three tracks: professional, training, travel.
- Version 5: Statistics pages: course evaluations and training data. (Progression, not just words.)
- Now: Multiple sub-pages under CV (skills, experience, courses, certs) + "Press/Media".
And yes — some of it sounds like "overkill". But when you update often, structure suddenly becomes a superpower.
What the website enables (that LinkedIn doesn't do as well)
- Long-form: explanations, notes, and reflections without being trapped in a feed format.
- Artifacts: downloads, templates, code examples, and how-to's in a fixed structure.
- Dashboards: statistics pages that can be updated continuously and show development over time.
- Control: layout, language (DA/EN), and what is highlighted where.
Next Steps
The most obvious next upgrade is to make the blog more robust: either with more individual posts (like this page) or a simple tag system. Additionally, it makes sense to expand the CV section further into dedicated sub-pages to keep the main CV from becoming a wall of text.