A log of key decisions, tech tradeoffs, and design choices made while building my portfolio.
Primary domain: kennithnichol.com
** Rationale:** Global appeal, easy to remember, professional branding.
.ca held and redirected for regional trust and possibly future use.
Chose Hugo for site generator Rationale:
- Wanted Golang practice
- Static speed and simplicity
- Deep control over layout and content
- Hugo project lives in
portfolio-site - Case studies and emta notes separated for clarity
- Might consider bringing case study Markdown into Hugo later, once templated
Decision: Continue using GitHub + Markdown for primary note-taking and devlog Rational:
- Versioned history and portability
- Keeps everything in on familiar ecosystem
- Leaves room to layer in automation with shell/Go scripts later
- Low-friction and lightweight compared to heavier tools (Notion/Obsidian)
Decision: Use Netlify for deplyoing kennithnichol-site
Rationale:
- Built-in Hugo support and seamless GitHub integration
- Free custom domain support + HTTPS
- Strong dev UX with build logs, rollbacks, and previews
- Aligns with long-term cloud-centric architecture goals
Decision: Publicly include Zero To Mastery (ZTM) mentorship across portfolio and GitHub Rationale:
- Reflects mentorship ethos and developer community engagement
- Enhances personal branding and credibility
- Adds context to site visitors and clients seeking well-rounded professionals