528 words on my introduction to web design and web portfolios

I have just read five chapters (some of them rather long) on the planning and preparation that goes into designing websites and web portfolios. My thoughts as I try and recall just precisely what the details of those five chapters included are, I admit, vague. But the concept of a web portfolio does especially interest me, since I am at heart nothing very much more than an insufferable show-off. The chance to organize and present a portfolio of my work in this new medium is one I am quite glad to have, and I hope I prove capable of doing it well and in a style which suits my personality and taste. I realize such a task will take a lot of work, planning, and decision making. It is the endless decision making which worries me most, I must admit, not only in reference to this class and its objectives but to the world of professional/technical writing as a whole. Decision making has never been easy for me. Diligence and some presence of mind will be required in order for me to learn the best process for using all this technology to present my work or to accomplish whatever necessary tasks I will encounter in the future.

I find myself very curious about the details of web design we will learn in this class as well as about exactly where the things I will learn will take me. It will be hard work, not only because of the new and complicated technology involved but also because of the amount of thought and planning that will have to go into putting these projects together. I will have to decide how best to present myself through a compilation of my writing, which will involve endless consideration of audience and purpose. Unlike school projects I have put together in the past, this one will likely have a large significance on my future career. This is the point where I must ask myself, am I really ready for this? Am I really good enough? Do I have the strength and the skills I need to make a place for myself out there in the world? Can I really use what seems like such a meager talent to make any sort of difference to anyone? Cheesy, cliché questions, I suppose, but they insist upon being asked. I need to know who I am if I am to present myself honestly to the world. And it would certainly help if I knew what I was doing as well. Of course neither of those insights is easily come by, nor are they quite the kind of accomplishments you can check off your to-do list at the end of the day.

My familiarity with the web, I've come to see, has been something I previously overestimated. While I feel confident using it, there are many aspects I don't fully understand and, luckily for me, this semester seems to be the perfect time to learn them. Knowledge is power, as they say, and becoming more technically literate will certainly be an advantage to me in finding my place in the world of professional writing.