Engineering Portfolio Platforms: Engivat vs. the Alternatives
What is Engivat?
Engivat is a portfolio platform designed specifically for Mechanical and Civil engineers. It allows engineers to create "living project narratives" by showcasing their work with detailed descriptions, links, and media.
How Engivat helps engineers
- Showcase real work: It provides a way to move beyond a traditional resume by demonstrating practical skills and real project outcomes.
- Create project narratives: Instead of simply listing projects, you can add titles, detailed descriptions, references, and the tools you used for each project.
- Shareable links: Every project is given a clean, unique URL that can be easily shared in applications, emails, or on social media.
- Protect intellectual property: The platform uses cloud-signed URLs to keep your uploaded media (images, files) private by default, only making them viewable within the project pages you share.
- Demonstrate skills: By presenting your projects effectively, you make it easy for potential employers and peers to quickly evaluate your abilities.
How to use Engivat
- Create a project: Start a new project from your profile on the Engivat website.
- Add details: Fill in the project details, including the title, description, and any visuals.
- Publish and share: Once the project is published, you'll receive a clean URL to share with others.
- Edit and update: You can edit and update your project details at any time, and the public URL will automatically reflect the changes.
Engivat vs. other portfolio options
| Feature | Engivat | Website builders (Wix, Squarespace) | Code-based platforms (GitHub Pages) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Engineers who want a simple, clean, and project-focused platform with built-in structure. | Professionals who want creative control and a highly customized, visually impressive site. | Technical users who want full control over their site and to showcase their coding abilities. |
| Ease of use | Very high. It is designed specifically for engineers to easily upload project visuals and technical descriptions. | High. Drag-and-drop editors make them easy to use, but can require more time to design. | Low. Requires coding skills in HTML, CSS, and potentially a static site generator like Jekyll. |
| Cost | Free but supported by advertisements | Varies. Offers both free (with ads) and paid plans that range from affordable to premium. | Free for hosting on your github.io domain. |
| Customization | Limited. Provides a consistent, engineering-focused template with minimal design options. | Extensive. Offers thousands of templates and powerful design tools to create a unique look. | Full control. You can design every aspect of your site from scratch. |
| Showcasing skills | Excellent for demonstrating engineering skills directly through structured project narratives. | Great for highlighting a wider range of skills, including design and aesthetic sense. | Demonstrates technical proficiency beyond engineering, such as front-end web development. |
| File security | Uploaded media is private by default, only viewable within the project pages you choose to share. | Standard security measures, but project visuals are typically publicly accessible. | Your public GitHub repository and its contents are public by default. |