[bcooke]

In realizing that a lot of my best work was effectively walled, I've started taking it upon myself to build up a showcase of work that's strictly my own.

I think you should look to have a portfolio online and an active Github account.

I have 3 things on my portfolio (www.bcooke.net):

1) Side projects I never finished or am still working on 2) Freelance sites I built alone (where my good relationship with the client meant I could openly share the work) 3) Brief blurbs about the salaried roles in my career, with a screenshot

I haven't updated it in a while but it's something.

Do you have a portfolio? Is your Github active? StackOverflow? You need things you can show!

It sucks because your best work - the stuff you spent the most time on - isn't always available to share. And even if you could, there'd be questions about which part you did.

Having a site you can point to and say, "I did that" is a good way to showcase your abilities, and if all your work is owned by your employer, you should probably start thinking about ways you can change that.