About seven years ago, when I left the hustle and bustle of Hanoi to move to the outskirts and start working remotely, I built my personal portfolio using a “strange” CMS. It was all about static files and Markdown; build it once, and you get a lightning-fast static site. I loved it. I spent countless hours updating projects, tweaking styles, and trying to make everything look as professional as possible.
However, by the end of 2025, I made the decision to return to WordPress. It wasn’t because I stopped liking Hugo (the CMS I used for my profile), but because I realized that WordPress is still an incredibly effective “get-the-job-done” tool. Combined with Bricks Builder, creating a high-quality portfolio on WordPress is no longer a struggle. The only real challenge is the UI design, which isn’t exactly my forte, but the workflow itself is seamless.
The Turning Point
The timing for this change coincided with my need to update my portfolio to apply for new opportunities. My previous work with an EU-based outsource company had slowed down significantly, and I needed to stay proactive.
While managing tasks for a Japanese client, mostly converting HTML and doing miscellaneous WordPress work, I invested in Bricks Builder. It’s a powerful builder specifically targeted at developers who understand HTML, CSS, and logic. It took me only about two days to convert my entire old UI to WordPress. After that, I decided to redesign everything: from the interface to the content. And just like that, I was back.
What WordPress Brings to the Table
I’ve realized that WordPress remains a “friendly” and accessible platform for me, likely due to my years of experience with it. There is still a massive market share for WordPress because it is convenient, fast, and user-friendly.
- A Vibrant Community: You can find support almost anywhere, and every hosting provider supports it.
- Ease of Management: Switching content or uploading new posts is effortless.
- The Power Combo: Combining Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) or Secure Custom Fields with Bricks Builder is a game-changer. I can modify the interface and content in minutes without writing heavy code.
Compared to other stacks like Laravel, Hugo, or Strapi, where I’ve had to code almost everything from global styles to complex logic, WordPress feels much more efficient for this use case. In Hugo, even a simple task like managing image paths or updating Markdown required a “git push” and waiting for the CI/CD pipeline to build. In WordPress, I just log in, edit, hit publish, clear the cache, and I’m done.
My Philosophy Now: Use what works. I no longer “overthink” my tech stack like I used to. When I first started my career, I looked down on Open Source, thinking it lacked “intellectual depth” or was hard to customize. I thought “real” pros had to code everything from scratch with the trendiest stacks. Now? If it’s appropriate, if the client accepts it, and if it gets the job done well—that’s the winner.
Life is Simpler This Way
This mindset has made my life much easier. You can check out my new profile to see if the design (assisted by AI!) is any good at: https://binjuhor.com.
As someone who has worn many hats, Team Lead, Manager, Frontend, Backend, Fullstask, and even DevOps, I often need to tailor my profile quickly for different roles. Hugo couldn’t provide that agility. WordPress gives me the speed I need to switch things up and stay competitive.
A Developer’s Perspective
As developers, we often hate being “stuck” with one technology. We want our blogs to be “cool” maybe built with real-time Node.js or Python. But I’ve learned that utility beats “cool” every time.
WordPress has its place, and it’s a solid one. Why not use it for projects where it fits perfectly? Sometimes we get so caught up in choosing the “perfect” stack or chasing the latest trend that we lose sight of the actual goal: finishing the product.
Do you think a developer using WordPress is “lazy,” or is it just being efficient?