Hello.  I am a current student studying game programming and have a question regarding how attractive mod work is when in a portfolio or listed on a resume.  I have created a few mods for one of my favorite games that uses a version of the Unreal Engine for their dev kit.  I know any experience is good to list in the beginning, but I'm wondering if I should focus more on fresh prototypes I create in a game engine instead of mod work.  I have several ideas for mods and find the work in the dev kit a helpful learning tool, but am not sure how much weight any mod work would have to future employers.  Any opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated!    

Mods are fine. So are individual creations and group projects. A mix of different projects is best, since you don't have experience. (Note: to employers, "experience" means paid jobs.)

I don't know what things are like in 2019, but when I got into games, Half Life modding was the bulk of my portfolio ?

This was the main one I showed: https://www.moddb.com/mods/move-in

Good to know.  Knowing that definitely helps me plan out where to invest my time, so thank you both for taking the time to reply! ?

Mod work is good, I use my mod work as a portfolio, it's in my signature.

I usually put any mod work at the end of my resume along with any other volunteer work. 

Showing potential employers that you have high motivation and am not just motivated by a price tag can be helpful. 

Independent games are good too, but much more work for less of a direct outcome. 

You can make the best indie game in the world,  but it won;matter if no one wants to pay for it.    

Mods are a great way to test out your skills, and see if you like this thing called game development. 

The key hing for mods vs indie is you get a banked in community with mods. If your indie, you have to go around and convince everyone to pay attention to you. 

I'v been working on my mod for 7+ years, and it's constantly brought me a good experience. 

When interviewing people with no industry experience, the presence of mods, hobby projects, and a portfolio are all great evidence the person can do the job.

A long list of popular mods done as a personal project is strong evidence a person knows how to make games. It isn't perfect, because it doesn't show day-to-day consistency and the ability to work with project teams and plans, but it shows interest and passion, and shows they've got some level of skills.