I don't understand the logic of this article. My side projects tend to be efforts in self employment, not 'click bait' for an employer. While not everyone has the same approach, this article seems to imply the only value of side projects is for future employers. I'd hate for people to get the wrong impression about the value of these projects.
And many times, my side projects are my way of relaxing. Some people relax by partying, some relax by walking their dog, some relax by spending time with their kids. And my choice of relaxation time is often just building something interesting that has zero self-employment or market value, but is just funny or cool. It is refreshing to do something for pure happiness and fun, after dealing with the unhappy real world, is all about traction and money and not happiness.
I also have another set of side projects with specific intent to learn something new, which I consider an educational time investment in myself.
Neither is "click bait" for employers, and I consider neither to be a "waste of time".
Like you, I find it extremely relaxing to build pointless things. Do you have the same trouble I do in explaining that this isn't "work" to people close to you?
This is why I participate in the Stupid Shit That No One Needs And Terrible Ideas Hackathon every year. It's super fun to build goofy things that you can laugh about with friends.
I can’t tell if you’re saying everyone outside software has goofy hobbies and this is nothing worth writing about, or if you’re trying to say that software-based hobbies stop software developers from doing their day jobs and paying the bills related to your list of other humans.
My "side project" actually pays the bills yet I'm not sure if my wife will ever fully understand that, despite it technically being "work" (and despite some rare complaints/bad days, like anything else), I actually thrive off of the challenges and sincerely enjoy it. And so working >8 hours on it isn't just because I "have" to, it's often because the challenge is so fun & thrilling that I _want_ to.
Of course, balance is important and I won't try to fool anyone -- it's something I'll likely always be working to improve.
> this article seems to imply the only value of side projects is for future employers
It doesn't imply that. When writing about anything, explaining all the things that you're _not_ talking about is a great way to never get to the point.
Determining that the post is about side projects aimed at landing a job is a task left to the reader. If the title didn't get you there, the second sentence is here to help: "For the distinct purpose of getting a job in tech, side projects are either a great use of your time or a great waste of your time."
"Distinct" as in specific — "The following may not apply if you're objective is not specifically to getting a job in the tech industry."
If you'd like to talk about other great uses of side projects, I think that's a completely reasonable discussion to have. Simi-related threads in top-level comments are common: "I know it's a little different form what the article is talking about, but I'd like to talk about…"
Everything that I have, my companies, my capital, my house, comes from my side projects being transformed into self employment, recurring revenue or reputation for me or my team.
You have to consider that side projects will start small, like a plant, they are very easy to squash and destroy, but takes an enormous effort, and your rewards come later, when you have a tree.
Even a company like Apple could not make something like the App Store earn more than a couple millions the first year. Larry and Sergei tried to sell google for just a million dollars and could not.
A side project takes so much effort that I would have never ever considered making the effort just to show off to companies, then abandoning those(as you will be forced as you have a job that takes most of your efforts). Side project is like your children if you create them.
It is a big error to try to make companies value your projects. They will pay you 0$ if they can(even if they know it is a great project, more benefit for them).
There are much better ways to show off in front of companies if that is what you want.
Side projects are more and more being touted as a way to "stand out" from the enormous crowd of people trying to get tech jobs. A company choosing among 100 candidates, all things being equal, may bias towards the few with active interesting side projects. If you accept that, then starting some kind of side project would be worth it.
Side projects got me jobs and when I do side projects sometime they are for fun and sometimes they aren’t . I think a better objective is to do fun / cool side projects and try to align them when you want to.
Most of them couldn't tell the difference, so they pick some internet advice like "hire people with many side projects!", which is why job seekers are told to create side projects to improve their chances.
Hedging risk by doing a side project relevant to your employment interests is perfectly valid. If you are employed you have the luxury of doing something random in your off hours. If not, you need to be very mindful of what happens if your side project goes nowhere and your savings run out.
Yeah, side projects should be for pursuing personal interests... which has the side benefit that if you happen to later be interviewing for a job and mention your side project it will be much easier to talk about.
