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.
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.