The point of my post was really about playing by the rules and making sure you don't get in any legal problems by using company resources to further your own pr

The point of my post was really about playing by the rules and making sure you don't get in any legal problems by using company resources to further your own project, I guess I started on a bit of a tangent though. :) As far as answering your questions, a) I don't have any statistics but I know a lot of people with side projects and they all still have day jobs, so it's very anecdotal. b) You could make that case, but I'd say (once again without evidence to back it up) that if burnout occurs it's going to be the personal project that is cut rather than the job that pays the bills.