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There has been growing pressure in the developer community to have side projects as a way to prove your worth. People take a dim view of developers who don’t d

There has been growing pressure in the developer community to have side projects as a way to prove your worth. People take a dim view of developers who don’t do anything outside of work. If you’re not coding something in your off hours and keeping a portfolio of successful projects it must mean you are not passionate enough, or smart enough, or ambitious enough. And they take the opinion that that is not the kind of developer companies should hire, nor that they want to associate with. Side projects thus become a sort of humble brag, instead of a project built out of genuine interest. Many developers are building things they don’t seem to give a shit about beyond how it will help their career prospects. These notions need to end.

indubitable 9y ago
Can you explain why you think that these notions should end for people, let alone from the perspective of a company? I'd fully agree that living to work is undesirable, but in this case I don't think that notion applies since development opens an infinite number of doors to anybody with the ambition and skill to make it work for them.
- matte_black 9y ago
  It does not open an infinite amount of doors, these days it merely prevents doors from closing. If your life is disrupted because you find yourself having to ship and maintain side projects just to get a job or be considered a good developer, then ask yourself, are you writing code or is code writing you?
  - hartator 9y ago
    > then ask yourself, are you writing code or is code writing you? Lol what?
enraged_camel 9y ago
>>People take a dim view of developers who don’t do anything outside of work. To me it depends on the developer's level of experience. For more junior developers, I definitely prefer those who drink from the proverbial fire hose and try to expand their professional knowledge outside of work.

indubitable 9y ago

Can you explain why you think that these notions should end for people, let alone from the perspective of a company? I'd fully agree that living to work is undesirable, but in this case I don't think that notion applies since development opens an infinite number of doors to anybody with the ambition and skill to make it work for them.

matte_black 9y ago
It does not open an infinite amount of doors, these days it merely prevents doors from closing. If your life is disrupted because you find yourself having to ship and maintain side projects just to get a job or be considered a good developer, then ask yourself, are you writing code or is code writing you?
- hartator 9y ago
  > then ask yourself, are you writing code or is code writing you? Lol what?

enraged_camel 9y ago

>>People take a dim view of developers who don’t do anything outside of work. To me it depends on the developer's level of experience. For more junior developers, I definitely prefer those who drink from the proverbial fire hose and try to expand their professional knowledge outside of work.