>after spending more than two decades writing software I seriously doubt that a side project gets you professional advantages. >Imho more important are soft sk

>after spending more than two decades writing software I seriously doubt that a side project gets you professional advantages. >Imho more important are soft skills that are not in the focus of most technically savvy people. I find that this is mostly true outside of tech hubs, especially in non tech companies, but not necessarily in tech hubs. Hard technical skills are much more valued relative to soft skills in, say, Facebook than in, say, an insurance company or HMO based in Houston.