Speaking as a person with (way too) many side projects, I think that it may be wise to code only at work. Quite a few very productive people, who work during w

Speaking as a person with (way too) many side projects, I think that it may be wise to code only at work. Quite a few very productive people, who work during work, and then later - do something different (so not "coding another app", or even other ways of spending time with a computer). It seems to be healthier long term - I met much fewer burnouts among them. It is not binary - such people do once in a while time to learn something new. But it is very different from having a "second job". ... At the same time, I don't know many companies that do like side projects (well, some offer non-negotiable contracts de facto forbidding them, vide Google). If a company looks for a person with inner passion, usually it is a hope to channel it into company's work, to get (instead of a 9-5 worker) a 9-9 worker. The best companies I worked for do not interfere with someone's side projects.