Back in first year uni, when I felt like everything I was supposed to be learning was a bit of a walk in the park I'd program in my free time a whole lot. later

Back in first year uni, when I felt like everything I was supposed to be learning was a bit of a walk in the park I'd program in my free time a whole lot. later in uni when I was swamped with engineering maths and compulsory management subjects I didnt program in my spare time at all (I suck at analog maths and ROTE learning so it sapped my enthusiasm to do anything in general). when I finished uni and got my first job, I was back in the position of being given boring menial tasks and I programmed in my spare time for fun again. I left that job for something a lot more interesting and was quickly given enough responsibility that at the end of the day I didnt feel like programming so I didnt. After a few years there I'm on top of things at work again and I'm back to coding for fun in my spare time again. I dont think that not coding in your spare time is a sign that you're a bad developer; it's more a sign that you're getting enough mental stimulation elsewhere. That said, I think if you've never coded for fun it's possibly a sign you're in the wrong career. You should love what you do enough that you'd do it even if you weren't being paid to do it; not necessarily the exact same work, but at least the same domain. No point spending 1/3rd of your waking life doing something you dont enjoy