Being in tech has the advantage of me being knowledgeable enough to pursue tools and languages of interest that will benefit both my business and day job. That

Being in tech has the advantage of me being knowledgeable enough to pursue tools and languages of interest that will benefit both my business and day job. That is what I did. I learned web development and used those skills to do projects at work and for my clients on weekends. Later on, I learned project management. Used those skills at my day job and made a consultancy killing as a PM for hire. I feel privleged to have been in this position. So, yes, I do advocate for spending time increasing your value at work. But that time should also work for you outside of that day job.