That's ultimately driven by a concern in showing that: (1) you can learn quickly and (2) that you're a good enough programmer to be able to build things indepen

That's ultimately driven by a concern in showing that: (1) you can learn quickly and (2) that you're a good enough programmer to be able to build things independently. A side projects section can show that, and so can properly framing your work experience. Certainly it's a common perception that you must be passionate about programming and do it in your freetime, but I haven't found that to be the reality. You just need to be a good, competent worker.