Ask HN: Do you indulge in side projects to complement your day job? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do you indulge in side projects to complement your day job?

2 pointsvcool073 comments

I know the answer I would get if I ask chatgpt on what to do if you are stuck in a rut in your day job. But in reality, if you are in a day job which's mostly mundane work with little to no prospects of career growth / decent salary hikes, do you complement/compensate for it by investing extra time after work hours in creative side projects ? Do you prepare of interviews post work and be constantly on the lookout for something better ? Or are you just grateful that you've a steady source of income (considering all the job losses due to AI) and spend the rest of your time as usual (family needs/netflix etc) ?

Lately, I seem to see a lot of advise on side projects and having multiple income streams, but not really sure if such hustling is the only way to survive going forward! Also, feel a bit anxious wondering if everyone else with a 'stuck-in-a-rut' day job is hustling and I would be ultimately left behind !

I do side projects mostly for fun and not for profit though I had a site that made $1000+ in advertising revenue years ago. I've found there is nothing that gets recruiters calling than having a few good side projects on the web.

Although I've served on a standards committee (it is actually very easy to join one), for a while I've done most of my projects on my own for my own entertainment (such the "three sided card" decoration system that I use to make things like https://mastodon.social/@UP8/110607498804590869 and a long term project to develop a "second brain" that's been in various incarnations a job application tracking system, an RSS reader, an image sorter) but in the last few months I've made friends with someone who is developing a pitch for something to transform the world of online comments and I just met a seamstress whose friend owns a clothing store and she and I are collaborating on some garments with fabric prints based on my photography and computer graphics.

I used to a bit, but now I have a family I just don't have the time for that.

I'm in the same boat. It's a hard adjustment because I used those side projects for learning new things, improving understanding of things I used at work and now that time has vaporized.

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