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I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

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Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#131

Post by hackinthebochs »

trustfundbaby wrote: post #34

"Not programming in your spare time does not make you a bad developer, however, programming in your spare time can make you a better developer." ------------- Just about sums it all up

Totally, and thats pretty much all that can be said. If you program more, you're likely going to be better than had you not (by how much is another question).

Using this as a way to compare different people, on the other hand, is foolish. Just spending time coding is going to do little to improve your skill assuming you're past the stage of just starting out. It's how much you're challenging yourself, and how you handle that challenge that makes a difference.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#132

Post by [deleted] »

raganwald wrote: post #2

Correlation does not equal causation. Asking whether not programming in your spare time makes you a bad developer is the wrong question. The right question is, What is it about certain/many good developers that leads them to program in their spare time? Pursue that something and you may end up programming in your spare time. Or starting a company such that your side project is your job. Or finding something really ex…

[deleted]

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#133

Post by kstenerud »

orangecat wrote: post #50
kenjackson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The right question is, What is it about certain/many good developers that leads them to program in their spare time? This is a good question, but it does lead me to a thought... why does it seem like most side projects are done by people for whom the predominance of their work appears to be side projects? Let me explain. Most of the programmers who produce large products, don't do much in the way of side projects. Ca…

It seems like your point is that if you have side projects, your job is probably not hugely fulfilling. I can sort of go along with that, but that's going to be true for the overwhelming majority of jobs. For every Carmack or Linus, there's hundreds of developers doing necessary but unglamorous and non-cutting-edge work like B2B SOAP services or SAP integrations or yet another J2EE storefront. It's not reasonable to…

Side projects are not a matter of "having an unfulfilling day job". A side project is simply scratching an itch.

That itch could be something that bothers you, or it could be simple curiosity.

I have a very fulfilling day job (I'm a co-founder of an awesome startup, which makes it more of a fulfilling day&night job), but that doesn't mean I won't explore other things, try out new technologies, find something that sucks and make it better, latch onto an idea and build it while thinking "how hard can it be?" (Answer: it can be VERY hard)

Side projects are an outward expression of people who are hopelessly creative and just can't help themselves. The CONTENTS of those side projects demonstrate how organized, focused, and disciplined they are.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#134

Post by chadgeidel »

unshift wrote: post #5

when i'm working a 9-5 job, the last thing i want to do is go home and program more. i'd rather throw the ball around with the dog or rock out on my guitar. in my experience the people who say "you have to have side projects to be a good developer" are either people who do program in their spare time, or people who want to hire the type of programmers who voluntarily chain themselves to their desk. this is one myth i…

My dad - who owns a construction company - actually DOES pour concrete "for kicks" on the weekend. LOL.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#135

Post by ZeroGravitas »

kenjackson wrote: post #71
noste wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linus has a few: tracker[1], pesconvert[2], and a fork of uemacs[3]. 1. http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/tracker.g... 2. http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/pesconver... 3. http://git.kernel.org/?p=editors/uemacs/uemacs.git;a=summary

Thanks. OK, you have your street cred back Linus. These clearly show you can program.

Wasn't Linux itself a side-project? ("just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu").

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#136

Post by now »

trustfundbaby wrote: post #34

"Not programming in your spare time does not make you a bad developer, however, programming in your spare time can make you a better developer." ------------- Just about sums it all up

After a period a couple of years back when I didn’t have spare time to program within I felt that I was slipping behind. I simply wasn’t evolving. I was stuck in a mindset that was very tightly coupled to the tasks I did at work and programming was getting less and less fun. Once I began working on projects in my spare time I quickly remembered why I love it so much. The problem now is that I feel that work is detracting from the joy I feel when programming, which makes it hard for me to remain in this business.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#137

Post by 16s »

I'll preface this by saying that this is my personal opinion.

Github (and the like) are becoming prerequisites. You should have a portfolio of personal code you've done that you can freely share. Stuff you are proud of and passionate about (or not so proud of, but are deeply interested in) and stuff you want to learn more about.

Would you hire a wedding photographer without seeing personal samples and talking to them about their interests and opinions on how to photograph your wedding? You'll interview a slew of photographers who just do it to make a buck (and that comes through very clear), but you'll also find a few guys (and gals) who do it with a passion.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#138

Post by protomyth »

I wasn't really interested if someone programmed in their spare time. I was more interested if they had written a program, at some point in their career, to solve a non-work / non-school problem or scratch a personal itch. I just wanted to know they had used their skills without outside direction. I always wanted people that saw their skills as useful outside the office / classroom.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#139

Post by jonthepirate »

Is there a site where programmers can post their side projects for the rest of us to look through? I am always working on a side-project... usually something built on Facebook platform. I'd love to see what you other hackers are working on in your spare time.

Re: I don't program in my spare time. Does that make me a bad developer?

#140

Post by dasil003 »

mirkules wrote: post #36
dasil003 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get it, you should be free to enjoy your hobby without money clouding your thinking. Totally agree with that. On the other hand, I think a hobby that could be something more is totally legit. For instance, I am learning Haskell as a hobby. I'm not really sold on it as a great language for business (yet), but I realize that if I get good enough at it I may be able to shift my career in that direction. To answer the…

I think the real point of "what are you going to do for a hobby" isn't the fact that you can get a new hobby. The point is, you like your hobby (you find it relaxing and stimulating at the same time). When you make it a job, it ruins that experience. So back on point, if you're programming as a hobby -- great! But if you're constantly looking at the screen just to get ahead... that can't be healthy.

Right, but if you extend that logic then you're almost forced to do something you don't like professionally.
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