<story><title>How to not waste time on a side project when trying to get a job</title><url>http://hackcareer.com/side-project/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jefe78</author><text>I don&amp;#x27;t understand the logic of this article. My side projects tend to be efforts in self employment, not &amp;#x27;click bait&amp;#x27; for an employer. While not everyone has the same approach, this article seems to imply the only value of side projects is for future employers. I&amp;#x27;d hate for people to get the wrong impression about the value of these projects.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>dheera</author><text>And many times, my side projects are my way of relaxing. Some people relax by partying, some relax by walking their dog, some relax by spending time with their kids. And my choice of relaxation time is often just building something interesting that has zero self-employment or market value, but is just funny or cool. It is refreshing to do something for pure happiness and fun, after dealing with the unhappy real world, is all about traction and money and not happiness.&lt;p&gt;I also have another set of side projects with specific intent to learn something new, which I consider an educational time investment in myself.&lt;p&gt;Neither is &amp;quot;click bait&amp;quot; for employers, and I consider neither to be a &amp;quot;waste of time&amp;quot;.</text></comment>
<story><title>How to not waste time on a side project when trying to get a job</title><url>http://hackcareer.com/side-project/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jefe78</author><text>I don&amp;#x27;t understand the logic of this article. My side projects tend to be efforts in self employment, not &amp;#x27;click bait&amp;#x27; for an employer. While not everyone has the same approach, this article seems to imply the only value of side projects is for future employers. I&amp;#x27;d hate for people to get the wrong impression about the value of these projects.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>pipio21</author><text>Agreed.&lt;p&gt;Everything that I have, my companies, my capital, my house, comes from my side projects being transformed into self employment, recurring revenue or reputation for me or my team.&lt;p&gt;You have to consider that side projects will start small, like a plant, they are very easy to squash and destroy, but takes an enormous effort, and your rewards come later, when you have a tree.&lt;p&gt;Even  a company like Apple could not make something like the App Store earn more than a couple millions the first year. Larry and Sergei tried to sell google for just a million dollars and could not.&lt;p&gt;A side project takes so much effort that I would have never ever considered making the effort just to show off to companies, then abandoning those(as you will be forced as you have a job that takes most of your efforts). Side project is like your children if you create them.&lt;p&gt;It is a big error to try to make companies value your projects. They will pay you 0$ if they can(even if they know  it is a great project, more benefit for them).&lt;p&gt;There are much better ways to show off in front of companies if that is what you want.</text></comment>