[K0nserv]

It is perfectly OK to only code at work, but you need to ensure you are learning and developing at work. Almost all programming related fields are still growing and changing rapidly. To stay relevant you need to invest in learning and self improvement. This can definitely be done as part of your job, but it's also something you can achieve by coding outside of work.

Regardless of how you do it, ensuring that you are continuously learning and staying relevant is important.

[jshowa3]

While I agree that you should keep learning and growing, I don't agree that its because technology is changing so rapidly. Often times change is equated with "new X framework" that just becomes popular and has no significant advantage over existing tool sets. Also, most companies rarely adopt new technologies, even if it would benefit them, because they've produced so much product using one tool set, that making a change would require too much time. So it's not unreasonable to find companies still working with 20 year technologies (cough vb6) because the install base is so large that an investment to upgrade just isn't worth the cost.

In short, you can make a pretty good living simply maintaining old, existing software and never learning anything really new. After all, people only care that it works and that you fix their perceived issues with it. As long as you keep doing that, you'll be employed.

[xfitm3]

You absolutely should be learning and growing on company time.

[exelius]

Yup, this is the real reason behind concepts like “10% time”. Play with new stuff on your side projects, not on production systems.

[bovermyer]

Yes, but not at the cost of work-life balance.