[doubled112]

That last sentence sums up why the home server is still a hobby, even though I pay the bills administering systems. People ask me how I do both without going nuts.

It's simple. At home, the things that annoy me about the job don't exist.

If it's broken and I don't feel like fixing it, it stays broken. No due dates, no planned outages, no SLAs. If I like an app it stays, if not it disappears. No processes or approvals. No people problems. No BS.

They're really not the same thing at all, and I'd imagine many careers that are also hobbies work the same way for many. Playing with cars on the weekend isn't the same as being a full time mechanic.

[greedo]

It's the same with being a chef in a Michelin restaurant, and cooking at home.