[Wurdan]

Agree with the other comments saying that no experience is ever a waste. Even if you never work another day as a software engineer, that skill set and way of tackling problems will remain useful in anything you do.

One thing I'd say about finding a side project is: think about what motivates you about the work. The most fun I've had on a side-project recently was just coding a google spreadsheet macro for something that my friends and I have to do semi-regularly. Knowing who the audience for the thing was and how they would benefit from it greatly helped my motivation.

But maybe you get more motivated by solving truly difficult challenges. In that case I'm sure there are some OSS projects out there eager for contributors. It's really down to what gets you fired up.