[pedalpete]

Many commenters on this thread point out that people don't have time to code, or have other interests, and question what other profession expects people to give up their free time to continue work.

This is not unrealistic in other professions as well, maybe just not as easily recognizable. I have friends who are Ad execs and love advertising as an art, they'll often discuss ideas they've had, things they've been thinking, etc. etc. which is outside the scope of their work. It may be the client they'd like to bring in and the ideas they have to improve that client's business, etc. etc. What about doctors who vicariously keep up on all the latest knowledge in their field and are actively collaborating with other doctors on discoveries and research (my sister does this as a veteranarian, and is also randomly helping people in the park on a Saturday morning who have questions about their pets, as well as doing a spot on the local news about caring for your pets). This is unpaid/hobby work, but it isn't as concrete as what we do, and therefore, people don't consider it.

We aren't the only group that is passionate about what we do, and we aren't the only one's who work on our craft outside of work hours.

I think a better way to take what the author is saying is that he is looking for people who look at software development as a craft, and people who are so passionate about it that they are constantly engaged in their craft even outside of work hours. They love what they do so much that they just can't stop.

At the same time, I think it is important for employers to recognize when and if they need somebody who meets this criteria.

[collyw]

Your ad exec is about the equivalent of me discussing new libraries / languages / frameworks out of work hours. I never heard anyone ask for that in an interview. I have seen a fair amount of ads asking to see my side projects / github.

I am reluctantly creating a side project at the moment, as I want to get into freelancing, and all my previous work is in house. Even without kids I find it difficult to find enough hours to put into it (trying to use a free hour here and there leads to almost zero productivity, I need a minimum of three at a time).