How common are side learning/showcase projects for Mid/Senior DE?
I've seen lots of posts here about Juniors looking for tips on showcase projects/learning paths to land their first job, but I'm curious how common is learning/practicing on the side for employed/established DEs.
Just to be clear, I'm talking about:
- time spent outside of work (evenings, weekends), not spare time while on the clock
- not side gigs/free-lance or even volunteering: actual studying/practicing either to keep yourself updated with new tools or to get some hands-on experience on different stacks
- you still have a full time DE job to balance
I started asking myself this question because I'm currently at a phase (6 YoE) where I feel I'm not learning anything new at my current job, but at the same time I'm heavily specialized on GCP (most job postings I see around my target area are for Databricks/Snowflake and/or tools I never used, like AirFlow). Are showcase projects even a thing at during a selection, with 6 YoE but on a stack/technology you had no experience at work?
Since there's not really an opportunity to get practice (or even have spare time) at my current job, I've decided to do it on my own time (that's how I pivoted to this role in the first time from being an analyst), but I'm wondering how common it is. Bonus points if you have tips to avoid burnout 😄
TL;DR: do you learn/practice outside work hours while employed full-time as a DE, and how do you manage it without burning out?