DEV Community

Discussion on: Do I need to do private side projects to be/become a professional web developer?

Collapse
 
jcfausto profile image
Julio

I don't think so. As you mentioned, people have very different lifestyles, and starting having a side project as a requirement for the role of a web developer doesn't feel right to me.

There's one aspect though where I think having a side project could help you during a job application for instance which is the possibility for the hiring manager to take a look at your project and understand how you write code, how you deploy it, what have been you playing with lately, etc. For this purpose, I find side projects interesting, but I don't believe they should be a requirement for dev jobs.

Collapse
 
owlcowl profile image
Owlcowl (he/him) Studio M - Song

I see what you mean but I also think it's a double-edged sword.
Some of my side projects have a terrible style because I was playing around and wasn't taking it too serious. If a hiring manager would see those they'd probably never invite me.
When I'm interviewing new candidates I'd like to see side projects as a possible point of discussion but not as an indicator how good they are.

Collapse
 
jcfausto profile image
Julio

Sure, I agree with you on that. I'd also see these projects more as an opportunity to discuss technology, approach, etac. I'd also not judge how good a dev is just looking at side-projects, for sure. :)