Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Natasha Hockey

Since finishing my studies back in May 2017, I’ve often found myself in a moment of panic when someone asks me what my current side projects are. I can guarantee that if you’re at a networking event at least one person will ask you what you’re working on in your free time. Then there’s always that super awkward 10 second pause where you’re thinking shit, how can I pull this one off 👀

Side projects are truly great, they give you the opportunity to experiment with new tools and technologies that your day to day job might not allow. There are no constraints because it’s your idea and there’s no client demanding features and functionality. It soon ends up being your little baby. However, there sometimes comes a point where the fun element is destroyed when people become interested and attached to what you’re producing. At this stage it’s no longer experimental. Constraints now exist and you’re trying to fulfil user needs, even though this isn’t what you ever intended. And at this point it turns into work.

Within our industry it sometimes feels like that to be passionate and at the top of your game you need to have super cool and interesting side projects going on. But side projects shouldn’t determine if someone is successful and passionate about their career.

Over the last few months I’ve tried to give less of a damn when someone asks me what my grand plans are going to be for 2018. I’ve decided to embrace the fact that I’m probably going to be binge watching TV shows on Netflix in the evenings, because that’s what I do best 💁

The overwhelming pressure of side projects was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The overwhelming pressure of side projects

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