In programming interviews, job candidates are sometimes asked what kinds of side projects they work on in their spare time. The supposed implication is that if you work on side projects in your free time then that’s good, and if you don’t that’s bad.

This idea has led to a somewhat lively debate: do you have to code in your free time in order to be a good programmer?

The popular answer is an emphatic no. You can put in a solid 8-hour workday, do a kick-ass job, and then go home and relax knowing you’re fully fulfilling all of their professional obligations. And actually, you might even be a better programmer because you’re not running yourself ragged and burning yourself out.

It’s also often pointed out that not everybody has the same amount of freedom to spend time on coding outside of work. People have different levels of responsibility and access to resources outside of work. If I’m a single mother who can’t afford a laptop of my own for example, then it’s going to be much harder for me to pursue side projects.

But actually, both this question and the standard answer are misguided. In fact, they are miss the point so thoroughly that they can’t even be called wrong. I’ll explain what I mean.

Drumming in your free time

Imagine I’m a professional drummer. I make my living by hiring out my drumming services at bar shows, weddings and parties. I’m a very competent drummer although maybe not a particularly exceptional one.

Imagine how funny it would be for me to go on an online forum and ask, Do I have to practice drumming in my free time in order to be a good drummer?

I can imagine a couple inevitable responses. First of all, who’s this imaginary authority who’s going around and handing down judgments about who’s a good drummer or not? And second, yes, of course you have to spend some time practicing if you want to get good, especially when you’re first starting out.

The question reveals a very confused way of looking at the whole situation.

The reality is that there’s an economic judgement call to be made. Either I can choose to practice in my free time or get better faster, or I can choose not to practice in my free time and improve much more slowly, or perhaps even get worse. Neither choice is right or wrong. Neither choice automatically makes me “good” or “bad”. It’s simply I personal choice that I have to make for myself. The question is whether I personally find the benefits of practicing the drums to be worth the cost of practicing the drums.

An important factor that will inform my decision is the objectives that I’m personally pursuing. Am I, for example, trying to be the best drummer in New York City? Or do I just want to have a little fun on the weekends? The question is the same for everyone but the answer is going to be much different depending on what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it.

Back to programming

The question for programming is the exact same. Do your career goals, in combination with your current skill level, justify the extra cost of programming in your free time? If so, then coding in your free time is a rational choice. And if you decide that there are no factors in your life that make you want to code in your free time, then that’s a perfectly valid choice as well. There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s a choice for each person to make for themselves.