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Comment by blinded | Hacker News Reader

I go hard and let off the gas or “quiet quit” at different times throughout the year. I have work and non work goals that get varying priority. I suspect those that don’t would benefit from a hobby. But also if they are grinding for a work goal who are you to stop them?

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Is it possible to have hobbies as a tech worker, if you're a programmer and your hobby is programming? Don't most employment contracts say that anything you build as a hobby belongs to the company? In that case it's not a hobby.

If I build and give away bird houses, that could still be a hobby. I don’t follow how lack of ownership means it can’t be a hobby.

Because depending on which birdhouse factory you work for, the birdhouse manager might take it as an insult that you're building birdhouses on your own time and giving them away for free. He'd think you were not only reallocating his resources (i.e. your time) without permission, but to make matters worse, you're undercutting him in the marketplace. Since why would anyone buy birdhouses from the factory if you're giving them away for free? That thinking doesn't apply to all places. For example if you work at the bird sanctuary, then they might think your birdhouses are cute. Then you can have a hobby.

Well if what you do for work is also your hobby maybe that’s the issue. It might be time to “touch grass” as the kids say.

> Don't most employment contracts say that anything you build as a hobby belongs to the company?

I see these sorts of contracts at a decent number of jobs, but I wouldn't say the majority. Every time I've been presented with one, they've been fine adding an exemption for my hobby work - as long as it's distinct from my professional work. I believe California requires such an exemption - I've gotten a fair number of contracts where it was already specified that they only owned the right to code that was related to my professional duties.

Yes it totally is. You have to become good at doing great work and staying focused in the time window you have and prioritize the hobby. For example do 10 hours of work in 8, then cut out and do your hobby. Mine this summer is running and climbing. Its counter intuitive but doing well in the hobby will feed your 9 to 5.

In your case you're talking about a specific technical hobby which is also cool. Just code all of it on your personal comp not during work hours. Once it get big hire a lawyer and get a llc. Don't limit yourself, identify problems and find solutions. Be an engineer. You got this.

To add more anecdata, I have never been asked to sign such a thing. This may be specific to some subfields or locations?

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