I started coding as a hobby in 1986 in assembly on an Apple //e. In the 6th grade as a short fat kid with a computer. By the time I got to ninth grade, I got over the “fat” part and had other “nerdy” after school activities. But they involved other people.
By the time I got to college, I was the typical college student - except I didn’t drink or smoke weed - I hung out with friends, dated, etc.
My hobbies when I got out of college included hanging out with friends and coworkers of both sexes because we all had money (not by today’s standards) and were all single and I was a part time fitness instructor and runner with friends - we did monthly charity races and trained for them together.
I did that until I was 35 and got remarried and spent most of my free time still exercising and with my wife and step sons.
They are both grown as of 2020 and after Covid, my wife and I got rid of everything we owned that wouldn’t fit in four suitcases and city hopped around the United States for a year [1]. We still travel a lot and this year we will be out of the country for a total of two months and away from our home for a third of the year traveling.
I have not done a side project or written a single line of code that I haven’t gotten paid for or to get a degree since 1992.
Right now, my free time is enjoying being in another country outside of the toxicity of the US, learning Spanish and exercise and of course finding random things to do with my wife and hanging out with friends.
[1] our “home” is a condo unit in condotel we own. When we aren’t there, we pack up everything we own and it is rented out as a hotel room and we get half the income that covers our mortgage and expenses.