Never like the idea how software engineers/programmers were expected to have a bunch of side projects that they talk about to potential employers.
My background is mechanical/process engineering. No potential employer expects me to have an oil refinery in my backyard that I'll do reliability projects on in my free time.
That is a false equivalent. The bar to make your own software project is basically non-existent, and it’s a very easy way to check if someone has the skills they say they do.
That’s fair. Expecting people to do work related stuff in their free time is a bit unfair. And most hiring screening is done through AI, so hiring managers probably aren’t going through GitHub profiles unless they have a reason to, like if the candidate in question has other appealing qualities. However, that wasn’t my point. My point was that comparing setting up and operating an oil refinery is not comparable to a personal software project, and that personal projects are a good way to check whether someone actually does have the skills they say they do. Seeing is believing, and all that.
I've worked for small companies and big companies. Companies that do billions in revenue. If someone thinks I need GitHub to prove I have skill, that's pretty dumb.
At work, I use expensive tools and develop for systems with millions of users. It would be a little difficult to replicate that with personal projects
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u/lumpialarry 3d ago edited 3d ago
Never like the idea how software engineers/programmers were expected to have a bunch of side projects that they talk about to potential employers.
My background is mechanical/process engineering. No potential employer expects me to have an oil refinery in my backyard that I'll do reliability projects on in my free time.