Why I actively support engineers doing side projects

Cross-posted from:
Originally published on Medium:
https://medium.com/@mattwhetton/why-i-actively-support-engineers-doing-side-projects-468732fbe9b6

In my years leading engineers at startups and scaling organizations, I've come to believe firmly: supporting side projects isn't just "nice to have"—it's strategically valuable. When done right, side projects elevate individuals, teams, and ultimately, the entire company. Here's what I mean, why it matters, and how to make it work.

Defining Side Projects

Not all passion code is created equal. The kind of side projects I stand behind are ones with real weight—those that involve actual users, production deployments, or meaningful output. Some examples include:

• Open source contributions or library creation
• Side-hustle businesses—SaaS, developer tools, niche marketplaces
• Mobile or web apps with full-stack or platform-driven features
• Indie games or graphics/performance experiments

These aren't hypothetical experiments; they involve shipping to production and facing real-world constraints.

The Benefits—Why This Isn't Just Extra Work

1. Sharper Technical Acumen

Engaging in projects outside the standard tech stack builds deep exposure—new tools, new trade-offs, fresh ecosystems. Engineers develop a broader perspective, and their intuition for what matters improves.

2. Safe Labs for Experimentation

Side projects give space to try things that wouldn't fly in production—unsure frameworks, unconventional architectures, ideas that are "too wild" for regular timelines. It's learning at low cost.

3. Real-World Pressure Tests

When something goes live—even with a small audience—it brings real expectations: performance, failure modes, scalability, monitoring. No theory compares to that pressure.

4. Product Sense & Ownership

Beyond clean code and technical design, shipping products shows the bigger picture—onboarding, user flows, feedback loops. Engineers become owners of impact, not just executors.

5. Moral & Creative Fuel

Many engineers aren't just coders—they're creators. Side projects are often where that spark lives. They reset motivation, offer autonomy, and feed passion.

Production Matters

It's not enough to just ideate or draft. What sets apart projects that truly contribute is pushing them into production—even if the audience is small or the scope minimal. It's there that you learn the hard lessons:

• What's the minimum viable version?
• What trade-offs are acceptable?
• How does this project run when people actually depend on it?
• How do you operate and maintain it once it goes live?

The Boundaries That Make It All Work

Having side projects doesn't grant carte blanche. There are essential guardrails:

• Your primary job comes first. Commitments, reliability, performance—these are non-negotiable. Side projects should never be an excuse for slipping at work.
• Clear expectations and accountability. Focus, output, visibility—these standards stay consistent. High trust flows from consistent performance.

Final Thought

Some of the best engineers I know are those who build "on the side." Not because they're disconnected, but because they care deeply about craft. By fostering that instinct—while being mindful of scope and priority—we grow stronger, more creative, and more resilient teams. Supporting side projects isn't just nice—it's a multiplier of impact. And that's a trade-off worth making.