23 days ago
- Pet projects have traditionally been small, fun endeavors for learning and skill-building without deadlines or users, started on a whim.
- Recently, pet projects have grown in scope and ambition, often evolving into complex endeavors with potential for becoming products or companies, introducing pressure and stakes.
- The shift is partly driven by new technologies like agentic coding, which changes the nature of work to more describing, steering, and deciding, rather than traditional coding.
- There is a trend of maintaining multiple projects simultaneously, leading to challenges in time management and personal capacity, while the community around pet projects has expanded to include non-coders.
- The financial and emotional costs have increased, with subscriptions and token usage becoming common, alongside constant hype and fear of missing out (FOMO) on new tools and techniques.
- Underlying fears exist about technology disrupting careers and industries, with varied coping strategies, and a concern that traditional coding skills may be lost as building moves to higher conceptual layers.
- Despite uncertainties, the author continues building, reflecting on how the nature of hobbies, craft, and fun has transformed, with the future outcome remaining unpredictable.