Software developers are known for their passion for coding, and pet projects are an excellent way for them to learn new skills, test fresh concepts, and stay up-to-date with the rapid advancements in technology. According to Stack Overflow research, 68% of developers code outside of work as a hobby, and almost 40% code outside of work for professional development or self-paced learning from online courses. This trend is not only beneficial for developers but also for companies, as it can lead to innovation and growth.

Developing smart home applications and games are popular side projects for developers. GitHub's Octoverse report shows that Home Assistant, an open-source home automation project, received a large portion of the one-billion contributions made by developers worldwide to open-source and public repositories across GitHub in 2024. Additionally, Godot, a free and open-source game engine, has emerged as a popular alternative to Unreal Engine and Unity in indie and mid-size studios, with a 9% share.

For many developers who experienced layoffs in recent years, working on a pet project became a way to stay in the loop. As reported in the JetBrains State of Developer Ecosystem Report 2024, 16% of respondents were laid off in the past two years, and 14% were working in companies that were affected by mass layoffs. Developers who lose their jobs often use the downtime to expand their skill set, learning new skills and driving new ideas.

Pet projects can also become a first step in a developer's professional career. The JetBrains State of Developer Ecosystem Report found that 22% of software developers who took part in the survey previously worked in different industries, demonstrating the industry's accessibility and appeal to professionals from diverse backgrounds. For career switchers, it's crucial to focus on building a strong foundation in essential programming languages and software development principles.

A notable example of a pet project that changed the industry landscape is Compiler Explorer, created by Matt Godbolt. What started as a pet project to help a trading systems developer in his daily work changed the whole community landscape. People are now using Compiler Explorer widely, posting permalinks on the site to share code samples. It has become standard practice for C++ standardization contributors to include links to the code examples in Compiler Explorer in their language proposals.

Pet projects can reap big rewards for businesses. By giving developers time to express their creativity and explore new ideas, pet projects foster employee satisfaction and spark creativity that can bring innovations to the company at a lower cost. Many well-known products started as pet projects, such as the Sony PlayStation, Gmail, and Twitter.

However, there are also drawbacks to pet projects. They can take a considerable amount of employees' time, diverting focus and energy from their main working tasks. Additionally, the risks of failing with pet projects and the company getting nothing in return are high. To mitigate these risks, companies can establish the area for research, manage the direction of pet projects, regularly review them, own the intellectual property, and track the deliverables and manage the projects and their KPIs.

Finally, pet projects offer the opportunity to try out new or unfamiliar development tools. Many tool vendors allow the use of their commercial technologies for free for non-commercial projects. For example, leading paid game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine allow free usage below certain revenue thresholds, and Microsoft provides developers with the Community version of Visual Studio to cover the needs of pet projects.

In conclusion, pet projects are an essential part of the tech industry, driving innovation and growth. By embracing pet projects, developers and companies can unlock new opportunities, stay ahead of the curve, and create the next big thing.