WHY AM I NOT CODING OUTSIDE WORK?

It's not always the case. I have spent my free time coding on personal projects. Just not right now.

It's been since I started working at Amazon. Before I left my previous company, I was overflowing with ideas for software projects. Some were non-starters; others, worthy of work. For example, I converted my old 2011 MacBook Pro into a PostgreSQL and web server to run an app on my home network. Then, as soon as I started at Amazon, I stopped. The server and code repo have remained untouched.

It all depends on my capacity. To answer the question with another question: How much am I pushed to the limits of my software engineering capacities--problem solving, learning new things, thinking hard, coding, writing technical docs, etc.--at work? If I'm maxed out, I don't have the energy or desire to do much more. If not, then I feel the itch. The itch to keep learning or implementing what I have learned.

Is this a good thing? I think so. I'm challenged at work. I'm learning and expanding my technical prowess at a rapid rate. At the same time, I lament not having the space to work on my ideas. It's fun seeing what I can think up and then trying to do it. I'm not too worried though, for everything there is a season.