Losing the Hobbyist Spark After Going Pro – Anyone Else? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: BadeBhaiya
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2025, 01:39:19 pm
content: Hey everyone,I’ve been an electronics hobbyist for a long time, and eventually turned that passion into a career as an embedded systems engineer. But over time, I’ve noticed that doing this professionally has kind of dulled the spontaneity and agility I used to have when I was just building stuff for fun.Back in the day, I’d throw together circuits with whatever was on hand. Didn’t care if it was inefficient, messy, or hacked together—it was all about making something work and having fun doing it. Couldn't bother to comment the code etc etc.These days, I find myself defaulting to “proper” design practices, optimizing everything, and trying to make it neat and correct... even when it’s not really necessary.Case in point: I needed to charge a car battery. I had an old microcontroller-based power supply from another project, so I reprogrammed it set the correct voltage accordingly. It worked—but very slowly, charging at only around 200mA. Meanwhile, my dad grabbed a 19V laptop charger, stuck a heating element in series to limit the current, and had the battery charging way faster—albeit with a bunch of wasted heat. It was crude, but effective. No voltage limiting, nothing.His hackjob reminded me of the kind of stuff I used to do, and how far I’ve drifted from that mindset. Now it's all properly labelled schematics and spice model before i even attempt ANYTHING.Has anyone else experienced this? Have you found ways to keep that “hobbyist spark” alive even after going pro? I’d love to hear your stories—or even tips on how to rediscover that fun, fast, messy joy of just building stuff for the hell of it.Sorry please feel free to delete or move this post if it doesn't belong here

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2025, 01:53:37 pm
content: Yeah, happened somewhat to me. I just focused my skills on other things: 3D printing, home improvements, home automation, and writing a bit of code now and then to solve problems. I realised some of my personal projects were getting far too complex... they were becoming almost an extension of work, and I didn't enjoy that.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2025, 02:32:29 pm
content: Happens to a lot of us ,even when doing a job we love doing it for fun becomes meh.Couple of examples in my live,i used to enjoy sitting down and watching a film,then a job required me to be a projectionist,since then i rarely watch films,if something pops up whilst channel hopping ii might half watch it whilst doing something else.Same happened with music,since i was a kid ive always loved music,would spend hours listing to stuff,then i got involved with live sound and that love faded,thankfully it came back once i jumped ship.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2025, 02:30:17 am
content: I think it makes sense to diversify your time. To reduce burnout and to improve your health. If your day job involves lots of sitting, hobbies that involve exercise are probably good.

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2025, 06:21:59 am
content: The cobbler's children go barefoot -- 16th century sayingProfessionals of every kind often lack the energy to practice their profession in their off time.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2025, 07:23:10 am
content: I did.In my spare time i want to do literally anything else. It's fun to have different hobbies

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2025, 08:12:42 am
content: Leave the embedded and programming for the day job, and try linear-only electronic projects as a hobby.https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_nationaldaLinearApplicationsHandbook_106847051.Or browse the links from this topics for more inspiration:HP Journal and alike.Or maybe try a hobby from an entirely different domain, where you can start again from the beginner level.

author: paul@yahrprobert.com
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2025, 06:30:01 pm
content: I was a hobbyist at about 12, went to college and became an engineer, ended up in a government defense electrical engineering job. That job was so full of calibrations, qualifications, product specifications, etc etc that it drove me crazy. Then I retired and my hobby became a wonderful relief, an escape, and I love it. So there's hope, you just have to live long enough!

author: Villi24
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2025, 01:05:48 am
content: I totally get this. I’ve caught myself making things way more complicated than they need to be. Sometimes the quick-and-dirty builds are the most fun. Your dad’s charger setup made me smile, reminds me of the kind of stuff I used to do too. I think we all need to let loose and build messy once in a while just to keep that spark alive.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 10, 2025, 11:44:03 am
content: You need other hobbies. I have amateur radio, gym, LEGO, gardening, etc.