<p>If I were to major in Comp Sci, I would most likely gain skills in areas such as software development and database management, correct?</p>
<p>Is it hard to juggle "side projects/jobs" such as creating websites, smartphone apps, little "projects", etc. with a "real" job such as software engineering?</p>
<p>Really, what I'm asking is does being a software engineer have too much of a time strain to be a "freelancer"? (Also, would it be worth it? [The pay])</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I think you would probably find that it isn’t worth it to freelance while you’re in a steady software job. However, most programmers I’ve met in steady jobs do have side projects, but for personal reasons usually not involving money.</p>
<p>For those small projects, there is time but combined with a normal days work, it is just more added stress. I don’t see why you would be worried about having them, but it can be done.</p>
<p>@PengsPhils I feel like it would add a bit more excitement into my life… not the same old go to work 9-5 thing.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen it go well when a full-time programmer has a side job. When you’re late with a deliverable, as you inevitably will be at times, your employer and co-workers will be genuinely angry if they think your side job is interfering with your main job.</p>
<p>If you want to do it for enjoyment, you probably can do it. I don’t think you will find it as enjoyable once you have a 9-5 job doing the very same thing. If you find coding exciting, then you will satisfy your excitement at work in most jobs. I would guess there are a lot of other things you could do to add excitement to your life, none of them being related to programming. Life has a lot of other things in it. People, activities, other passions or hobbies. I wouldn’t worry about the ability to do side projects as a programmer at this point in your life.</p>
<p>Theoretically, though, it would make unemployment easier for programmers, right? Because they would be able to make at least a small amount of money while looking for another job.</p>
<p>Programmers can usually line up jobs one after the other very easily from what I have heard/seen. If it ever came down to it I suppose so, but once again it just doesn’t seem too relevant. The gist of the matter is that coders are becoming the new plumbers of the world: always needed in a world run on tech. Unless we stop using technology or get our AI to a point where it actually replaces average programmers (we are probably at least a century from this), there will always be a large need. The salary could certainly dip in the future as more and more people come to CS, but I would say the safety will be part of CS jobs for a while.</p>
<p>Depends, if you want a wife/husband and kids probably will be hard to juggle. if you want to live the bachelor(ette) lifestyle, not to hard I would imagine.</p>