I guess it depends on what you classify as “advancing your career”. If you’re a software engineer, building a side project from start to finish is valuable experience that translates. It’s especially valuable experience for devs with less work experience.
That said. I’ve learned that building out a product, even seemingly small things, takes a huge amount of effort as a solo dev. I built https://fretpro.app and it makes about $100/month (has been very slowly growing for the last year). I thought it would be quick and easy, but it took months of early mornings and weekend mornings (can’t code all night like I used to anymore), and can’t lie, my health and mental health suffered during that time. I’m much more selective with side projects these days.
That said. I’ve learned that building out a product, even seemingly small things, takes a huge amount of effort as a solo dev. I built https://fretpro.app and it makes about $100/month (has been very slowly growing for the last year). I thought it would be quick and easy, but it took months of early mornings and weekend mornings (can’t code all night like I used to anymore), and can’t lie, my health and mental health suffered during that time. I’m much more selective with side projects these days.