even if you are employed and can’t make your work public, just a few small projects will improve your chances. i’ve spent the last 6 or so months interviewing applicants for senior programmer/analyst roles and the number of otherwise qualified candidates who have _literally zero_ public repos or projects or code samples is astounding.

if you have children, especially if you are female, or a single parent, chances are you simply do not have time for side projects.

i agree with the benefits, but it favors people without children

If you choose to have children, you're accepting the associated costs.

birth rates are falling. our society needs children. working mothers especially bear the brunt, effectively having two jobs. it is absolutely not reasonable that children become a disadvantage in getting a job. already in many places it is illegal discrimination to ask employees if they have children. technically, asking for side projects, or being rejected because you don't have any side projects can result in the same kind of discrimination.

That's like saying Einstein wouldn't have been discovered if he couldn't communicate

well, the big difference in academia is that almost all research is public already, so they don't have that problem that people are at a disadvantage because they can't make their work public.