Fallonor worries about the future when his current gig ends

Hey guys,
I've been a listener to most of the Jupiter Broadcasting for approximately as long as I've been meaningfully employed post-college. I've discovered a number of interesting technologies and I've successfully converted my entire workflow to Linux(Mint Cinnamon Rosa, converting to KDE Neon once they move to 18.04) as a result of the insights and discussions you guys bring every week. I'd tried Fedora during the bad-old days and given it up as a hassle until I found JB and became a full on Linux geek.

My question regards the ongoing discussion about employment, love of technology, skillsets and learning style.

I always hear people talk about side projects and things done for the love of it. But I'm always discouraged when I hear that all of the cool/fun/exciting technology companies are looking for a portfolio of projects rather than consistent work history.

You see, I learn pretty quick and I've got a strong systems skillset(so far as I can tell) but I can't see myself working on a development or system project "just for the love of it" when the alternatives are time with friends, home improvement, my hobbies, church involvement and getting a good nights sleep. I listen to JB religiously and I'm IT/Developer/SysAdmin for an SMB in my town which gives me the opportunity to learn under fire in a number of fields(in addition to the HR interface part of the job) but I simply have not found a project yet that I felt I could sink my teeth into that also felt useful and worth the time it might cost me.

My fear is that I've got no future once my time with this SMB ends, I worry that I won't be able to get hired in a few years. Is it really impossible to stand out in my field without essentially living and breathing technology? I wonder if other listeners feel this way, because I have a passion for technology, it's just not my only passion. Do you guys have any hope to offer a guy who's scared he can't have a life and still get a job?

Thanks and keep carrying the flag for linux in a podcast world of Apple freaks.