Cheat on your job? That assumes a bidirectional loyal relationship, which it is not.

Believe me, companies are not loyal to their employees. They will lay off thousands to save money while their top execs take home billions.

Your employer deserves 8 hours of committed work from you every day. They do not own you and all of your time.

You can do whatever the hell you want off the clock with your own time and equipment. Do you know how many of the tech products you use every day started as side hustles?

It is only unethical if:
- There is a conflict of interest. You can't work for a competitor, for example.
- You leverage trade secrets or IP that belongs to your employer.
- You're working on your side hustle during times you said you're working for your employer.
- You're using your employer's equipment (e.g., laptop), space, or internet to work on your side hustle.

People are allowed to explore their creativity and business ideas any time they are free and clear of the obligations and legal agreement with their employer. It's not "cheating."

Just be smart! Don't ever work on your own projects unless it's clearly on your personal time, using your personal equipment, and is not competitive with your employer.

When you have a great employer, you can talk with them and their legal team to ensure that everything is ok. But, let's admit it, most people don't work for great, understanding employers.