Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2021 July 4

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July 4

professional side interest

Is there a name for an interest that someone might have, that is only peripherally related to their work but somewhat relevant to it? It's not avocation which is more like an unrelated hobby.

Example: an automotive engineer at General Motors might maintain a side interest in aerospace engineering, because that is interesting in its own right (avocational), but also because the high tech materials used in aerospace can become relevant to cars, so the automotive engineer benefits from knowing about them. The same automotive engineer might also pay attention to what skateboard hobbyists are doing, since they come up with many clever design tricks that can also be transplanted.

It's not exactly right to say that the car engineer has a professional interest in skateboards, but it's not exactly a hobby interest either. Thanks for any suggestions. 2601:648:8200:970:0:0:0:23D0 (talk) 18:53, 4 July 2021 (UTC)

Why isn't it right to say the engineer has a professional interest in skateboards? It works well: "I don't skateboard, but I have a professional interest in their construction." --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 00:03, 5 July 2021 (UTC)

It's right as far as it goes, but that sentence could also imply that the engineer makes money in some way from skateboard construction (he owns the patent for something used in their design, or holds shares in a skateboard manufacturer, etc). Like the OP I feel that there could be some word or term more specific to the concept they describe. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.0.163 (talk) 08:30, 5 July 2021 (UTC)

"I don't skateboard, but I am interested in their construction as it may inform my own work." --Khajidha (talk) 12:39, 5 July 2021 (UTC)

I don't think there's a unique term that means "something I'm interested in in some way other than financially". --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 14:45, 5 July 2021 (UTC)

This is a perfect example of the importance of significant coverage in reliable sources. Consider the article about Henry Way Kendall, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics. Years ago, I learned that he was an accomplished deep sea diver and a mountaineer. He died in a diving accident. I found many reliable sources that verified these aspects of his life, and expanded his biography accordingly. Adding this type of well-referenced content results in a well-rounded biography, not just a directory listing. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 05:13, 9 July 2021 (UTC)