C'mon. I assume you are relatively young. But, here are the obvious answers:
1. I have tons of free time. But I am spending it with my kids and family or reading books. Sometimes I am going out with some old buddies.
2. You have no idea what level of technology or engineering I am using at my work. I could be programming microcontrollers or writing risk calculation for a bank. Both require same skill: attention, read documentation well, invent the solution, implement it and maintain it. That is a "strong" developer.
3. You better do following when I am seeking a job at your gig: invite me for a in person interview, tell me the story of your company, tell me the current pains, I tell you what can I do for you, how long I need and how much it costs you. If it matches then we have a deal.
I have next to no public repo's available simply because I don't have the time to maintain an open source project, my free time is spent away from the computer attempting to enjoy life!
In answer to
How will you get exposed to a range of technologies outside what your employer uses, and a range of problems outside your work domain?
Get thrown in at the deep end, put my headphones on and work it out. Hasn't failed me yet!
1. I have tons of free time. But I am spending it with my kids and family or reading books. Sometimes I am going out with some old buddies.
2. You have no idea what level of technology or engineering I am using at my work. I could be programming microcontrollers or writing risk calculation for a bank. Both require same skill: attention, read documentation well, invent the solution, implement it and maintain it. That is a "strong" developer.
3. You better do following when I am seeking a job at your gig: invite me for a in person interview, tell me the story of your company, tell me the current pains, I tell you what can I do for you, how long I need and how much it costs you. If it matches then we have a deal.