I haven't have any pet projects for year. I completely moved to MOOCs. Why? The main reason is that I have no time for such projects. They takes much more time than I want to spend working on them. On the other hand MOOC could give the same experience in a definite amount of time.
Ideally, I should spend time on both MOOCs and pet projects. But I have a family and work. That means that I usually have only 5 hours a week to do a course or spend on a tiny-tyne pet project. That projects can be just a little more complex than MOOC's code assignments.
If you want to make a first step in a new field or work a little bit with a new technology, MOOCs work great. They give you structured intro into the technology