For people interested in science (finance would also work) there is an infinite number of things to be done to be useful (or simply interesting) at various levels.<p>Doing calculations by writing functions, reading files, etc. is a great way to progress. One can take some equations from an intro physics&#x2F;chem&#x2F;bio book and get started. Or doing some budgeting&#x2F;personal finance&#x2F;investing simulations using personal banking CSVs or online stock data.<p>It&#x27;s a good alternative to game programming in that it may be more obviously pragmatic and appeals to people (like myself) who are thoroughly uninterested in games. I imagine it&#x27;s a very different style of programming as well; less interactive and more geared towards producing results rather than an experience.<p>For more experienced programmers looking for interesting and useful side projects (maybe to show off skills for a job search), I think there is a lot of opportunity to work with scientists to help them with their research. It&#x27;s actually pretty easy to reach out to scientists by going to public talks and seeing what they do, then chatting them up and seeing how to make yourself useful. The hard part is of course sticking with it...