If you want to boost your programming chops while doing something you care about, why don't you join an early-stage startup for equity? They need people who are

If you want to boost your programming chops while doing something you care about, why don't you join an early-stage startup for equity? They need people who are willing to work for lower pay, and you will learn A TON about something you enjoy. And usually super-early stage startups give you flexibility of no official HR to dictate when you have to be there and when you have to take a vacation. Sounds like a pretty simple solution to me.