This question comes up periodically, check the archives. Mainly, I'd suggest working through the puzzles at http://projecteuler.net/ http://projecteuler.net/ .

This question comes up periodically, check the archives. Mainly, I'd suggest working through the puzzles at http://projecteuler.net/ http://projecteuler.net/ . Once you solve them, especially if you don't feel like your solution is good enough, read through the forums and translate interesting approaches to your language.