Maybe try and find an idea that you think someone would pay for, and use kickstarter to fund it? (Of course, this should be something you really want to work on

Maybe try and find an idea that you think someone would pay for, and use kickstarter to fund it? (Of course, this should be something you really want to work on and will be motivated to complete, as well as something that people really want -- they'll vote with their dollars) For example, I recently saw a kickstarter for a device that would connect to ANY set of speakers and make them into WIFI enabled speakers. This kind of project would probably be trivial for you with a raspberry pi & an audio connector, and with your hardware knowledge, even scaling it up could be easy (ex. moving from a rpi to more efficient hardware solution). I personally am going to try and implement that idea later this year, just because I think it should be very doable for me. However, my point is that, by putting that project on kick starter, you can get a large lump sum (of course, it needs to be something people want), for development of some tech that COULD grow into a great retailable product. Also, go to school (happy wife, happy life), but keep developing. I personally think one of the best ways to develop software is by being close to a group of people that could very easily be your target market. Also, going to school, breezing through the classes will do wonders for your countenance, give you a better outlook, and expose you to more fresh ideas (though very little changes in core CS) -- it will expose you to more than just book-knowledge. Blog about it (you are different, the internet likes that, at the very least, you'll be used as an example of what 50 year old programmers are capable of). Keep developing. Of course, I'm less than half your age, I don't think I can give you advice you haven't already thought of. But it's like you're an out-of-season architect. As long as your skills don't dull, you just need to find the right thing to use them on. One of the best parts of being a computer programmer is the ability to create with VERY little (comparatively) input funds. Create until something sticks. I think there's some thinking around that essentially says to try and find a pain point (find someone that is having trouble with something), fit it, then sell them the fix.