I think you'd be crazy not to travel and enrich your experiences outside of programming. I would not suggest doing anything with an obligation (freelance/take a

I think you'd be crazy not to travel and enrich your experiences outside of programming. I would not suggest doing anything with an obligation (freelance/take a class). If you want to program something -- do it from a cafe in Paris for a few hours a week. EDIT: Just saw that you can't travel -- I would do anything to arrange it so you could get away for a couple of weeks. If not, well DC, Boston, Upstate NY are all pretty close -- get to a beach, hike, etc.