Like most of the above responses, I'll say "you need to make your own opportunities." My job doesn't afford me much perl time, but I'm gradually working it in as I can. I mean, how can the boss argue w/ increased efficency due to my quick scripts? But when I can't do that I look close to, literally at, home. Your needs at home are certainly real-world, perhaps more than you realize. You don't need to write a 10k+ line app to learn real concepts and obtain real usage. Sometimes its the 10-20 liners at home to make your tasks easier that you find more helpful than you currently imagine. What others call an "over-engineered home network" I call my own personal university...