I do however think there is a strong correlation between IFR flying and IT as a hobby/profession. You need the same warped brain to do both
I share that assertion but it has yet to be verified statistically. 
It would be helpful if the aviation authorities queried the applicants’ profession on their forms. But why should they…
I don’t have much interest in IT, except that it work without me paying a lot of attention to it. OTOH I love the visceral aspects of machinery. Its the intellectual challenge of flying in terms of operating the machinery, understanding stability & control, aerodynamics, structures, how to make the plane perform best etc that attracts me. I also believe there is a strong correlation between understanding those aspects of flying and safety. IT for me is just a side issue, the basis of aircraft accessory items, and I’m happy to live where IFR operation isn’t often necessary.
Building an aircraft is a huge achievement but if your goal was to enhance your flying judgement I think it’d be even better to design an aircraft. Otherwise, I think planning and making VFR cross countries is a very good thing to gain judgement, and a bit of aerobatic experience teaches you that the aircraft is operating in a small slice of its envelope for most flying. Learning to extract yourself from unusual attitudes without disabling anxiety also has a lot of safety implications.
To avoid getting so epic as to upset some esteemed participators, no comment from this side… 
IT’er: yes, and love it – but not therefore “IT-savvy”, i.e. do not ask me to fix your Excel or your ADSL access box.
IFR: no, and don’t count on it in this life.
Like Bosco says – go to the US. Or even better – go places. Once you get past the “intellectual challenge of operating the machinery” (about 1h or so), local runs will eventually get boring – and I say that with one of the best aerial playgrounds at hand.
With not much more hours than you (150h) I did the whole of the Caribbean (Tampa – Bahamas – Puerto Rico – St. Maarten – St. Vincent – Curacao – RD – Bahamas – Tampa). Last year a bunch of us went to South Africa and enjoyed low altitude runs across deserted beaches (see:
safari parks etc ad nauseam. The novelty effect will wow you a lot more than the gazillionth landing on the same mountain runway… and you don’t even need IFR to enjoy it :)
Apparently Shorrick has never done any aerobatics, or flown into difficult fields. I know people who have spent their entire flying life slowly but surely getting better at that kind of flying, and yes that kind of machinery operation is a challenge both intellectually and in terms of aircraft control. One of the guys who has very kindly shown me a few things in this area has progressed in his flying to being on the US unlimited aerobatic team – which I suppose took him longer than an hour airborne.
Its also interesting to conjecture why a few posters on almost every website are emotionally sensitive and embittered to the point where virtually every post is an attack, no provocation needed, something that apparently overcomes any ability to communicate normally
I don’t like deleting posts and extremely rarely do so, so let’s keep the discussion strictly non-personal please.
I would certainly participate in a thread that discussed over sensitivity; there’s an awful lot of it about and it certainly does make communication difficult. But this is not a counselling site!
Are you sure? ;-))
Define difficult. Is Courchevel difficult enough? Saanen maybe? Random unmarked bush strips? Are glaciers “difficult” enough? It’s all relative.
As other said, do some flying in the USA!
Flying in the USA is very rewarding. I like their pragmatic approach to flying and teaching. USA also is so much more GA-frendly, you will love it! After 7 years of flying i have been checked out at four different clubs in the USA and 4 in Sweden. Really nice to fly with different instructors and trying out different planes, you will always learn new stuff! You will also gain confidence when you have trained and been “approved” by different instructors :) I like to go places so i took the JAA IR. Also recently took the FAA Foreign Pilots IR theory on my last vacation, pure fun! Have tried aerobatics that gave me a new dimension of flying :) One more rating on my bucket list and a really good reason NOT going to places :)
