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There is huge need for these skills in astronomy, but it can be tricky to find the right way to plug in.

There is plenty of opportunity to contribute to open-source —-astropy is one of the most active projects, as a starting point.

Deeper (volunteer) engagement probably requires finding a willing scientist to plug you in to a project. That can be tricky get going and to make mutually beneficial.

There are full time research software engineer positions—these will pay less than industry, of course; for some folks the subject matter and environment make that trade worthwhile.

No option sans degree, I assume? Or at least reasonable compensation while pursuing one.

Most of such jobs pay peanuts (relatively speaking). Academia is something to consider as a hobby or after you retire.

I've always wondered that and would probably do it for free, but my guess is that you run into the problem that all those gigs are reserved for grad students.

I do remember seeing a website that attempted to connect SW engineers willing to volunteer with scientists but I think that effort died out. Not a bad idea.