Ask HN: Has anyone successfully started their career over in their 30s?

Then my 30s showed up. Money long gone, pasive income from my side projects dried up as I was not paying much attention to them. At that stage I was living in 250 square feet appartment with my new girlfriend, had about 50 USD in my pocket, resume consisting of some small random project, zero team experience during past decade and idea that I might become farmer after all. Then one day my GF showed up and told me that in couple of months we are going to have a baby.

Well, what can you do, right? Big tech was (and probably still is) out of question, but I was happy to work with startups and just build the resume, going from random line programmer to lead developer within few years. At the end, nobody cares what you did 15 years ago, current experience is what matter.

I am in my late 30s now, things turned out great after all. Got two kids, girlfriend became my wife and I am leading mission critical projects for international banks both as an architect, tech lead and consultant.

There is no sure and simple way in turning things out for better. You might get lucky, you might get not. Take your time and think about what you want to do, just be sure that you can always start again, just don't give up.

Know several folks that made a change too. A parent went back to school to get out of engineering and into teaching. Became a professor.

Family friend went to law school at 40 -- she's now a judge in GA. Know a couple of folks who did law school early and then got out; one became a priest, the other got involved in government.

Had a friend who did a PhD in Theoretical Physics at UCLA and then went to Canada to teach; he's now a full-time cheese maker. He went hard on Insta and networked and has grown his business. It's hard work but he sounds satisfied, and his fresh cheese like queso fresco are delicious.

Another friend who was a NOC manager who moved to rural WA, married a local, and got involved in the local RotoRuter / sump-pump business. Literally a shitty job, but he makes his own hours and makes almost as much money, while meeting people and living on his terms. Being rural means hunting and shooting on his own land, him+his wife built a half acre garden, etc. Dokie jokes notwithstanding, I ponder if I should make a choice along those lines, since he's done at 5pm sharp, and the worst parts of his job wash off easily...

My $0.02 -- do some of those career inventories, either online or via paid local groups. I did one when I got out of the military and their predictions were, 10 years later, fairly accurate IMO. Talking about wayyyyy more than just an online MBTI test, too. But figure out, somehow, where you want to go, and then worry about picking up skills.

YES! There is always "hope" for nearly everything and everyone. The first step is to actually try to define what type of "hope" that you're looking for. Set goals, aspiration, and a clear vision of what you want so that you have an attainable mark. It's okay if this changes over time, but to light that fire you have to have something to strive for, even if it feels unobtainable at the moment.

> Is there a reasonable path to starting over?

Well, what do you define as "reasonable"? Everyone's path is different, and if you're comparing yourself to peers who have never veered off the straight and narrow path then you own path might seem unreasonable to you. Your path might make you the 30 year old intern or apprentice, and that's okay! Success and satisfaction doesn't always come from taking the "reasonable" path.

> Where do I even begin?

For lack of a better vocabulary, you need to find some way to "spark the fire." I was in a similar position to you. I spent years dragging out a degree that I wasn't passionate about, felt less than my peers who had moved onto successful and fulfilling careers, and felt down on my luck. After a series of poor decisions I finally found my spark while sitting in the dirt after a long day of landscaping. No car, no ride home, could barely pay the bills, I finally realizing exactly where my life was headed and I knew I needed to change direction. I spent weeks researching jobs that I wanted to aspire to but that I knew were unattainable at the moment. But I bit the bullet, applied to schools, completed a degree related to the roles I was passionate about, and have gone on to work in roles that I couldn't have even fathomed just a few years prior. So for me, it was the realization that life is short and what I contribute to it is up to my that really sparked my fire, but you have to find some way to get out of the mindset that's dragging you down. It's not easy, and you will face significant challenges on whatever path you take, but find that spark and commit to your goals.

> Will tech co’s ever consider hiring someone like me?

Someone like you now, lacking passion, down on your luck, self-loathing, and without a direction? No. But you won't be presenting who you are now to these employers. It's your life–you can be whoever you want to be! As someone who comes from a less than favorable background, the imposter syndrome is always knocking at the door in my head. At the end of the day, you are who you choose to be, so choose to be the person that those tech co's will hire if that's what you desire.