How old is too old to jump into software development? • Hacker News Board

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#31

Post by schwartzworld » Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 10:05 AM UTC

I switched into tech pretty much at exactly your age. I was a massage therapist and I started learning to code in 2014, getting my first paid job in 2018. My experience is only in webdev, so depending on your discipline your mileage may vary.

You're right in thinking that your lack of experience is going to be an obstacle, but it's not an insurmountable one.

Everyone tells you to have a GitHub profile with portfolio projects and this helped, but most recruiters for entry-level positions didn't know enough about tech to evaluate a project in a portfolio. They only speak "years of experience". The only way you get past that is getting lucky enough to have somebody who knows what they're talking about read your resume, which is what happened to me. I was 36, father of two starting in a brand new industry and it's awesome.

The great thing is that once you're in, you're in. And being on the older side for the industry is actually an asset. I'm right in the sweet spot where I'm young enough to not cringe too hard when my company names all development teams after video game characters, but old enough to add a little gravitas behind my opinions.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#32

Post by aristofun » Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 2:03 PM UTC

iainctduncan wrote: post #22

aristofun wrote: post #12

We have a few 40+ “From zero to developer” cases in our bootcamp. And a plenty of 30+ cases. Btw, “spend time with family at home” is not the best primary motivation for the job. It’s demanding and requires a lot of mental energy, for some developers WFH is quite challenging.

I dunno, I disagree. I got into this game specifically because of the ability to work flexible, remote, and part time hours. Does it limit who I can work for? Sure. Has it mattered? Not really. 16 years in I'm earning a very comfortable middle class income working 24h per week, and the most I ever did was FT for six months, and 80% time for a year and a half. Most of my career has been 60-75% time.

It depends, sure.

What I meant was “if you want to build a great carrier”

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#33

Post by rikroots » Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 7:17 PM UTC

WEngeneer wrote: post #11

rikroots wrote: post #3

I dabbled with building personal websites for 20-odd years before getting my first "professional" gig back in 2014 at age 49. The key difference between hobbyist and professional web development, in my opinion, is not so much programming knowledge but rather knowing the tooling that surrounds a project (git in particular, testing rigs, etc) and learning to work as part of a team (how to estimate work, what to do when…

Did you face any age discrimination, e.g did you suspect that interviewers turned you down mostly because of age. Because I read a lot of stories like this.

Nothing provable in a court of law. However, the look of disappointment in some of the interviewers' faces when we finally met for the face-to-face interview told me everything I needed to know about their expectations even before they said hello.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#34

Post by giantg2 » Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 10:23 PM UTC

WEngeneer wrote: post #10

giantg2 wrote: post #5

I think it depends on the person. I'm in my early 30s and I've already seen a pretty drastic decline in how quickly I can learn things. It would be tough but not impossible.

Can you describe your situation in more detailed way ? because I experienced similar situation and want to compare my experience with others.

I became an expert in a Filenet based system. After 5 years they wouldn't promote me even though I had filled the role of a tech lead for a year and senior dev for a year. The company decided to outsource my role, so I transitioned to a NeoXam team. I worked on the Neoxam based system for almost 2 years and they basically pushed me out by giving me a low bonus and a BS reason (they were cutting the program headcount 50% the next year). Now I'm starting all over on a new stack - AWS, Java, Python, and a ton of related technologies.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#35

Post by blodkorv » Fri, Oct 16, 2020, 5:40 AM UTC

Depends on how much you want to earn.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#36

Post by runjake » Fri, Oct 16, 2020, 2:53 PM UTC

You have one life. Use it.

You'll have challenges, but you'll adapt and get through it.

I'm nearing 50 and plan to "retire" and get into some sort of professional programming work in my mid-50s.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#37

Post by stakkur » Fri, Oct 16, 2020, 6:42 PM UTC

1. You're not 'too old'.

2. You already are a software developer; you're just not paid to do it.

3. You do have experience (projects, a little freelancing)

4. Find ways to show your experience to potential employers or potential clients. Write up your projects. Put them on a web site and a resume. Don't be shy about it.

5. To improve your chances of success, consider finding ways to leverage your experience/knowledge in the medical field to get developer work.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#38

Post by WEngeneer » Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 12:20 PM UTC

rikroots wrote: post #33

WEngeneer wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you face any age discrimination, e.g did you suspect that interviewers turned you down mostly because of age. Because I read a lot of stories like this.

Nothing provable in a court of law. However, the look of disappointment in some of the interviewers' faces when we finally met for the face-to-face interview told me everything I needed to know about their expectations even before they said hello.

This is what scared me off from career switches in general not just coding, and still gives me air of uncertainty. I've read too many stories like this for my own good or bad. Sending 800 applications is like full time, unpaid labor in itself.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#39

Post by WEngeneer » Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 12:26 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #34

WEngeneer wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you describe your situation in more detailed way ? because I experienced similar situation and want to compare my experience with others.

I became an expert in a Filenet based system. After 5 years they wouldn't promote me even though I had filled the role of a tech lead for a year and senior dev for a year. The company decided to outsource my role, so I transitioned to a NeoXam team. I worked on the Neoxam based system for almost 2 years and they basically pushed me out by giving me a low bonus and a BS reason (they were cutting the program headcount…

Were you actively trying to keep brain in shape ? As a medic (neurology is not my field though) I am interested if it is possible to keep brain in shape by "mind exercises" or it is urban myth.

Re: How old is too old to jump into software development?

#40

Post by giantg2 » Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 4:34 PM UTC

WEngeneer wrote: post #39

giantg2 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I became an expert in a Filenet based system. After 5 years they wouldn't promote me even though I had filled the role of a tech lead for a year and senior dev for a year. The company decided to outsource my role, so I transitioned to a NeoXam team. I worked on the Neoxam based system for almost 2 years and they basically pushed me out by giving me a low bonus and a BS reason (they were cutting the program headcount…

Were you actively trying to keep brain in shape ? As a medic (neurology is not my field though) I am interested if it is possible to keep brain in shape by "mind exercises" or it is urban myth.

I wasn't doing any specific mental exercises. Like many software dev's, I don't get the most exercise, but I do get some. I have a decent diet and I'm pretty much in-shape.

PubMed might be a good place to research this. I believe believe diet and pyshical exercise are widely known to promote brain health. There are other things like mental exercises or nootropics studied too.