Ask HN: What do you say to someone who wants to get into software development?

Occasionally I have friends who really want to get involved in software, but they have zero background in it whatsoever. I'm never really sure what to say. Computers and programming have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. It's the only thing I was ever good at or wanted to do. I can't really understand how to articulate that. It seems impossible for me to recommend someone do this stuff without having that lifelong level of understanding and context and passion. Am I wrong? Is software really not that hard, and able to be learned later in life?

I tell those friends

- it's not for everyone, you sit for hours in front of a computer not socializing

- it can be a very rewarding career, there are many tracks one can go down

- it requires a mindset that learning never ends, many people have stopped learning, so restarting that process is difficult

- that switching careers typically takes full time effort to be successful.

- to checkout the Grasshopper app to get a taste of programming

- try an online course before spending significant money on a boot camp

- bootcamps are a better path than self teaching, but to be very careful when selecting, top ranked and widely know is the way to go

- sometimes it can be better to learn a little programming to automate processes in your current role, rather than switching careers to become a full time programmer

Whatever you do, don't get into gaming.

1. My number one suggestion - have intellectual curiosity to the point of obsession. You can succeed without this quality, but you won't be as forward looking and will be doing what is required by the task at hand.

2. Heathcare has been secretly booming for the last 10 years without very much attention at all. The convergence of regulation and technology leaves a _huge_ opening for innovation right now. Specifically, as of this year the patient will own their data and can use whatever application they choose to ingest and utilize that data. It's a big deal. I wish I was in a place where I could be part of the end-user experience.

> there are many tracks one can go down

I think this one is very important - both for the person giving and receiving advice. There are so many paths just for software development specifically. The paths absolutely endless. And that might be exciting or present opportunity. But it's also a responsibility of someone giving advice to make the person aware of the vastness but also to help them navigate it all.

Yes there are three or four major languages, but you could find yourself working in one of hundreds. There are many support technologies - front-end, back-end, api specific, frameworks, hosting, data storage and models.

And related to but not specifically software development, there is QA, devops, project management, and many other support fields that require an understanding of how software works.

I usually say that it's good for everyone to give it a try and ask what they want to do. If they just want to learn for learning sake or because of a plan to switch careers, I'll mention python casually and then I'll wait. Most people will give up after trying it once or twice and that's fine. I never actually had anyone stick with it enough that they wanted structured help.

I do know a few people that got into it later in life, but those just did it, they didn't ask friends how to get started. So usually when someone asks, I unfortunately immediately predict they won't make it - since everything you need is available online, a person that asks already is showing lack of motivation or "digging" skills.