Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?

I read (and liked) Gladwell's book, but the point of it was really just that no matter what your natural talent for something, it takes the opportunity to do a lot of focused practice to become good at it. This is to debunk the idea that the wealthy are all members of a meritocracy; even if they do have some talent at whatever they are doing, they were lucky enough to get born into circumstances such that they were allowed to do whatever-it-was for long enough to become expert.

Also, just because you're not great at something initially, doesn't mean you cannot become great, because it takes many thousands of hours of practice to become great.

No doubt the 10k rule varies according to field, because some fields are new, and no one has 10k hours yet. There are programmers with 10k hours, but most of the professionals in the field do not have 10k hours yet, for example. The definition of "great" (and therefore the # of hours required) is relative to others in that field.

I switched into programming in my 30's, when many programmers start to rotate out of it because they believe they are too old. I probably am not as good at certain things as others, but I also bring experience from previous careers to improve the odds that I am programming the right thing in the first place.

If you switch careers, it will take time to become good at the new one, and you (and your finances) need to be able to accommodate that. But it definitely happens.

The 10k thing is ridiculous for anyone who understands basic pedagogy and, as you mention, actually pays attention the competency of their peers across their life. Most individuals are stuck doing the same challenges over and over very early in their trajectory. It is not at all efficient for learning, but it is the safest bet for employers to ensure consistent production (in their minds anyway).

The main benefit is having any kind of positive coefficient in a world where you have to work to pay your bills anyway.

Yes, but is he a talented bullshitter or an accomplished one?

Agree 100%. Either do it or dont’t, otherwise you’ll be wondering if it’s too late to change in another ten years.

Anytime someone asks me how I made the leap to building startups the answer is pretty simple: failure doesn’t scare me that much, I have failed many times, but I’ve learned and don’t repeat (most) mistakes. That and I hate anyone telling me what to do. YMMV.

Hey young man, go West. When I was your age I switched from Ux to software dev.

When I attended college at 43 I was the top student in all my CS classes. Same, when I attended an immersive 3-month bootcamp 5 years later. Now, nearly 10 years later I am an owner in a startup.

I will admit that I had some advantages. First, I was a life-long programmer hobbyist. Mainly a dabbler but I made stuff, mostly games. Second, as a Ux designer, I worked in the industry and side-by-side with developers so I knew my way around the shop. And last, I've been a learner my entire life so getting in the groove to return to school was easy.

Good luck.