31–40 of 234 posts
There is near infinite demand for tech skills. Maybe you can't go work for Google (most of us can't), but there are 1000x as many "non-tech" businesses, big and small, that need tech skills.
The nature of the work meant that I often had 1-2 hours breaks in my schedule. Sometimes a slot wouldn't get booked, or someone would cancel. So I started learning to code, first Ruby on Rails then JavaScript. I took a couple of freelance clients, but didn't really start looking for work until I was 35. By then I'd been hacking on my own for almost 4 years.
Now I'm 40 and my title is Principal JavaScript Engineer. It's only really been like 5.5 years of working full-time in tech, but I love what I do and I'm damned good at it. I'm so grateful this worked out, because I _did_ end up having that hypothetical worse injury in 2021. Between that and the COVID pandemic, if I had stayed in massage or (worse) food service, I would have been seriously screwed.
> Is there any hope for someone like me?
Yes
> Is there any reasonable path to starting over?
Yes
> Where do I even begin
Pick a starting point. I can only speak for the software world, but the fundamental principals are generally the same regardless of your domain or tech choices. Pick a popular language and just start learning to build. Keep building and keep learning until you are able to recognize that you've reached a level of basic competency.
> Will tech co’s ever consider hiring someone like me?
I mistakenly assumed that being self-taught would make it harder to sell myself, but the opposite has been true. I'm not saying getting that first job wasn't challenging, but in general, I think my story makes me an attractive hire. Software development typically involves a lot of autodidactic learning, so someone who taught themselves is doubly prepared.
The first job is hard to get, but if you aren't picky and you try hard, you'll get it eventually. It's worth it. Once you're in, you're in.
Eric Yuan founded Zoom at the age of 41.
David Baszucki was 41 years old when he created Roblox with cofounder Erik Cassel, who was 36 at the time.
Stan Lee created his first hit comic, "The Fantastic Four," just shy of his 39th birthday, in 1961.
Samuel L. Jackson has been a Hollywood staple for years now, but he'd had only bit parts before landing an award-winning role at age 43 in Spike Lee's film "Jungle Fever" in 1991.
I don't know how many of these examples you need, but all I can say is you can ignore the past. Do what you need to do, have some faith and just look forward.
Now she's a software engineer at a large non profit. Only had minimal experience writing code with me on hobby projects before that, but she learned quickly.
You spent your 20s cutting your teeth on a failed startup. Lots and lots of people do that and it's a perfectly acceptable thing to have on a resume. I know people who have started in their 30s from never having programmed professionally at all and are now working at a FAANG company. The world is your oyster, go get it.
It sounds like you’ve maybe seen your resume in front of you and you’re reflecting on how it didn’t go the way you’d hoped, rather than the value in it.
Talk to a career coach who can help you write it from the perspective of focusing on your wins.
I don’t know you or your background but I doubt the story of your career is “I did a startup and it failed and I should’ve seen that coming and now I’m lacking confidence”.
Get the resume rewritten:
- Job functions. - Tech/skills learned. - Explanation of how eager you are for the next challenge.
Buddy, if you’re old in your 30’s then I’m ancient and I refuse to accept that. If you went to grad school then you’re probably at most 15 years out of school. That’s means you still have two thirds of a typical working life ahead of you. More if you’re lucky.
Make a plan and get yourself back out there.
By the way, I’d absolutely hire a late career switcher, because you’ve likely got more responsibilities than someone straight out of college. This might sound counter-intuitive (you can’t be easily exploited with 60 hour work weeks the way a starry-eyed grad can), but you also likely can’t afford to waste anyone’s time.
Life is really long and hard and complicated. But most of the time you can make it work.
The fact that you can't see a path forward for yourself and using phrases like "execs who had no interest in leveling me up" (hint: it's your job to do that) and "I was a moron", does not bode well for your chances.
You're going to have a hard time getting hired if this is the attitude you project, and you're going to have a hard time improving yourself with the negative mindset you seem to have adopted.
I know it is cliche, but you need to adopt a growth mindset (Google it, it is a thing)
In my experience it was friends and connections that I mistakenly thought were lost and cold, respectively, that helped me land a role that changed my career trajectory. I also had to clear a major mental hurdle about what I intended to do with my life.
For context, look at photos of yourself from 15 years ago. Remember how old you felt? You were so young! This pattern repeats.