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

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

#191

Post by jollofricepeas »

gensym wrote: post #11

I know lots of people who have started their careers over in their 30s. My mom, for instance, went to school to become a respiratory therapist. My dad was in his 30s when he learned to be a tool and die maker. Both of them needed formal training. I've hired people who have switched careers by going to dev bootcamps, but their situation was different because they hadn't had a period of downtime. In general, though, I…

Nice response!

I agree. As someone who has also done a great deal of hiring, having sincere interest is just so important in the big, wide world of software engineering.

So now I tell people this…

1. Live for yourself not your mom or dad or societal expectations.

2. Provided you don’t have any responsibilities besides yourself, do whatever you want for a profession.

3. It’s completely OK to have a job that you can stand and hang out with friends. If you’re not motivated by money or the work itself that’s perfectly OK (See #1)

4. Don’t become a developer because someone said you could make a bunch of money. Do it because you love building things. (See #1)

5. If you don’t know what to do then do everything and you’ll find out what you don’t like eventually. (See #1)

6. Life is not a race. Literally none of it matters except how you treat yourself and others. It’s your life. You’re allowed to change your mind but be kind to those who love you and take care of your dependents. (See #2)

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

#192

Post by fm2606 »

Changed careers at 36 y/o and then again at 50 y/o [0]

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33126861

I have no intentions on changing career fields anymore but could definitely see myself upskill and pivot to another area, i.e. AI, data science, or whatever I decide to do.

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

#193

Post by suprjami »

Whenever anyone in their 25s or 30s or whatever, I'm always reminded of a blog about a guy's grandpa who retired then pivoted to consulting on construction projects, and ended up being responsible for some of the biggest bridges built in China. He quoted his grandpa as saying "My career didn't really pick up until my 60s" or something like that.

So don't worry, you've got plenty of time.

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

#194

Post by pedalpete »

I was aimless all through my 20s and into my 30s. Started to realize that in every job I took, I ended up designing systems for how technology could improve their processes. This led to a project management gig when I was 29. No University degree, no experience. That PM role lead to another in my early 30s. When that 2nd role ended, I was floating around again. Worked in events until I was in my mid-30s.

After another short role as a PM, I started teaching myself to code. I was now around 34-35. An early coding project got picked up by TechCrunch, and I think the recognition, and a lot of people being impressed drove me further down the SE path.

I did some contract SE work, learned some ML, really just experimented until I got my first proper SE job at 40. I hated it. Left that gig and was super fortunate to land a job at CSIRO (Australia's science and technology research agency). Now I was an SE with some cred, but WAY outdone by my collogues, many of whom had PhDs. I was out of place, couldn't quite keep up.

I ended up as a mix Product Manager/Project Manager/Software Engineer, then spun out some tech to create a new company where I became CEO. I was 44 at the time.

So yes, you can DEFINITELY start over your career after 30.

We're now in the neurotech field, and that's all new to me as well (now at 50). Way out of my depth, but loving to learn.

Another way to think of it, if you had been an SE in the finance market until you were 40, would you ask if you could become an SE in (insert field of interest here)? Of course you could! You still have your experience, even if you think it isn't a positive experience. As long as you are a good person, with an interest to learn, there is a market for your skills.

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

#195

Post by sgarland »

* Navy Nuclear Operator from age 18 --> 28 * Got a Bachelor's (not CS/SWE, but STEM) while I was enlisted * Electrical Distribution Engineer age 28 --> 29 * Taught self Python here and automated a bunch of small tasks * Semiconductor Shift Supervisor age 29 --> 31 * Taught self JS/PHP/Postgres here, built an in-house web app to replace a bunch of spreadsheets * Attended UT Austin for a Master's in SWE during this time * Tech jobs age 31 --> current

In fairness, I've also been using Linux since age 16 (with a ~10 year gap as I was pretty busy), and got a homelab around the time of the Distribution Engineer job, and taught myself a bunch of things.

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

#197

Post by entrepy123 »

chiefgeek wrote: post #177

I've run my own successful database consulting business, been a sales rep, development engineer and product manager for a Fortune 50 company, ran a startup that I left, was VP ops for another startup, digital sales support rep, digital photo lab owner and photographer. I'm 53. Anything is possible. Agree with suggestions to hire a career coach. Mine was great when I went through a terrible patch in my early 40s. DM m…

How to DM you? (I do not see a contact method in your HN profile. I think I am in the market to talk with a career coach, and that recommendation sounds like it might really help.) I have put an email address in my profile. Glad to hear your outlook and experiences. Thanks.

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

#198

Post by [deleted] »

gensym wrote: post #11

I know lots of people who have started their careers over in their 30s. My mom, for instance, went to school to become a respiratory therapist. My dad was in his 30s when he learned to be a tool and die maker. Both of them needed formal training. I've hired people who have switched careers by going to dev bootcamps, but their situation was different because they hadn't had a period of downtime. In general, though, I…

[deleted]

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

#199

Post by nextos »

gensym wrote: post #11

I know lots of people who have started their careers over in their 30s. My mom, for instance, went to school to become a respiratory therapist. My dad was in his 30s when he learned to be a tool and die maker. Both of them needed formal training. I've hired people who have switched careers by going to dev bootcamps, but their situation was different because they hadn't had a period of downtime. In general, though, I…

This question is getting asked pretty often, so I think perhaps dang should consider some monthly who's mentoring / wants to be mentored threads as a service to the community.

Especially given the rough times ahead...

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

#200

Post by samelawrence »

I'm a similar late-bloomer who had to work my way into a tech job the hard way. No college degree, etc. Yes, it's possible - though it's quite hard. My advice would be to ask around and isolate the first set of skills needed to get a job that you would find interesting. QA is a great place to get started and probably a faster track into engineering than Support or Sales, but get in where you fit it and survive. Oh, and go on LOTS of interviews. As many as you can. I got rejected loads of times and I got my first job in QA with 0 experience but once I had a foot in the door of the industry, I had something to build on.
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