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Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

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Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#11

Post by curmudgeon22 »

Yeah, I went through similar, interspersed with small bouts of university and some travel. Until my late 20's, I worked in construction, kitchens, call centers, hotels, saw mills and more.

I wouldn't worry about the 'laziness' bit, I think most people are like that and it sounds like you've provided for yourself.

I ended up getting a 2 year diploma in computer science (BCIT if it's relevant to you. I was happy with the program, but some folks didn't have as good of results).

For a long time, no jobs etc.. really stuck, nor did university the first time I tried. A 2 year program was good, because it didn't require as long of a time commitment to get something out of it. This one also had the option to do another 2 years (either right away or later) to finish the degree.

I'm in my second job since school now. I've never found something where I feel "joy" at work, but I'm very happy with the most recent one. Most jobs are annoying a lot of the time I think. Money and future prospects are much better than my random jobs earlier in life.

I changed cities when I went to school even though I could have found similar programs in my home town. The change of scenery was helpful I think.

I guess I have 3 main takeaways:

- I don't think you need to feel like something is a perfect fit/joy. Good enough is OK.

- Don't worry about having "wasted" years. I think life experience counts for a lot and a diverse background can be a strength.

- I never did in my late 20's or early 30's, but I think about retirement money a lot more now. People how started careers earlier and were smart with their $ have a big advantage over latercomers.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#12

Post by maximus-decimus »

holycrapguys wrote: post #3
FaisalAbid wrote: post #2

What brings you to Hacker News? Are you looking to get into development?

I enjoy the discussions here (for the most part) more than the other social media options. I've done some courses in data analysis, as well as python. I usually lose steam after self teaching after a few months though. I've found it hard to break in without a degree.

It might be different if you actually had a job and the whole thing was a bit more concrete... but if you don't like self-learning in general, I would highly recommend against becoming a programmer. Everything changes all the time and you have to constantly learn new technologies. On the flip side, this makes it harder to get bored since you're always learning something new.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#14

Post by joe_momma »

You have to be driven and use all the free resources you can because there is some kid out there who is and will get the job. You want to break in, learn mobile programming. Projects and demands still allow newbies off the street to make it. The web is easy but really confusing if you haven't paid attention the past decade. Mobile apps always have something new to fiddle with. Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#15

Post by curmudgeon22 »

jey wrote: post #6
holycrapguys wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I enjoy the discussions here (for the most part) more than the other social media options. I've done some courses in data analysis, as well as python. I usually lose steam after self teaching after a few months though. I've found it hard to break in without a degree.

> I've found it hard to break in without a degree. You don't need a degree if you have substantial projects and put them on your resume. Your resume just needs to convey that you have actually done significant programming work and that you're good at it. If you don't yet have a portfolio of projects, you can start building it now.

One option that could help with projects are udemy or similar courses. I've done a couple courses centered around a project, like this one: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-react-native-and-r...

You'd probably want to personalize/customize the projects, but could be a good starting point.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#17

Post by holycrapguys »

sinac wrote: post #10

If you haven’t already, try reading Mastery by George Leonard. Some of his examples / narrative choices are dated but if you can look past that it’s got great insights. It’s a piece of the puzzle but can provide some orientation.

Never heard of it I'll put it on my list.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#19

Post by pmoriarty »

One thing you might want to explore is volunteering for a cause or organization you care about. You'll meet others who share some of your deepest values, and it can get you experience and lead to opportunities to work for pay on things you care about with people that you like.

No guarantees, of course, but it can at least be fulfilling in ways that ordinary mercenary work isn't.

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