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A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

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Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#101

Post by dnate »

zahlman wrote: post #77
globnomulous wrote: post #71

I don't mean to be a jerk, but I'm having trouble figuring out what the point of the post or of posting the post here is. Are you asking for advice? Feedback? Suggestions? Criticism? Support? The only question your post asks is "but who am I really?" To be honest, what I hear in the paragraphs that follow is less a description of yourself than the pronouncement that you are capable, curious, and driven to learn more,…

> I have severe ADHD. I could not survive in the tech world without treatment and medication. YMMV, but you should get treatment if you haven't already. I won't speak for OP, but from what I've been able to figure out locally, it's quite difficult (will take years and is largely down to chance, and anything you might to do help the process along is inhibited by the condition itself) to even get a diagnosis unless you…

Or live in a first world country with decent healthcare.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#102

Post by trollbridge »

jspash wrote: post #64
reactordev wrote: post #60

I want to call out something here. I’m all for learning to code at any age but companies need to stop being ageist and discriminatory towards older coders and workers. I’ve started to see this myself. I’m certain it’s ageism. To the OP, if you’re passionate about it, don’t let anyone/thing stand in your way.

Ageism is as real as any other prejudice. And unfortunately it's just a difficult to prove. I've seen the faces of the room full of "kids" (yea, that's reverse ageism I suppose) when doing remote interviews and watched them drop as soon as I appear on the screen. Then it's just a matter of speeding me through the interview until they can find the candidate with the "right team dynamic" or "culture fit" etc. The excus…

I would simply ask upfront if they’re open to hiring over 40 and/or hiring with a disability (and then mention I’m not litigious and simply don’t want waste their time if they aren’t looking for that, no hard feelings). I actually had a few places admit they are not going to hire over 40 + a disability after I made it clear I have no intentions to sue.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#104

Post by seadan83 »

pglevy wrote: post #95

What I took away from your post was not that you want to learn computer science but that you want to build things with software. If so, now is a really exciting time because it's never been easier for people without a CS background to go from idea to working software. As a UX designer, I've worked with developers for a long time, so I've picked up knowledge along the way. I've read some books and merged some PRs at w…

> If so, now is a really exciting time because it's never been easier for people without a CS background to go from idea to working software.

If this means to "learn" by using a LLM, I would be so wary of that advice.

Not learning CS was a shortcut many people took. Sometimes lack of time (ie: they haven't learned it yet), sometimes a lack of will. Either way, I feel that CS fundamentals is like a car mechanic knowing how an engine works. Tends to make for a better mechanic.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#105

Post by trollbridge »

dnate wrote: post #101
zahlman wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have severe ADHD. I could not survive in the tech world without treatment and medication. YMMV, but you should get treatment if you haven't already. I won't speak for OP, but from what I've been able to figure out locally, it's quite difficult (will take years and is largely down to chance, and anything you might to do help the process along is inhibited by the condition itself) to even get a diagnosis unless you…

Or live in a first world country with decent healthcare.

Then your biggest challenge will be distinguishing yourself as not having drug-seeking behaviour to get access controlled substances.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#106

Post by trollbridge »

reactordev wrote: post #61
giantg2 wrote: post #53

I wouldn't try to get into. I'm in my 30s and age discrimination is real. Nobody wants to hire a 30 something entry level engineer. They dont even want 30 something mid-level engineers. I know because I have a disability that seems to have capped me at these levels, I'm about to be fired, and the job prospects look abysmal.

The hard part is proving it. They’ll say it’s culture fit, or there’s a more qualified candidate. Being fired for any reason other than the real reason gives them indemnification should you say otherwise.

I’ve had exactly one job where I mentioned having a disability to HR and also one job where I got summarily fired for no apparent reason.

Keep your mouth shut about disabilities, and edit your resume so you look to be age 25-30. For interviews etc style yourself so you don’t look “old”.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#107

Post by trollbridge »

ilamont wrote: post #50
noelwelsh wrote: post #15

In a good economy, one year is more than enough time to get a job (considering most bootcamps are 12 weeks, and I know a lot of bootcamp graduates who are employed as developers.) Learning on the job can be beneficial as you usually have others to learn with, and learning is contextualized. Good luck with it!

Are boot camps still a thing? I thought the bloom was off, as documented here many times in recent years. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15095805

Boot camps are largely a way to separate people from their money and leave them in $12k of debt.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#108

Post by saejox »

I didn't draw a single piece of PNG until i am 38. Now i am about to release my second solo developed game. My art is nothing great, but a year a ago wouldn't even believe i could draw a single sprite.

https://www.instagram.com/arcadenest_games/

I find my age to be great period to learn new skills. It is never too late.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#109

Post by giantg2 »

reactordev wrote: post #63
giantg2 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I have some stuff in writing that shows they violated the ADA at least twice. So a lawyer should be able to get a nice payout for me when they do fire me.

Just don’t sign any closing paperwork that would sign your rights away.

Severance is basically just "we'll give you money if you sign this thing saying you won't sue us". If they give me enough, then sure I'll sign it.

Re: A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science

#110

Post by andrew_lettuce »

I see people conflate computer science with computer programming regularly. If you are motivated to build things you probably want to pursue the latter, and dig in to understand how the things you use work. Maybe your want to go deeper academically in certain areas, but do you want to be motivated by real world application or theoretical underpinnings? True comp sci is a lot closer to mathematics than most people's think. Sometimes this is required for deep understanding of what you're doing as a developer, but rarely.
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