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How I learned to code in my 30s

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Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#81

Post by bradcrispin »

AndyNemmity wrote: post #59

I'm 36 and learning how to be a real programmer. Was a Linux Admin, and an architect for my career. Did presales, and became an expert at a lot of different roles within the field. Never was truly a developer, and decided I wanted to accept a job as one. I've programmed in the past, how hard can it be? Wow, it's been enlightening. Really hard. I thought it would be straight forward since I've used scripted quite a bi…

Soon you will love pointers and structs and everything Go. Keep going (pun intended). Your colleagues are worried about their own work and your manager has made a long-term investment in you, not about the first few months. :)

I couldn't agree more that it is tough going when you realize a challenge is more than you expected. That plus impostor syndrome is what caused me to quit on my first try.

We are moving a lot of things from Python to Go at the moment and it has been great.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#82

Post by mancerayder »

bricestacey wrote: post #72
soneca wrote: post #42

I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me Then I started…

It looks like you've learned a lot, but a lot of people are going to criticize you based off your design skills. Frankly, it's ugly so you're automatically not going to be doing any product work. If you could clean up your demos to look more acceptable to the modern day reviewer, I think you would have better presented yourself.

I didn't downvote you, but I'll offer:

Frankly, it's ugly so you're automatically not going to be doing any product work

"Frankly, at the current level, without some improvement and time, you probably won't be doing much product work."

If you could clean up your demos to look more acceptable to the modern day reviewer, I think you would have better presented yourself.

"Clean up those demos to appeal to the modern reviewer, and you'll be better able to present yourself."

(Empathy also presents you better)

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#83

Post by pacomerh »

dschulz wrote: post #60
dzink wrote: post #12

You need more stories like this to show people who wouldn't normally consider CS as a viable, lucrative path to a second career. Areas with high unemployment and people in dwindling old industries may get a second wind in life if they tried his approach. A big change like this also requires multiple exposures to the currently much easier to reach CS education as a possible solution, so I hope more people produce acce…

I'm 36 and already feel "old" and unfit to continue pursuing a career as a software developer, which I consider(ed?) my dream job. I began programming at ~20 yo but had to work in another barely related field (still in IT) because where I live it's more profitable as a lone ranger. It's difficult to find peers in my area. I work as an independent consultant wearing many hats, doing all kind of weird network related j…

This mentality makes no sense to me. I don't understand why young people feel old in this area so much. It would make sense if you where pursuing Tennis (the sport), but software? Software is a lot of solving riddles and recognizing patterns. Seriously, Silicon Valley is poisoning peoples minds.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#84

Post by AndyNemmity »

bradcrispin wrote: post #81
AndyNemmity wrote: post #59

I'm 36 and learning how to be a real programmer. Was a Linux Admin, and an architect for my career. Did presales, and became an expert at a lot of different roles within the field. Never was truly a developer, and decided I wanted to accept a job as one. I've programmed in the past, how hard can it be? Wow, it's been enlightening. Really hard. I thought it would be straight forward since I've used scripted quite a bi…

Soon you will love pointers and structs and everything Go. Keep going (pun intended). Your colleagues are worried about their own work and your manager has made a long-term investment in you, not about the first few months. :) I couldn't agree more that it is tough going when you realize a challenge is more than you expected. That plus impostor syndrome is what caused me to quit on my first try. We are moving a lot o…

Appreciate the positive feedback. I certainly feel the management are making a long term investment, but feel my actual team is... concerned about the lack of deliverables.

Which I think is fair from their perspective, I think they expected a developer by trade to have assumed the role, and in actuality it's someone who has done a tremendous number of jobs around development. I'd be a bit concerned as well.

The great thing is, I'm learning a ton of cool technologies, and already see the major progress on a lot of fronts.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#85

Post by quincyla »

soneca wrote: post #42

I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me Then I started…

This is Quincy with freeCodeCamp. Congratulations on your new job, and your diverse portfolio.

Getting a job as a new developer after only 4 rejections is a great batting average. Sean Smith rejected 192 times before getting a job at Trustar. https://medium.freecodecamp.org/how-i-learned-to-code-and-ea...

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#87

Post by albedoa »

quincyla wrote: post #85
soneca wrote: post #42

I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me Then I started…

This is Quincy with freeCodeCamp. Congratulations on your new job, and your diverse portfolio. Getting a job as a new developer after only 4 rejections is a great batting average. Sean Smith rejected 192 times before getting a job at Trustar. https://medium.freecodecamp.org/how-i-learned-to-code-and-ea...

Sean Smith's story is so inspiring. It teaches us that if you can afford to work unpaid for 7+ hours per day, 50+ hours per week for a whole year and move to one of the most expensive cities in the world without a job, then you can truly achieve anything.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#88

Post by kulu2002 »

I learnt C, C++, Shell scripting gnu makefile creation directly on project. When I did my degree I only knew C just for sake of passing. I was directly exposed to writing device driver for I2C and SPI the very first day and someone just dumped a 1GB of technical junk on my PC which include some APIs of RTOS I was supposed to work on! But I would say that that was really a steeeep learning curve... I am amazed and surprised today when I look back from where I started 13 years back :)

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#89

Post by kodepareek »

I started learning to code when I was 31. Though I did have an engineering degree, but I learnt basically nothing after getting into engg school. Spent most of the 4.5 years worrying whether I was smart enough for this to do this and setting myself up for very dismal results.

Became an advertising copywriter after college and spent 7 years in the copy mines. It was truly a profoundly uninspiring industry (though I continued to doubt myself and never really got to where I wanted to and should have)

Founded a startup with a friend hoping for a fresh start. Took forever to find a developer so in some strange moment of overconfidence (sanity?) I decided I would take a shot at it and started learning Python. Found myself hypnotized by the codeacademy course and knocked it off in 3 days or less.

Some a few started programs then a developer friend came on board as an advisor and told me to pick up Django. In a few months (with him and another good friend doing all the heavy lifting) I got enough into the thing to be able to scrape data, make API calls and develop the admin interface.

With everything I learnt I found a block of that constant self doubt melting away. I had never felt so capable and in control in my entire life.

Startup wound up though and I had to take a job at a design agency. Though I picked up the basics of HTML and CSS there most of my work was managing clients (aarghh) Left in a few months as a writer at this startup working part time.

But within a month of me joining the CTO quit and the company was in massive flux. I just stepped forward and said I would code. The other developers happily took the help and I got my first job as programmer. The next 1.2 years were just full days of writing scripts to automate our workflow and figuring out this danged JS, Node thingy (which I really love now btw)

When this place wound up too and I studied React, now have a big 6 month project at this company helping them automate their workflow with an admin app. Am writing the fullstack code, all by myself. Which is so exciting and empowering.

Programming is awesome. It's my one advice to anyone who asks me for advice these days. It changed my life completely. From being a constantly depressed and volatile guy I am now fairly confident and really rare to anger.

Surprise bonus, I have become far more creatively productive after leaving the creative industry and have written a bunch of songs (that I don't hate) and also started learning to play the Piano, something I always wanted to do.

Next up is Algos and Data Structures the next time I have enough saved for a 3 month immersion. I really do think they are super important. Plus picking up a new language. Suggestions welcome.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#90

Post by Trundle »

jarsin wrote: post #57
ice109 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

people say this a lot but it's pretty hollow. if you're smart enough you can do it even if you don't like it. anecdotally I'm a fairly good dev (full stack, know several languages, several projects under my belt) and I hate it. the day I move from technical to management will be the greatest day of my life.

I honestly have never worked with anyone in software like that. I think you are a lot more rare than you know at least when it comes to software dev. But I do know other industries are filled with smart people that hate it and somehow stuck with it only for the money. For example attorneys...

I don't think you'd know if you'd worked with someone who is just in it for the money. If they're coding just for the money then it stands to reason that they'd also be willing to pretend to like coding just for the money as well.
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