Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#1

Post by holycrapguys » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:01 AM UTC

I've been out of high school for almost 12 years. And I've never had a job I really loved.

I've worked in about 20 different industries from the oilfield to construction to food service, to debt collection, to transportation, to everything in between. Nothing in tech though.

Some were possible "good" jobs, but often they're very dangerous. I was an apprentice in a trade that has the potential to earn a lot 5 years in.

It's like I work for a bit and I'll get to a point where I just want to quit and be done with it. Or there are conditions I just don't want to put up with anymore so I just walk.

I've never felt content or joy at work, which I think is normal, but I also think some other people enjoy their work.

It's also part laziness, I can be slothful without a routine.

But I just feel so lost. I almost feel too old to keep constantly moving on to something else.

Has anybody else been in this situation and come out the other side with meaningful work that they like? And they're able to support themselves?

Just feel lost, I guess. Thank you.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#2

Post by FaisalAbid » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:35 AM UTC

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

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#3

Post by holycrapguys » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:39 AM UTC

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.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#4

Post by schwartzworld » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:41 AM UTC

Yes, I was very much in your shoes. I was 29 and had only ever waited tables or worked retail. I had no skills that paid and I never finished college.

I ended up going to massage therapy school, and I worked doing that for 6 years. During that time I began learning web development, mostly as a way to pass the time on slow work days. As I got better at development I got to a point where I could realistically see it as a career.

I began to focus on frontend development because I liked that I could work without dependencies, any computer with a web browser is good enough.

Massage is physical work and eventually I got tired of it. my second daughter was on the way and I wasn't going to be able to really make any more as an MT without starting my own business, which I wasn't interested in doing. I got serious about searching for dev work and eventually found something.

As a bonus, the 4 years of self study prepared me very well, and i actually enjoy the work. You'd have to to spend 4 years studying.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#5

Post by tyronehed » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:41 AM UTC

Started my first programming job at age 35. No experience. Now, 24 years later, I am doing great. It's never too late.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#6

Post by jey » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:45 AM UTC

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.

> 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.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#7

Post by francislata » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:46 AM UTC

When it comes to the feeling of laziness, maybe having a mentor or a friend keeping you accountable might help in some way? Even if you tried it once and given up on it, maybe this time around it will turn out to be awesome for you.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#8

Post by polishdude20 » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:48 AM UTC

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.

Yep this. It will take a while to make some projects that you'll be happy to display publicly but this is the cheapest route to go.

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#9

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:48 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: 30 years old with no career

#10

Post by sinac » Tue, Jul 06, 2021, 1:50 AM UTC

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.