Create a jobs, not looking for jobs is a great idea
Simple answer:
Iām currently 38.
Bachelor in Criminal Justice.
No degree in Computer Science.
Started programming in April of 2016.
Fired from first 3 programming jobs.
3rd boss even told me to change professionsā¦
4th job I quit because I was offered a $1 raise after working there for 1 year.
5th (current job) full-time developer at 90k a year & tech lead of my team.
All depends how much you put into it.
I program non-stop every day even after a full day of work, including weekends. No social life.
No exaggeration to anything Iāve stated above.
Yes, you are too old for this. If you started learning software development at 4 years old, youāre on a good path.
Just kidding. Age is not really a factor in changing your line of work or changing your interest in life. Your determination and grit are only needed to succeed. It is never too late to learn and switch to software development.
Welcome to the club! 
There are some great replies here and its nice to see there is hope after 40 being in the mid 40ās myself. 
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Age is not matter at all. I left my public job before 7 years ago and started IT career and now I earn 3 times as same position earning. So we need enthusiasm. There is a will, there is way. Carry on. Best Of Luck.
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NO! Itās never too late.
Iāve met a statistician that decided to go to medical school at around the age of 35 to become a neurosurgeon; this requires 4 years of medical school, 6-8 years of residency and there is period in between the board exams and the start of a residency program, which is about 6-12 months, totaling about 12 years it took to make this happen.
Considering the possibility of the other route, the your barrier to entry in becoming a developer is significantly less.
Instead of looking at barriers, try to focus on things you can control - your learning plan, the deadline you set, your unique experience in music, and your resources. There are a lot of people out there talking about the importance of time management and organization. Lots of people offer great advice and the best also include the importance of networking and strategizing your job search - make friends and join groups in meetup.
Oh, and it helps if you have some landscape of this industry:
2019 report based on 71k + developers feedback
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Reading this thread has provided some much needed motivation. I left a well-paying career of 18 years back in April to focus on a switch to web development, and I have had plenty of doubts and fears and worries about my decision. Iām 45 years old and have no illusions that this switch will be easy; however, I wonāt get far in life if I donāt take chances.
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Thanks for sharing the link to the report.
Compete with yourself )
Inspirational post for 40+
Hi mate!!
I also come from a musical background and now Iām learning to code. I finished a diploma course on web design, am doing challenges on FCC alongside with a course on Graphic Design (to make better interfaces). Iām proudly 38 and learning even more than when I was younger (because I still feel myself young now).
Iām still learning, so I donāt really feel capable of taking up a job in Software development (yet) so I keep on working full time while learning to code.
I think that if we change our mindsets we can achieve more. Instead of asking āis it too late?ā why donāt we ask āhow can I do to get a job at 40ā or āwhat do I need to get a job at 40?ā or even āWhat places are recruiting people?ā, etc.
Iāve thought of getting skilled enough to sell my work on platforms like Upwork, etc.
Is there a group we 40~ can go and share information to achieve common goals, code together, set challenges, share experiences, etc?
Cheers,
Johann.
It is also true that the older you are, the more experience you have to draw upon and therefore the more opportunity to stand out 
Never too late. I am 49 years old. I started coding on a Commodore 64 in 1986. Corporate America begged me so I took the path of a Project Manager / Business Analyst and continue to consult as one today.
However, my heart was and always has been with writing code. It is one of the most fulfilling things that I have ever done in life.
As far as starting from scratch goes, I taught myself to code as a teen and never stopped despite my career path, raising a family, etc, so itās easy for me to say it can be done although truth is that it is easier to keep up with the changes over the years because I built the foundation early.
However, given the resources that are available now, with the Internet and communities such as FCC, I think that the sky is the limit despite your age. I also think that switching careers may be easier because of your life experiences - being older.
Not to mention, the lack of software engineers that are US citizens and have other work related skills in addition to coding. Best of luck to you and happy to help you in anyway that I can.
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Although iām younger (at the age of 30), as the oldest student in class, i feel the same way.
My opinion is that age is not a problem if we are really into it and serious about it. There are many people who can succeed in coding even at an older age. Regarding this, my inspiration is the 82-year-old Masako Wakamiya(you can google for more details).
As a woman, Im not only intimidated by the idea of agism but also gender discrimination. A man selling a second-hand laptop surprisingly said to me, āyou learn programming? A girl??? Itās very difficultā¦!ā immediately after he found out i bought his laptop for coding. Two other men have persuaded me to reconsider as they donāt believe itās what most girls can do. I felt demotivated at first but my mom, a friend of mine and an IT instructor encouraged me to go for it, and iām now still enjoying and excited about what iāve gained in my second term of a professional program. I hope we, as a community, help encourage and support one another more.
Letās never let age and other factors deter us from what we believe we can do as long as we have a clear goal, good health (physically, emotionally & mentally), and determination to reach the goal. Let commitment be our boss!
By the way, i do agree with @zk433. Well-said, sis!
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I think the same way, @zk433!
I see many posts of people in their 30s and 40s depressed asking people if they are too old.
They should be focused on learning programming and getting involved in developersā communities. They are still considered young to start a new career.
Hi
Jay thanks for sharing your post , Iām not as old as you but age it self is nothing but a number , the reason i can relate to this post is the fact that i was beating up myself about being 28 years old now and just now starting off in the Programing world. So far my thoughts on it is very positive and Iām pretty sure once i get a better understanding of the language Iām learning it would be more clear as i go along.
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Well, if matters, I can share my story. I am 34 years old. Living in a foreign country, the Netherlands. Not a native English speaker. I have found web developer job half year ago. Before that, I also learning all the basic web dev skills from freeCodeCamp. Actually I could have more job opportunities if I am the local resident.
BTW if interested, I really wish anyone, dreaming of becoming a software engineer or web developer, want to watch my videos. And leave any questions to the comments as you want. I will do my best to reply. And Iām sure my English will improves as well.
My channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkar8FNGPj2L1kZzLa54CpQ?view_as=subscriber
The video:
Juan (Amy)
Amazing story. The main difference between those of us who want and those that do are the doers start moving towards their goals while us āwantersā just sit, do nothing, and just feel the path is too difficult. So awesome job and kudos to you. (side note, invest in a microphone, it will make a major difference).
@jaytsecan wow almost 3 year old thread, can you please share with community if youāve achieved your dream, what were the learnings, difficulties etc ?
Cheers,
Vikram
Dont woried about your age. If you have an passion in coding. You can achive grate in software field. Best wish sir