Is anyone here that became a developer/programmer after 27, is it possible or am i too old?

So i have a question, is here anyone that became a programmer/developer later in life ? I am 27 years old and just starting to learn, i finished html,css now moving on to Javascript. I have to say i really like it and would love to pursue this as a career in the future, i am really burned out from my job and i want a change to do something i actually like. So just looking for some motivation if here is anyone that started later in life like i did…i am scared that i am too old in the game to become a good developer.

Thank you !!!

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So i have a question, is here anyone that became a programmer/developer later in life ? I am 27 years old and just starting to learn, i finished html,css now moving on to Javascript. I have to say i really like it and would love to pursue this as a career in the future, i am really burned out from my job and i want a change to do something i actually like. So just looking for some motivation if here is anyone that started later in life like i did…i am scared that i am too old in the game to become a good developer. And can anyone give me any tips, is the javascript material here on Freecodecamp actually good to learn the language ? Or does anyone have some better sites or books to recommend where i could learn ?

Thank you !!!

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Coding isn’t like sports or something. As long as your brain still works and you’re still willing to learn you could be an 85 yo bed ridden invalid as long as you have a computer and an internet connection you can code to your hearts content.

Free code camp is probably one of the best places to start. I don’t work for them and I couldn’t care less if they get more people on their site so I’m not trying to pitch anything. Do the lessons in order and try not to skip any. Do not try to rush through them. Take your time. You’re gonna be garbage at it for a while but that’s OK. Don’t worry about it. The more you try to rush the longer it’s going to take you to learn.

I personally don’t like books but some people do, some also like videos or just figuring it out themselves. As for me I like structured lessons, coding challenges and just spending time playing around with stuff in the language documentation. For the most part though the best way to learn is to just try to build things and keep screwing up until you can make half decent stuff. If you’re afraid of failure then coding isn’t for you. The whole job is basically about figuring things out that you don’t know.

The best advice I can give you is that coding isn’t like learning accounting or something. There are a million ways to do the same thing. As much are programmers like to think of themselves as engineers, it tends to be more like an art than a science. So creativity and expression are super important to be a good coder. Take your time, be open-minded and most importantly, be patient.

Try these:
FreeCodeCamp Curriculum when you start
Codewars after you learn the basics of JavaScript
W3Schools for simple explanations and references
Codepen for tinkering with stuff

Actual most important advice. Do something coding related every single day. Even if its just watching a 5 min video on YouTube. Do to coding meetups. Don’t get intimidated by more experienced coders. And just start building stuff as soon as you can.

godspeed

ps. you’re 27 and you think your old lmao. what is it with people in their 20’s always in such a hurry to get old. you got like 50 years left at least before you dead from old age. you’re not even half way yet. whats the rush.

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Have a read of this:

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Make sure to do all the projects and you can get a pretty good grasp of Javascript

Learning on FCC and these kinds of sites works well for me so codecademy and udacity helped me out, even though there is a bit of repetition between the courses it helps to remember syntax.

Hey Ryan, I am 28 and trying to become a developer as well. There’s hope for us yet!

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When I started learning, I was your age (2 years ago). I changed my job from purchasing to front end development. If you like web development, go for it!

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Hi! Yep it’s entirely possible. I was a barista for most of my twenties then a coffee roaster near the end. I started teaching myself web development at age 30. Got my first dev job at 32. Been a dev for a year a half now. Just stay focused and positive!

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Hi… Im 32 and going over FCC learning curve…

So I don’t think your too old… There is article here on fcc(don’t have the link handy now… Just Google it out) but there are people much older then you and me(even over their 50s) which became successful devs…

So I think it’s all about the brains and trust me you’re gonna need it a lot on intermediate algorithmic scripting :grin:

It is. Happens all the time. Really not a big deal these days.

Hello, Ryan,

I will share you my story and hope it will help you to stay in the path. So I am a web development and IT graduate. I spent 3.5 years studying and made lots of stupid mistakes down the road. I relied on theory, not practice and now I am looking for a job. This situation didn’t discouraged me. I took 100 Day challenge and I am trying to work on coding everyday. I am 28 years old! I sometimes thought that it’s too late for me, but you know what? It’s not. Just keep pushing and trying to work on coding everyday. Jiro Dreams of Sushi really helped me to put things into perspective :wink: Dedicate yourself. Be a Shokunin. Good luck.

Hi Ryan.

I think you are worrying about nothing my friend. I’m 41 and currently learning to code. The way I look at it is that it may take me 2 - 3 years to become a reasonably good developer, which takes me to 44 or 45. As the average retirement age is 65 that gives me a full 20 years as a developer, and as a previous comment mentioned, all you need is a laptop and an internet connection, so you can work well beyond 65 so long as you still have your faculties in order.

At 27 you’ve got plenty of time. Just go for it and see what happens.

Good luck.

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Very inspiring story. Good luck in your web development journey.

36 here bro. just got my first dev job.
dont worry. nothing to it but to do it. srs.

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Coding is not based on age, but on your life experience.
The more experience you got, the better you perform as a coder.

You do better at data science, if you are experienced in mathematics and statistics.
You also do good with syntax, if you have a linguistic background. (At a point that you’ll probably able to make a whole new language.)
And you perform much better when creating applications for marketers if you have enough knowledge in marketing.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a good/great data scientist if you had no background in mathematics or science, it just means that you need to work more to build enough knowledge in the field.

Good Luck.

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Yes, you can! I started studying web development at the beginning of last year, which is 27 and got my first developer job in Oct 2017. Although the result is not so good…

I quit and tried to land other jobs afterwards, after few months (Dec 2017), I got an offer at bank for updating simple HTML pages. And now (Aug 2018), I finally get a job titled “Front end developer” in a well-known company!

Nothing is impossible! I believe you can also become a developer! :slight_smile:

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All you have to do is stick with it and keep working towards that goal. Don’t worry about age at all, I got my first dev role at 29 and in my current place one of our juniors is 37. Like many other people have said, it’s all about you and your mentality towards learning.

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Hey, I’m 38 and just started learning about 6 months ago. I showed my work to a friend who works in tech about 2 months ago to ask him for advice on how to do something, and he said I probably already knew enough to get hired as a front-end web developer. I decided to just keep learning before looking for work, but yesterday he called me and said his company needs someone to do a front-end job, so I got my first contract to work with them today.

You can absolutely do it, no matter how old you are. Just keep learning, and network, network, network! Tell your friends that you’re learning to code. It will keep you motivated, and someone will need your help eventually.

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I must be ancient then. I’m 47 and have been dabbling in web development for about 5 years now and decided to get serious this year.

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