Hi, everyone! I am a total newbie to coding (more or less; I did take 1 computer science course in college where we learned the basics of HTML). I am immersing myself in Udemy courses and doing a deep dive into their 60 hour web development course. I will add on others once I complete this over the next few weeks. And to cap it all off, I’m actually really having fun!
But, can I make it as a newbie? I’m 37, in a career in law, and while I am a hard worker I don’t know anything about the strength of the industry. What is the likelihood that I will be able to find any kind of employment within the next few months? I know I will have to demonstrate something first - building useful websites that people use, etc. But let’s assume I have created something somewhat useful. Is there a job for me? Or will I be passed over because I don’t have a CS degree or certifications? Basically, what are the chances of a determined and hardworking person making this as a career switch in their mid to late 30s?
I would love some extra motivation because I am really enjoying my courses and I would like to think it could lead somewhere fruitful. But I am going to learn, no matter what.
Hi there!
To get a job you need to become an extra ordinary programer without a degree I think. Or you could work as a freelancer without a CS degree. But still, as you need have good programing/web dev skills.
If you’re very committed then you would find a job eventually.
It’s pretty unlikely (not impossible) that you would go from scratch to finding a job within a few months. Think more like 1-2 years with commitment and consistency.
If you’re a decent developer the majority of companies wouldn’t care if you had a comp sci degree or not.
For people with careers/a family/responsibilities it can be more difficult to maintain a consistent commitment to it over the long term. But it depends on what and how strong your motivation is.
Money is a good motivator as long as you have a real interest in programming. I don’t know what you earn so don’t know if switching to this career will result in better earning potential than you have currently, or if it would mean a financial sacrifice for a couple of years. If it’s the latter then you would need some other extremely strong motivator.
Regardless of whether you have a comp sci degree or not, getting the first job can be extremely challenging, but it gets easier after that.
- I would suggest below path to have optimised learning
- Build as many projects as possible once you finish training ( simple to complex )
- Maintain GitHub profile and keep comitting regularly
- Find out few more members and learn + build together
Without building sufficient projects on your own, you won’t get enough confidence to clear interviews