Ask HN: Change career at age 30 in 2018?

If I was learning web development NOW, I would learn HTML, CSS, and JS, very, very well.

In-depth HTML, JS, and CSS knowledge do not differentiate you in the application/interview process but they do give you an advantage once you start working. You will impress not just the stakeholders, but the other developers as well, whose knowledge will be mostly limited to the specific framework they're using.

I think it depends on where you live to be honest. Obviously as others have said HTML, CSS and JS will always be valuable skills to have and you should make sure you have a solid foundation in all of these if you wish to be a web developer.

From there it really depends on what jobs are available locally to you. If there are development communities or meetups then I would suggest attending them and learn what is in demand.

If someone suggests you learn X language but there are no jobs near to you then it's not worth anything unless you want to relocate.

1. go to job boards find tech local companies are looking for

2. look for online to something like this: https://code4startup.com/projects/airalien-clone-airbnb-with...

with the tech your looking for. do a couple of these kinds of sites to get a feel for it.

3. go to freelancer or upwork and get some projects no matter the pay.

4. once you've got some "professional experience" work with a recruiter to find a job.

5. look for interview questions for those technologies.

6. talk with confidence about how you love xyz tech. and explain how you'll pick up there environment with no problem.

I will be 34 soon. I made the transition to development after 3-4 years of self-study and building things. You can do it.

My personal opinion is to start with a language like Python for programming. Learn the fundamentals and then start with web development after that. There are many other ways to go about it depending on what you want to do.

There's a lot of really great, free, resources available online right now.

If you want to go the self-study route, I'd recommend something like Odin Project, freecodecamp, or a a-la-carte program using coursera/edx/treehouse etc.

Javascript is a fine language to start with, if you want something a little more robust or transferable, check out python. But in all reality once you learn how to learn a language picking up new ones is a lot easier than starting from scratch.

Just like a diet, the best program is the one you can stick to. Pick a program and set a deadline for your self. Push as hard as you can until then, and then evaluate and change things up as you see fit.

Personally I would stay away from boot camps and "job ready programs". They seem to work for quite a few people, and if you have the resources (money) to do one, it wouldn't hurt - but for the average person it's tough to swing 8-12 weeks of no income + paying for lessons that can be learned for free, albeit at a slower pace.

I am 40 and working to change careers now. I don't think this change will even be my last career. I have a few more that I am interested in, including: getting an M.D., translating books and materials, teaching modern language and lastly owning a small soup and sandwich place.

I guess I'm saying you are never to old. Start learning and embrace the change.

I started coding when I was 28. Knew nothing about it, didn't even know what a compiler was. I'm 30 now and self employed, built a profitable algorithmic trading system. There are so many free quality resources to learn programming, it's ridiculous. And all the software you need is free, OS, IDE etc... This is pretty much unique to the field of software engineering. Try to become a doctor by yourself, good luck.

Tips to start: The most important part is to just start coding as quickly as possible and learn as you go. A personal project can really help to maximize motivation and actual hours spent coding. As for the language, I don't think it matters what you pick and everybody suggests something different. I didn't like coding in python at all. Personally, I prefer languages with static typing, especially when you start out (so the IDE can help you). For me, that perfect beginner language was Java, since it's simple, structured and you can completely forget about memory management.

Just don't spend too much time thinking whether you should start or not. I wasted years with that mindset. Just do it.

EDIT: Sorry I didn't really answer your questions, I just don't know enough about web development to help you in that regard. Consider this a motivational comment that gets you started.

If you are into coding, I would say give it a go. You can learn in your spare time and see if you really like it and want to make a career out of it.

Stacks, huh, it is a tough one. It is really individual, I personally have started with C, but didn't like it, than moved to Java and now JavaScript and Node.

You can maybe try with this https://javascript30.com/ and see how it goes.

Best of luck!

Hi, nice choice to start coding! I would suggest to learn about javascript frameworks, such as Angular JS, acquiring full knowledge about User Interface and Interaction, then concentrate on a simply and lightweight server side environment such as Flask (a microframework written in python), You could learn basic concepts about web programming in a really fast way!

The web is so wide..starts with some Googling about those topics, I also would suggest some free course on Udacity Platform.

Bye!

Career change at 30, or after, is very possible. I've had several big ones over the years and am just going through another transition at the tender age of 55!

You are probably about where my son is now, although he's a few years younger than you. He is moving from electronics / HVAC into a career in web design/development and is already getting decent gigs on a freelance basis and has had several interviews for jobs that pay what I could only have dreamed of as a struggling FE lecturer when I was his age. You could follow his Instagram at 'countryside.coder' and maybe pick up some tips - he has various friends/followers that are doing the same thing. Getting into the Google scholarship program has been a big help to him. In terms of skills: the usual - Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS. He is now learning PHP as he's picking up work that requires it (Wordpress, Drupal). Good luck to you!

Check my previous posts about stock trading robots, you can start in your spare time, no money required in the beginning while learning and experimenting...

I did it at 33. Changed from animation and VFX to front-end development.

Here's what I did exactly;

* Quit and lived like a beggar for 6 months. It was tough, I burned through all the little savings I had and ended up having to borrow money to pay the bills(Don't do this, keep your job, work like hell at night and weekends)

* I started with HarvardX CS50, a free online course that will help you out immensely initially. I knew very little about coding when I started it. (Do this)

* Build websites and apply for jobs. Junior Jobs. Very, very low paying jobs. I landed one and started getting experience. (Do this)

* Go to coding and tech meetups. (I didn't do this, but should have)

When you have experience doors start opening up for you. Good Luck!

You might find of interest this book on Designing Your Life by two Stanford professors-

Here's a podcast interview with the authors, to give you a flavor of what it's about > http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-03/using-design-th...

Also, NY Times review > https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/fashion/design-thinking-s...

And - Goodreads reviews here > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26046333-designing-your-l...