Ask HN: Where should I start as a 34-year-old switching to software as a career?

Depending on your background and how much time you have, bootcamps might be a good idea. I recommend looking into Lambda School.

What was your previous career. You could get in as a tester or business analyst. In smaller companies these jobs can end up requiring some coding.

Look around your lab. What problems do you have that software could solve? (It could be as simple as a spreadsheet.) Can you build that? If you can't, can you realistically learn until you can?

Then go build it. Congratulations, now you have experience.

Look around some more. What else do they need? Do you have to learn in order to be able to build that? Given that you've done one thing already, can it become your job to do the next thing?

You don't have to make a clean break, go to school or bootcamp, and get a whole new job. You can start just by becoming the "software tools" person where you are. Then, when you are ready for a new job, you've got a track record, not just a certificate from a bootcamp. Even better, you got paid to get there, rather than paying to get there. Downside: It took longer.

I don't think you are too old. Many of my coworkers had erratic, non-technical careers (construction, military, fireman, etc) until their 30s.

Just prove you can solve business problems using code.

If I were to get into software again, I would completely ignore the hype and choose a robust set of technologies and exclusively master them. Namely, Java (Spring Boot), MySql, Jquery. These are some of the most mature and popular technologies available - you can build anything with these. After you have built this foundation and found a job, then you can move onto other technologies.

Create a github if you don't already. Pick a project (bonus points if it solves a real problem in your life). If you can't think of anything, build a TODO-list.

Go for it!!

I decided to change careers to software development at 37yo. Best professional decision in my life. I got a job after 8 months of full-time study.

Here you can learn more about my path, might be helpful: https://rodrigohgpontes.github.io/

I just focused on freeCodeCamp.org, which is a great resource. But I have the impression that taking a shot with https://lambdaschool.com/ might be more promising.

Write code for microbiology? Play with computational chemistry on GPUs?

A friend at work moved from lab rat to data analysis and experiment design, switching departments from Adjuvant Research to IT. A couple of years later, I left the company to go from sysadmin to software and tech writing, and it was tough for about nine months. He went from scientific software to security research at a new company.

We were able to jump because we had few family or financial commitments. So I have no idea if what I experienced is relevant at all. But if you feel pulled in the software direction, start writing something, probably Jupyter notebook stuff. Explain Like I'm Five years old what you have experienced already.

Going through the process of sitting down (or walking, then sitting) and writing something takes a bit of focus, perhaps. I wrote a book, then wrote software. I can't recommend writing a book without a real job (my book netted me about $0.25 per hour). But write something you show other people.

Before you leave your lab try to establish a relationship with the PI such that after you've proven out your technical skills they can write you a letter of recommendation as to your general work ethic etc. A recomendation from an established technical professional can go a long way! As others have mentioned if you have the opportunity to write software for the lab as well that's a great first step.

I'll be honest-- there is a lot of stuff you have to learn. It's a high hill to climb.

But if you really love it, then the work is fun. It's certainly possible for a newbie at 34 to learn enough. That's the trick-- find something in IT that you really like, and dig into it.

I'd suggest going to a bookstore so you can peruse some programming books. Maybe you like web apps, or mobile games, or even hard-core C code. Find what you like.

The next step would be to find open source projects in this area. Study those, compile them, and eventually try to make contributions.

I think that's a good path. Good luck!

Software development is not a career. The older you get the less desirable you are to software companies. Advise against a change to software development.

I did a career change as well. It can be hard if you need to -take a cut in pay/title -work on “lower level stuff”

You may compare yourself a lot to peers who did not do career changes.

My piece of advice is to be prepared for the mental challenge that comes with volatility, and focus on this question, “am I closer today than yesterday?”

Fortunately software engineering is such a high paying/status field you may not experience the same feelings. But I’m 4 years into my transition and i finally just recently have started feeling some footing under me / more secure.

Talk with people and really get a feel for the field, the good bad and ugly. It’s a lot of investment to switch that can be so worth it.

Do it on the side and see how much you enjoy it. I almost did software engineering as well and occasionally think about it, but I realized it can be incredibly frustrating / abstract at times and I didn’t like that. What will it be like for you?

Develop any software for your domain (lab technician or microbiology) that solves a simple problem you see or encounter daily. Identify a problem in your current day job that can be solved with software like recording data in the lab, tracking supplies, etc. (nothing too complex) and come up with a solution (website to check-in/check-out, mobile app (?), etc.) and learn how to build it. It will not be perfect but you will have done something. Having domain experience will GREATLY make it easier to transition -- learning a new field and software at the same time is going to be rough.

https://sysadmincasts.com/episodes/51-mechanics-of-building-...

You don't mention WHY you want to get into software. If it's just because you think you can make a lot of money, that's a poor reason to switch careers. You also say you lack experience. Do you mean you have none at all? That would make my first question even more important.

If you have no experience at all, take an introductory software course at a local community college. An online course or how-to book would be a less ideal starting point. You will want more access to an instructor to get you past zero. Understand that you will also need some understanding of algebra and formal logic before you get very far, so if you are rusty or never had much math background, you might take a course in that too.

Getting your feet wet will help you understand what "software" means and if you have an aptitude for it. Only then, should you commit to at least 1-2 years of hard work in your spare time to get to a minimum set of skills that are employable. With patience, perseverance, and a bit of luck, you can get there even at 37.

> I feel I'm too old to ever get a job in the field.

I have been doing this a long time. There are stories about places that do discriminate on age, but I have never encountered this myself and its illegal to discriminate on the basis of age for people 40 and over, so I suspect this is rarer than many people will suggest.

Really, its all about attitude. If you are entitled and constantly look for things that are easy you will be treated as a beginner. If you have confidence and are ready to accept more challenging work at risk of failure you will be treated as more of an adult. Some people figure this out at an early age and some people never figure it out.

The above advise might sound like common sense. Perhaps in other programming disciplines it might be common sense. As a JavaScript developer all I ever hear about are people wanting to make things easier and panic if they aren't isolated to their single pet framework. Since these behaviors are the norm, in my line of work, it doesn't take much to stand out.

Step zero should be to see if you actually enjoy software development. It would suck to switch careers and find out that it's not a good fit for you.

I would suggest starting with Processing. It's a very simple programming language with very easy-to-use tools which was made specifically for learning by non-programmers. Just go through the video tutorials at https://hello.processing.org/ or at Khan Academy.

You may never use Processing again, but the concepts will carry over and it will give you a feel for what learning to program is like.

Hi! I am a little biased because writing software, in my limited experience, can maybe have a similar likeness to being really great at the piano -- imagine being Beethoven and writing & playing music -- a flow state intense and expressive, but only because the skill in a moment in time very adequately matches the challenge.

One of the most underrated things I think about learning software, and I'm sure many things, is the ability to easily match yourself with a perfectly suited problem and feel the feedback very, very quickly... just make sure you can understand the basic grammar, like assignment (=) or keywords like 'let' and from that sentences will begin to cluster in your mind :)

And maybe as an easy practical thing, maybe don't add the whole weight of a label so early, and just enjoy some problems on https://projecteuler.net/ like you might enjoy playing with blocks or magnets as a kid

Have fun and enjoy the triumph, solving the problems can be very rewarding

The first thing I would say is don't let your age stop you.

The next thing obviously is that you'll need to learn how to write software. I'd recommend you work through a few beginner tutorials and then pick a project and just start working on it. I don't have a huge sample size, but people I know who've started learning to write software because they wanted a problem solved and thought it could be done with software have generally succeeded in learning, while those who just have a vague desire to learn generally don't.

If you can't find a project that interests you, I'd look into boot camps or just going back to a traditional college for a degree in CS. Those paths will have the additional advantage of putting you at the start of a pretty clear pathway towards getting a job.

As far as finding a job, I suspect you can leverage your lab/bio background. Domain expertise is very useful in software development. Looking for jobs with companies that can use your background can help you compete with others who might have stronger software backgrounds.

I started as a programmer at 30.

I got a 2 year degree at a local college and took the first programming job I could get ($21/k year). 10 years in and I make 6 figures working for a major bank.

How to get started? Pick up some classes? Pluralsight, udemy, etc? College classes?

Do you have wife? kids? car/house payments? or can you afford a low paying job? Are you stuck where you are or can you move to a tech spot? Take risks accordingly.

Leverage your experience - programmers make stuff for... businesses. You have experience. Connect the two.

Do both: Microbiology + software development is your golden ticket.

So, you need some sort of credential. A bootcamp would do well, some sort of certificate of a course of study from Coursera or edX, a non-degree certificate from a university. Pick a tech stack that's both modern and enterprisey -- Java, .NET, Ruby, Node.js are all fine, but if you go with them, get current. On the front end, you want to find something trendy. Try looking for some jobs you think you'd want to apply for and see what they're asking for on the requirements side and focus on that. You want to do some projects that can showcase what you can do. You need to tailor your resume to the jobs you want -- spend as little time as possible talking about your experience as a lab tech (enough to show where you've been the past ~10 years and showcase any soft skills you know), and as much time as possible talking about courses and projects that give you experience in the stuff the job ad wants. And you absolutely need to write a good cover letter and you need to avoid boneheaded mistakes like not changing the name of the employer you're submitting to. Your cover letter needs to sell how you can create value for the position you're applying for -- what have you done in the past that prepares you for this. Don't sell yourself as motivated, a quick learner, any of that... there are 30 other resumes in the pile that say that. Sell yourself on "I have done X, Y and Z as projects to develop my skills as a software developer, giving me these skills that I can use to create value for you."

you're not too old.

You also have one thing that might work to your advantage, which is all your design experience. There are a lot of smaller jobs that require a little, but not a lot, of each skill. Basically, anyone needing an inexpensive, relatively simple web site or application would be a good candidate. I, for example, would be more than capable of creating one for just about anyone, but not by myself. I have absolutely no design skills.

You could start pretty quickly by researching which languages/platforms most fall into the small project category, and choose one on which to focus your studies. If you want to start with web site, you should probably look at PHP + WordPress, or an e-Commerce platform like Shopify + Ruby on Rails, or maybe something with Python. If apps are more interesting to you, IMHO it's a steeper learning curve, but you could get by with Java for Android, or Swift for iOS, or maybe try to learn an all-in-one platform like Titanium, etc.

Good luck!

i am 30 now, and started at 24. i'd be willing to train you.

age is just a number. that being said I don't recommend a bootcamp.

I want to share a little story with you. I recently attended a GraphQL meetup. The host presented the app he is building and was very knowledgeable, answering 90% of the questions thrown at him without any hesitation. So far, nothing about the meetup was remarkable. That is, until later that night, when I spoke with the host in greater depth.

In his early 30s, he decided to leave the public school space and pursue software development. He found specific things in the field that interested him and aggressively consumed information about those things. He read about and tinkered with code on his lengthy bus ride to work each day. He began presenting little things he was building at local meetups.

One night, after presenting at a meetup, a developer approached him and asked if he might be interested in interviewing for a new position which hadn't even been publicly posted. He agreed to interview and was hired shortly thereafter. All of this happened within a year's time.

You're definitely not too old to start! I would recommend you follow your curiousness and not simply follow where the money is at some given point in the industry cycle. Curious people go far and are less likely to quit. People into the idea of software development typically become overwhelmed and try something else because they lack a sturdy base.

Programming is my 3rd career (I was a travel agent and an ESL teacher before that). I joined a bootcamp when I was 34. People in my bootcamp class who were older than I was were able to find jobs as software engineers, and (at least according to their LinkedIn pages) continue to write code today.

Age discrimination does exist, but so do companies that actively look for age diversity in their junior engineers. Unsurprisingly, success in this field has much more to do with your mental attitude (i.e. fixed vs growth mindset) than with age.

I empathize with your preconceptions about this field (I shared them in my newbie days), but I can't emphasize this enough- I believe that almost anyone with a growth mindset and a certain amount of grit can become a software engineer.

If you acquire the right knowledge and the skills to communicate that knowledge succinctly, it will be easy for you to demonstrate why you'd make a good hire.

Since this is a huge field, you would be better off focusing first of all on one type of development. For example :

- Web Development

- Data Engineering

- Mobile Development

Web development is probably the easiest to get started with so let's focus on that. If your interest lies in Data for example, then the tech stack would be quite different.

For web development - My suggestion is to skim the basic protocols and standards (HTTP, TLS, HTML, CSS, the DOM e.g.) and build the simplest possible React application. This will give you a base to build on.

Once you have some basic knowledge of how to build a simple web app, its important that you learn the basic developer tools. E.g. Being able to use Chrome devtools to debug your application, being able to see the network traffic between the browser and your web server etc. These will help you in development and also deepen your understanding of javascript, http and other web standards.

Its also important to master a good editor. For web development today, I would suggest using Visual Studio Code. Learn how to navigate your code well using the editor, refactor code, get into a productive dev cycle.

After this, there is an endless ocean of stuff to learn. Web Security (OWASP), various features of Javascript - a constantly evolving language, perhaps even Typescript, managing images and other assets, how to modularize your code, learning about the event loop in Javascript, mastering asynchronous programming in javascript and so on and on. That is a lifelong journey - you cannot learn it all at once. I would suggest taking a structured course online which could walk you through the basics in one or more of these areas.

Wish you all the best!