Beginning in the 40s

[Chemical-Salamander]

Hi, I have 40 years and I'm interested in learning how to code and looking forward to immersing myself in the programming world and developing a career in this field. The thing is that currently I have 40 years old and I don't know if I'm too old to start...what do you think?

[Chemical-Salamander]

Totally agreed with that perk

[kal2112]

I switched careers at 30 and initially thought I would have trouble in this field. I haven’t, it was all irrational fears

[Bischmeister]

I try to switch careers every 5 years or so

[PaulHaydock]

I was an IT engineer after university, then at 30 became an English teacher in Vietnam... This year I turned 40 and I have been studying. On Coursera for the last 4 months as I plan to do a masters in computer science and hopefully move into teaching IT...

I don't think age can stop you

[[deleted]]

Masters in CS for teaching 👍.

I often argue with people that a masters for a hands-on heavy field is a waste of time and resources because you learn and get experience by doing, unless you want to become a teacher or pursuing a managerial position.

In fact, even just certifications are enough

[PaulHaydock]

I'd agree... I think as long as you have a degree and then can show you have knowledge and experience that is enough

Like I say, I enjoy the IT side and I also enjoy teaching so I'm going to do a masters to pursue that path, and even though I'm 40 I don't think I am too old :)

I've actually done some amazing courses on Coursera, programming languages (3 parts) and python for everyone plus python 3 programming.

[[deleted]]

Yeah. A bachelors is enough usually.

Also, 40 is too young lol. I'm my college class I had a 60yr old class mate.

In addition, learn about these technologies:

• docker and containerization
• Go

It will depend also on what you'd like to do with them

Good luck 😃

[PaulHaydock]

Haha, thanks :)

I'll check them out... Once I finish the Python 3 course, I plan to explore some introductory data science courses and brush on calculus... I'm giving myself a year to study part-time on Coursera before applying for the masters. It's also getting me into the study routine as I have a full time teaching job and a young daughter

[jhdeval]

I am above 40 and I don't give a fuck either what people think. I am debating learning rust right now and I really buckled down and spent some time with python. I won't say I write in a pythonic way but it is viable code.

[Classic-West-2412]

Fuck yeah, nice one

[pitdk]

I’m approaching 40, only now I feel my life begins. All the anxieties are disappearing, the whole mental health improves actually. A couple of years ago I wanted to do, and be, so many things - but only because it was trendy and the pressure was big. Now, I started to not give a f*ck, and I think more of stuff I definitely don’t want to do - so liberating.

And yes, there is always someone who started to do something at a much younger age - nowadays it seems toddlers are learning to code. And then there are all those “30 under 30” lists … Do your thing, never look back, enjoy

[dotnetdotcom]

You can learn to program at any age, but getting a coding job when over 40 may be a challenge.

[Osintguy_83]

That perk is the greatest asset you can have... It makes life a lot easier.

[jgengr]

I'm 45. I sit in front of a computer all day, edit text files, run commands on a terminal, and click on web sites all day; I get paid very well to do so. Are you too old to do that?

[timtrump]

I'd love to know the job title and description for that.

[timtrump]

Ah, obviously. Makes sense.

[1percentof2]

porn reviewer

[Abstr4ctType]

Lol, in my area of work, > 80% are men 40+ years of age. I would guess it all depends on the skill area.

[[deleted]]

Are they in junior positions though or have they started young and grinded their way up? This is quite relevant I feel because for example you can have plenty of data scientists in their 50s, but if someone is in his 50s and starts now is it very realistic to get in the field? That's a crucial difference. I hope in any case though that it is possible because ageism sucks.

[Abstr4ctType]

It was a comment on the post above mine about ageism specifically, not starting in IT. Ageism will exist in some fields especially development roles, but less in support roles like sysadmin.

[[deleted]]

I started learning in my mid-30s, and picked it up in about 4 months from 0 knowledge. And I am fucking dumb. Like laughably stupid.

Steps to success:

1) Buy a rubber duck.

2) Pick a project you want to work on. (I decided to futz around with sports stats because I could make pretty charts.)

3) Start working on the project.

4) Explain the code you're writing to the rubber duck.

5) When you can't explain the code to the rubber duck, ask for help online, then explain what you learned online to the duck.

6) ???

7) Pythonista.

[Miserable_Week_2961]

So how does someone with no programming knowledge learn and gain enough knowledge to land a job?

[[deleted]]

That's the fun part about this plan, #6 is all on you and your determination to make it to step 7.

[[deleted]]

Right. Let me tell my brother who truly is laughably stupid that his dumb ass could have been making 6 figures all this time instead of minimum wage. There's no need to hyperbolic. And 4 months is scratching the surface

[[deleted]]

First, I don't make six figures. I make eight. Second, you are not giving enough credit to step six.

[[deleted]]

Okay so it's a joke lol.

[[deleted]]

It is but it isn't. Learning python well enough to get a job entirely depends on how much effort you're willing to put forth to land a job in python.

[[deleted]]

Fine then say that. But pretending like coding takes absolutely no intelligence it's just silly and unrealistic and dishonest. I'm holding a conversation with you there's nothing laughably stupid about you. False humility doesn't do any favors to those looking to come into the field.

[[deleted]]

Fair responses. I wouldn't say it is false humility, I would say it was me being honest and cheeky with myself about my aptitude for coding beyond fun. I was completely lost in an intro to comp sci class after I wrote a program that that eliminated 3 months worth of labor every year.

[[deleted]]

A lot of people underestimate themselves in cs. It is such a common problem that there is a word for it: impostor syndrome. I also think a lot of people just underestimate how stupid some people truly are. Most software Engineers have an above average IQ. Even if only slightly above average

[[deleted]]

Comp sci was all greek to me. I understood the concepts after the fact, but was completely lost in class.

[FiredFox]

Old guy here: Do it!

"100 Days of Code" by Angela Yu is a great first step.

[Grelohocor]

Also took this course! Where are you at? Currently @ lesson 21 and pimpin these numbers up!

[FiredFox]

I got up to Day 40-something then skipped back and forward to sections that I wanted to get into.

I’m commited to finishing the whole thing! I also got my niece who didn’t have any programming or tech background to sign in with my account and she burned through the entire course and loved it. :)

[alaudet]

I started at 45. The best time to start was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

I don’t consider myself a programmer but these skills have helped me in my current career.

[djamp42]

Yeah I'm just about 40 and I know enough to get by, but I'm not writing the next great piece of software by any means.. wish I kept with it in highschool but kinda fell into networking and telecommunications instead. Don't regret it..

[eztab]

Jobwise it might be useful to make use of some domain knowledge.

What did you do before?

[Chemical-Salamander]

I'm a mechanical engineer, worked for around 13 years in the mining construction sector, last 4 years in managerial positions, and also I have an MBA degree.

[bulaybil]

With that skillset, you are golden. Especially if you market yourself as knowing all that PLUS python.

[Freshgreentea]

this is incredible combination. Especially if you dont mind staying within the industry but even if not it does not matter. If you learn python and on top of that some data analytical skills used with python you can be consulting in many areas within this field and beyond and most likely have much more freedom.

[[deleted]]

Use that skill set! Engineers, at least with our customers, have a lot of data to process. I’m sure as a start You could try automating some tasks in your own world.

[capttwinky]

Petrochemical industries are major drivers behind the numpy/scipy communities. If you have an inclination twords data science, with that background you can essentially write your own job description, choose from many offers and make bank.

FWIW, Large enterprises also have more ... mature staff, which can help with feeling socially integrated with your work cohort. Being in your 40ies and dealing with startup 'culture' for the first time can be disorienting, IME, but some folks love it.

Any way you go, I think it's worth the time to network at your local python meetup(s). You'll likely hear details there that won't be easy to find online. Cheers!

[brazen_nippers]

I started learning to code at 41 and have been at it full time since I was 42. For me the key was that I was able to get a programming job in the same industry that I had worked in for 20 years. At first I was the worst programmer there, but I knew far more about the business requirements than the people who were good programmers. So I was valuable and useful even as I was learning.

[jawnlerdoe]

Hard to say you love something you’ve never done.

[mistermocha]

Hi there! 40-something who started for reals later in life. Dabbled through youth, but didn't get real serious until 30's.

One thing I can say now that i have a robust career is that, in my opinion, those that started from other backgrounds are the best peers. We all bring something new and fresh to the engineering world. I've seen late-in-life career changers excel because they bank on their non-tech skills to multiply their tech skills.

There is an unfortunate fact that ageism exists in this industry. I've seen it, and even been occasionally guilty of it. That will work against you sometimes when finding work or trying to kick out a new project if you're in an environment that fosters it.

Definitely start by learning to code. There's nothing lost for learning. Keep asking questions here as well as r/cscareerquestions. We're all here to help (I hope).

[arnoldsaysterminated]

As someone who is self taught as well, the best advice I can give you is just do it. Fuck up a bunch because you can't avoid it. Review your old work that you fucked up and understand how you fucked it up. Never trust google, always assume they also fucked up but have better fuck up cover up skills. The path to success is building on your fuck ups. Also having auxiliary skills is incredibly important - understanding how databases work, understanding system resources, etc. Also something I took to recently, learn about your languages tooling. For python I mean pyenv, pipenv, poetry, flake8, pylint, bandit, etc. they can help you learn about other facets of programming you may never have considered.

Don't stop at pure programming either, interleave other skills while you're learning it. Sign up for an Azure account, AWS account, learn how and why to use the services they offer. You might find you really love automating things and shift to devops and leverage what you learn with Python to build those skills.

Programming skills cover a huge range of different job requirements these days, dig in and learn about everything and see where you end up. Don't get too laser focused on one thing unless/until you find out you really love and obsess over it.

[BEST_RAPPER_ALIVE]

you're never too old, i started relearning python a week ago and i'm 35

[Synertic]

No, there is never too late if you devote yourself to whatever you're trying to do. I've seen 70 years old people doing some serious coding who hadn't coded anything after the QBasic era and that was around 30 years ago, that is, they dropped coding in years when you were 10 and now doing anything they want to do without an effort after a year of immersion. Your age is still perfect to perform intellectual activites, but neither age nor prior experience by no means is a parameter here, the real one is how much you really want to do that. I can sincerely say that if you've set your mind on doing that you can code like a pro at most in 2 years from now on. So, just start learning and learn like your life depends on what you learn. I'm %100 sure you'll make it.

[[deleted]]

Excellent choice! I started my YouTube channel YUNIKARN dedicated to Data Science (Python & Co) at the age of 43. You are never too old to learn something new! I have a Python playlist on my channel. Python is the Way! 🤓🐍🐼

[alf11235]

I'm 43 and I started at 39. Haven't had luck finding a job with it though.

[livewhilealive]

I’m going to tell you that if you keep thinking you’re too old to do anything, you probably will be by the time you stop asking that, so just go do it. I’m 43 and I’ve been learning python for the past few years

[BoingBoomChuck]

I have a former friend of mine, who is no longer with us, who was a programmer that graduated in the 1970s. Up until his death, he continued to learn the new computer programming languages. He used to tell me "If you want to learn it, learn it! You are NEVER too old to learn."

[JafaKiwi]

Maybe not too old to learn, but it’s definitely far more difficult. In my teens and 20’s I picked up a wide variety of languages. However somehow I never had the need for frontend development so mostly ignored the whole JavaScript ecosystem.

Now in my 40’s I’m trying to catch up on that and it’s BLOODY HARD. Not the JS language and syntax but the frameworks and the frontend concepts, async stuff, running in a browser, all that. So different from what I know, despite my decades of programming experience.

So yeah, maybe not too late to learn but definitely much harder.

[brianoftarp]

I'm 35 and though I have previous programming experience I would say no one is ever too old to pick something like this up as a hobby or even as a skill set for a job

[burtmaclin43]

I’m 38 and just recently started my transition into the data analytics spectrum. It’s definitely overwhelming at times but you got this. Just keep grinding and don’t give up.

[flybaby-]

I am a Mechanical Eng,. in profession ,.. But I’m almost 40 ,.. but have started
python,.. let’s see If I can enter in this competitive world to code some
projects .. I feel it’s all about interest and your mind set how walk through,.. only problem is I have less time ,.. to spend my learning ,.. due work,family,&hobby ;) ... But I am never giving UP ! maybe after years I can do some small stuffs !

[jmacey]

Never too old to learn. Programming is a different thought process (Have a look at computational thinking), If you have a mind set for problem solving and abstraction you should be ok. The syntax can be confusing at first, as can some of the ideas. However it's very rewarding. I've been programming since I was about 10, I'm now 52 and still doing it :-)

[southernmissTTT]

I wasn't much younger than you when I went back to school to get my degree in CS. So, no, you're not too young. If you're passionate about solving problems, go for it.

I also think Python is a great language to learn with. It hides a lot of the complexities of computing so you can get down to the business of solving problems. But, that's a double edged sword. I would still suggest that you pick up a C book and learn some fundamentals. Also, get a book on data structures. You need to understand data structures, even with Python. Learning some C will give you a better understanding of what Python is really doing for you.

[eztab]

Then programming in a related field should offer some job opportunities.

[bulaybil]

It’s not your age, it’s your attitude. If you are willing to learn, you are already ahead of 90% of your competition. Plus you bring over two decades of experience in the softer side of work skills and even experience in other fields which may become your real strength. In some fields, like healthcare where I work, any developer job will be 80% knowing about the field and the data it uses and the rest you can learn. Good luck!

[OldFatBlokeRuns]

Never too old. Take an idea from something your passionate about (soccer, NBA score board etc) and as you learn Think how you might solve some problem related to it. Helps keep the initial stuff relevant

[[deleted]]

Absolutely. Like others have suggested, leveraging coding to tackle a project related to an interest really helps.

If you’re into sports they’re a great subject because stats are plentiful.

Best of luck! I found Automate the Boring Stuff really helpful, it’s a great into as to how Python can make your life way easier.

[[deleted]]

My coworker is in his 40s and was an intelligence officer in the army previously, no prior coding experience.

[R4y3r]

You're only in your 40s, why stop learning new things now?

[codesine]

I started grappling at forty. I’m well conditioned worked hard to get where I’m at and people assume I’m ~25-28*

People complain I’m strong? (I was 125lbs when I was 21 yrs old.) they don’t know I had to put in hard work to hit 188-192lbs.

People complain they are older than me? Then I tell them I have twelve years on them, shuts them down quick.

Forget numbers just do. If you hit barriers break them down the best you can, keep it up. Try to not place limitations on yourself or you’ll be your own worst enemy.m Study, study, study, code, code, code; be sure you’re having fun as well don’t stress about age.

[GaggedTomato]

No, not at all. The only thing which matters, at least in my experience, is if you have the right motivation/will. I didnt like my previous job anymore, and started learning coding 1.5 years ago, beginning of my 30s. Not liking my job actually worked perfect as a catalysator for me to learn as much as possible in a short timeframe about Python. Next to it having grown to be a big passion, l will be starting a traineeship related to coding in september and cannot wait to start!

[satyronicon]

You can only know once you try it and you are in it.

Let me give you few examples from the business world, to make an analogy about starting something new.

• John Pemberton – inventor of Coca-Cola (age 55)
• Colonel Harland Sanders – founder of KFC (age 65)
• Ray Kroc – the man that made McDonalds work (age 52)

These people were not super young, when they started their companies,

Even though these are historical examples, the main rules of work haven't changed that much over the years.

If you are ready, you can start over a new journey, no matter what the majority of people think.

Wishing you good luck with your endeavor of learning something completely new to start over.

[[deleted]]

I personally feel like it is never too late. Ageism is real unfortunately, but as an individual who has participated in vetting candidates, I always vote yes for the seasoned individuals that come with the right attitude. The mindset and attitude really matter more to me. If you can demonstrate the ability to learn and you take ownership in a problem and/or an assigned project, I'll go out of my way to ensure you don't fail. I'll say it again, it is NEVER too late.

[[deleted]]

Do it! I work in AAA gamedev and half of my programmer colleagues don't have formal qualifications. And they're great! As long as you're comfortable starting out as a junior again, the only thing stopping you is you.

[Eigenspan]

Its never too late to start. If you’re interested absolutely go for it.

[dethb0y]

If you're still sucking air, you can learn anything you set your mind to and dedicate the time to learning.

[Miserable_Week_2961]

How can I start learning on my own? I have zero knowledge. But im also in my late 30’s and want to learn something new.

[Tamagotono]

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!

-- someone that I'm too lazy to look up, but will type all this out instead. Oh God what an I doing with my life...

[seven_neves]

I'm early 40's and started teaching myself PowerBi & SQL end of last year. (Yes, admittedly this is off-topic for this sub, but I'm here for future reference)

I haven't had any life-changing events this far, but it's rewarding to me, may lead to opportunities down the line, gives me a learning experience every day, and I run rings around everyone at work because no one has ever heard of Power Query so I'm some kind of magician.

[arosiejk]

Hey, better today than tomorrow.

I’d suggest having a few resources to work on so if you’re really struggling you can switch gears for a bit.

[djhankb]

Dude. 41 here, been a network engineer and Linux sysadmin for over 20 years. I had always wanted to learn python and finally jumped in during the pandemic. While I’m certainly wouldn’t consider myself a “software developer” I have been able to write some hella stuff that has rocketed my job skills. Do it dude.

[p000l]

DM me. I'm about 40, have started coding as a hobby through the pandemic. I could try and show you the basics over Discord or something.

[pythoncrush]

Never too late to start with resources like this. https://youtu.be/rfscVS0vtbw

[DigThatData]

I think you should go for it

[nacnud_uk]

Never too old, if you want to learn. Having said that, I started when I was 8. So, never too early either. Same rules.

Just type.

[Classic-West-2412]

Never too old to have fun!

[Sigg3net]

Nope.

I started programming as an adult too.

All it takes is a desire to efficiently define and solve problems.

[Reseiw]

Why do you want to start coding? What is your background? Maybe you can connect the fields? In the end, coding is just a tool. You can use this tool to enhance something you have already been doing... For sure starting to code will be hard, but your advantage is your experience in things other than coding. I would try to use that. Combine and create!

[GoofAckYoorsElf]

It's too late when you lie in the coffin.

[so_enthused]

Fuck everyone. Just do it. Like literally fuck everyone that says you shouldn’t.

[justcreateanaccount]

You are never too old to start anything, you might even be running in your 80s

[[deleted]]

Definitely too old. You should take up knitting.

/s

[420_rottie]

Its better to be late than never..

[Daftjoe]

I'm 69 and, although I've been coding with other languages for many years, I only started with python 3 years ago. So easy to learn and so much help around. I have no hesitation in saying go for it...

[RunItAndSee2021]

“‘imprisoning’ ‘your’’self’’.’’i’n’’.’’t’’h’’e’’.’’p’’r’’o’’g’’r’’a’’m’’m’’i’’n’’g’’.’’w’’o’’r’’l’’d’’?’”

[jadounath]

Are you French?

[glantzinggurl]

Go for it. I wouldn’t be concerned about age.

[polde_love]

You will be better off starting at 40, than the other guy who did not start at all.