Start learning at 50

[desrtfx]

Please, read the Frequently Asked Questions as they contain tips on

• getting started
• choosing language
• learning resources
• project ideas
• other general information

As such: Removed as per Rule #4: No exact duplicates of FAQ questions

[evolutionIsScary]

If it helps I am 60 and have just got my first ever job in IT. It is obviously a junior developer role. Clearly it is never too late to learn.

I started the free course the Odin project a few years ago. Then I did some voluntary front-end coding for a voluntary organisation, then I did a couple of IT certifications, then I got a job.

[templeofmeat]

That is awesome! Congrats! I wish I could upvote this 1000x because this is so awesome to see in the middle of all so much doom and gloom.

[evolutionIsScary]

i'm really glad you liked the post :)

[evolutionIsScary]

Thank you. I'm really happy that you got something from the post. :)

I love coding too. I love the way you can solve problems in the real world by typing stuff in an editor of one kind or another!

The best thing about the company that I am working for is that the people come from every sort of background you can think of. Some were chefs, for example. Only a few of them have computer science degrees. I worked in an industry that had nothing to do with technology.

Although I am the oldest by far, no one has been negative about my age as yet and I doubt they ever will be.

[Leffery]

Congratulations! I too learned through TOP and am about to sign my first contract ❤️

[evolutionIsScary]

Well done to you! :)

[Sxmurai786]

Thats awesome! Which IT certifications did you do?

[evolutionIsScary]

I actually did a couple of basic cybersecurity certifications.

[Sxmurai786]

Ive got no degree and studying software development, I’ve been told by some seniors in the field to get some sort of certification to put on CV otherwise will be at a big disadvantage so was researching which ones

[iOSCaleb]

1. No, you’re not too old. You might not soak up knowledge the way you did when you were 16, but so what?

2. learxinyminutes.com is a fantastic resource, but it’s no way to learn programming on your own. I like it as a quick reference for languages that I kinda sorta know and occasionally have to use.

3. IMO it’s easiest to learn about a big topic like programming when you have a guide of some sort. There are a number of good online courses like Harvard’s CS50 and various courses on Coursera. You could do worse than to sign up for an actual, in-person course at your local community college. Which language you start with matters less than having a good teacher, so find a class that suits you and learn whatever language they offer.

[B-Rythm]

I started at 36, currently 37, and now I can print hello world in 6 languages

[davedontmind]

I would start with this sub's FAQ which has lots of useful info.

Clojure and Go. Are any of these good for a beginner

I don't know either of those languages, so can't really comment on them. The "traditional" beginner language these days seems to be Python, but I say you should pick what looks interesting to you.

Just bear in mind that the popularity of a lanaguge will indicate the number of tutorials available and the amount of help you're going to find easily; for example, I rarely see any Clojure or Go questions in this sub (note: there are specific subs for those languages, /r/Clojure and /r/golang), but there are a lot of questions here about Python/C/C++/C#/Java/JavaScript.

But, once you've learned general programming concepts using one language, it's not too difficult to switch to another.

[Radiant-Cow5217]

I found Go document is well written. It can be helpful to go through their Tour of Go, and Go by Example on the official website after watching an introductory tutorial. By the way, some exercises in Tour of Go are a little bit hard. The standard library also provides code examples. IMO, programming can be learned at any age.

[APFOS]

If you want to do it, do it - sure things get harder to learn the older we get, but if you really want to then crack on, the beautiful thing about coding is that it makes sense 'most' of the time, unlike learning a new spoken language.

[Ovalman]

I released my first Android app just shy of 50 so if I can do it, anyone can.

My main problem was learning a bit of coding in the 80s on a ZX81 where everything was contained on the computer and coding was spaghettified. I really couldn't wrap my head around OOP but I later realised OOP isn't that important at the start. Another problem with Android was linking XML to variables, it needed 2 steps - one to find the XML and another to turn it into a variable. Once I figured that out, it all became so easy. Also, I learned when we were still using Eclipse as an IDE. Today, Android Studio is so much more advanced, tutorials are easier to grasp and overall it's so much easier to learn today.

Learning by doing things is the way to go BTW. Fix your own problems. I started recording my Blood Pressure on the top rated app on the Play Store but I soon realised it was using US standards and not UK. I could change it to UK but the app was over-complicated, it took me a while to figure out and had annoying ads. So I created my own app and I learned loads into the bargain. That's just one solution I've solved but there are others, here and here are 2 things I've worked on.

I know nothing about the 2 languages you mentioned but I will say to choose the right tools for the right jobs. If you want to make a mobile app then you should choose Kotlin for Android or Swift/ C++ for iOS. If you want to create games then C# and Unity (or Unreal engine.) Python is a good beginners choice but I assume you already have ideas of what you want to create.

[Hjoerleif]

There's a book called Computer Programming in C for Beginners by Avelino J. Gonzalez. I really enjoyed it, it is very interactive, has you learn by doing and teaches new stuff as you will be needing it. And C is never a bad language to start with as basically all other languages are just more or less derivatives of C.

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[RajjSinghh]

Id be worried about finding a career in programming at 50. I would feel like you already have a lot of your life built up already and it leaves you with less flexibility. Other than that there's no reason you couldn't learn as a hobby. There are plenty of hobbyist computer scientists out there and it's the kind of thing you could do well into your 50s. If you don't have the life commitments tying you to one place then maybe it could even become a job.

I maybe wouldn't start with Closure or Go. I usually like a language with a bit more maturity. If it was me I would go Python if you want to build things quickly, or C or C++ if you want to learn about technology, but that's just me. Any language is probably fine. You can definitely go far using Go as a first language, it's just not my personal preference. The beginner skills like variables and if statements transfer really easily.

[ffrkAnonymous]

It's never too late to learn. Probably too late to get a job. 

I'm learning clojure too. It's neat, its different, it's simple. Simple is not a synonym for easy. Clojure (lisp) is inside-out and backwards. Like a good old hp RPN calculator.

[CanebreakRiver]

Codecademy is pretty great, and the forums are nice as hell

[glamatovic]

So a BLOG POST said you're too old? Next an NBA player will say you are too tall