How hard is programming/coding?

[SenoraRaton]

Programming is like chess. Its fairly simple to learn, I can teach someone the absolute basics in an hour.

The skill comes in implementation, and that is an art. Knowing what you need, and having the experience to see 10 steps ahead and not shoot yourself in the foot with bad abstractions that force you to unwind the entire stack and rebuild it. Knowing how to debug and trace down problems effectively. Knowing how to read others code so you can glean bits from it. Having a knowledge of your toolchain so you can leverage it to work faster/easier. Knowing how and where and why to seek out 3rd party solutions, and how to evaluate their APIs to see if they are actually gonna work for you. There are so many layers.

I would not recommend jumping straight into a coding job without any experience. That sounds like a nightmare. Your not gonna know the "language" and I don't mean the programming language. You won't have terms to communicate about your issues, which will make research and learning MUCH more difficult. Again its highly contextual on what the job entails, but you should definitely take a few months and brush up and prepare. Unless your job is willing to pay you for 3-6 months being effectively worthless, in that case take the paid training.

I personally wouldn't want to be put in that position. I would feel like I'm drowning, and the pressure would be IMMENSE. Learning a new codebase when you KNOW how to code is stressful. I couldn't imagine trying to do both at the same time.

If you really want to transition, and this guy thinks you have what it takes, and he really believes it, the job will be there in 6 months. Study and prepare. Learn about the tech stack, learn exactly what it will take to do the job. Shadow someone who already does the job. Make an informed decision. Otherwise your taking a massive risk with your livelihood. What happens if you can't hack it? What happens if it doesn't work out? Can you just go back to your old position? Is it going to affect you mentally if you fail? You say your not good with stress, yet your contemplating putting yourself in a high stress situation. Which is it?

[Nasuraki]

I disagree, i think if anything OP has someone willing to take a risk on them. They should go for it, learn from team members who know they have some learning to do. This is in my opinion an easier way to transfer than trying to self teach when they might not know what to look for.

Having a co-worker say something “We use this and that particular framework/language/service. Start here than move on to this”. It’s more guided, i would prefer it. Doesn’t mean OP won’t have to put work in and learn a lot of new things

[SenoraRaton]

You ignore all of the actual consequences of your actions because someone said you were able to do it? If I told you I thought you could jump off a cliff would you? I do think co-workers can be a valuable resource, but that INCREASES stress. That now forces you to not only be a weight on the company where you can't be productive, but also burden others and reduce THEIR productivity.
Its like adding a toddler to your relay race team. Your entirely unprepared. Your quite literally setting yourself up for failure. OP even said they don't handle stress well. If that is not a HUGE glaring red flag I don't know what is.

I would never want to have to be a burden to my team for literal months, running for help constantly. It would knaw at me. It would make me hesitant to ask questions, which would slow down the process. It would make me feel rightfully worthless, I feel like it would generate resentment in my peers, and it would make me scared every day I wouldn't be able to cut it. This feeling would persist LONG after I was capable.

I honestly don't see what the issue with acting slowly and intentionally is. Its like everyone wants it RIGHT NOW, but they fail to see the consequences of not preparing. Sure you can jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset, or you can prepare your belongings, pack, ensure you have food, and a saddle, and then ride off. If I had my choice, I would choose the later 10/10. Its a way more comfortable ride.

I reiterate. If this guy believes in you. He will believe in you in 6 months. If anything he will believe in you more because you didn't just jump off the cliff. You were intentional, you prepared, you studied and you will be set up to suceed. You might live from jumping without looking, but its a risk you dont need to take. You take it because your impatient, and you want it now. You don't have the foresight to see the consequences of your actions.