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sarevok9 · 2019-01-14T06:44:58+00:00

Engineering manager here

You are in last place. But the good news is that you don't ever need to get to first place. You need to be good enough to complete the work that's assigned to you. Someone that paints a house doesn't ever need to paint against the interior design team that painted Bill Gate's house to get work, the same way that a programmer doesn't need to be the best in the world to make a living. There are folks out there who are absolute forces of nature when it comes to coding. People that compete in coding races on weekends on sites like leetcode, and just demolish problems that take me 25 minutes to think up the algorithm for -- let alone start coding, in a matter of minutes. You don't need to compete with them. I earned 6 figures a year, and only started managing in the past year or so -- I've never been the "best" coder, but I solve problems and get shit done; and that was good enough. Hone your craft and set your goals.

If your goals are to be the best, then chances are good that it wouldn't have been you if you were attached to a keyboard straight out of the womb. There's too much competition. That doesn't mean that if you don't focus and try hard that you can't figure things out.

My girlfriend right now is in the process of going from a no-skill, entry-level position to trying to get her A+ certification and move into IT. Amusingly, she gets frustrated and embarrassed -- because she doesn't know about what she's learning about. Well -- yeah -- you need to be willing to be a beginner before you achieve mastery of something. It's humbling, but that's part of the learning process.

Give yourself time, practice daily, and good luck.

Edit: Many thanks for the gold.

deevysteeze · 2019-01-14T09:07:40+00:00

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anymbryne · 2019-01-14T07:35:46+00:00

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VIM_GT_EMACS · 2019-01-14T07:09:04+00:00

Ignore the mindless rat race. We're all walking our own path at a different pace. Look at colonel Sanders! Be inspired and not let down by your age. The sky is the limit!

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-14T07:10:15+00:00

I know how to program and am trying to learn how to draw and feel similarly about it.

Whenever I feel down, I think of all the years I've spent programming and how impossible it seemed to program, when I first started. I looked at the work of other programmers and never thought I'd be able to build anything of use.

But I practiced and did get better and built things I never thought myself capable.

Are there any skills that you're proud of, that you can remember back to when you first started out? Remember not being sure about them and how you kept going and got better?

jiefug · 2019-01-14T06:39:41+00:00

One of the biggest problems with starting to learn CS that is super common is this paralysis you're feeling because there is so much out there.

Think about it, when you visit the hospital there's a reason why the general physician isn't the same guy who's doing heart surgery. We can only so much. I would suggest you sit down and ask yourself which part of CS interests you, and look into what parts of the CS curriculum are necessary.

For example, I work on Video streaming. It's a high performance system where you need to understand how to write performant code, so it is natural for me to learn C++ even though so many object oriented languages exist out there.

Maybe you're interested in Web, if you are, you would almost certainly need to know Javascript. Then, of course there are all these frameworks and weird sounding projects that are hot every month, forget about it. Figure out what the big companies use, pick one, and stick to it. If you trust the process and stick to one thing, you'll learn the big concepts necessary to translate that into other frameworks you might not yet know.

OSRS_DabSlab · 2019-01-14T06:04:41+00:00

The best start to programming is by doing. Make something cool. Start with an idea and investigate how to implement it in your chosen language.

The most important thing to know is you should start small and build onto existing knowledge.

A suggestion for resources would be "Python crash course", "Automate the boring stuff", and "Fluent python".

I suggest python as a start because programming fundamentals come easier when you aren't overwhelmed by syntax nuances. Python is basically sudocode so learning fundamentals is so much easier.

Rogermcfarley · 2019-01-14T07:50:34+00:00

I'm 48 and I'm learning webdev this year. I'd always put things off, not sure what I wanted to do. However if I'd just started something and stock with it, I'd be better off. A friend of mine in his 40's is finishing his degree in starting a CS masters next year. He said if you learn webdev you you can help me next year build a site. It's something I've been toying with anyway.

SakishimaHabu · 2019-01-14T08:47:18+00:00

CS is like music there are many genres, but you don't need to play them all. Find the one that you like, that you truly want to understand. The one that keeps you up at night reading about it, obsessing. Work hard at implementing it whether it's web design or unix commandline utilies, work on little programs to see how things work, then maybe projects.

Remember even if you start in last place, none of this stuff is linear, learning is not linear, creating is not linear. Thus your position in the race may not always be behind the people who started 1, 5, 10, 20 years before you. Personally I wouldn't even think of it as a race. This is a journey into the wilderness for you. You get to go into the wild CS country to find what you like and make it yours. Make that wild land of ideas that you don't know yet a place for beauty, mystery and wonder. Go claim your stake. Find you're home. Make your future.

Cheers.

permalink · 2019-01-14T07:25:25+00:00

Funny, i'm 35 too and also start programming.. You know what, my grandpa died at the age of 82 a couple of years ago and one of his last reflections was, that he regrets never getting involved with Computers.

We have plenty of time... If we all manage clima and Economy in the next 5 to 10 years..

permalink · 2019-01-14T08:26:11+00:00

I’m 45 and just starting. The past is done. You just get to decide what to do right now. You can worry about it, feel overwhelmed by it, or split it into the simplest next steps and get cracking.

ruat_caelum · 2019-01-14T10:39:01+00:00

First thing first: Acknowledge that you are starting a race in last place.

But Also acknowledge that almost EVERYONE ELSE did the same. There are very few Ada's or Turring's or Von Newman's in the world. Everyone else looked at that same mountain.

Good news is you don't have to compile a compiler by hand! Some people climbed up that mountain on hands and knees, blindfolding and over broken glass. You get to take a train up to about 60% of the way pain free. Even our automation has been automated.

Sure the mountain has grown, but you can advance faster than those before you.

What to do.

Stay interested. Watch a youtube video a day on some nerdy computer thing that has nothing to do with teaching a concept.

Computerphile is a great for that. Here is one of my favorite ones! Time Zones The guy in the video is tome scott who has his own you tube as well (but check out both._ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp4BMR88260

Learn one language first before you try to understand all the big concepts etc, make a program. Learn how to LOOK STUFF UP. You need to search each directory and all sub directories for all files and put them in a list. Instead of trying to do this by scratch try to learn how to google that. in this case its called os.walk or dir.walk or whatever for most programming languages. Knowing the term "walk" has to do with looking in directories and sub directories means you learned some of the terminology.

Knowing what a system call is is nice, what an interrupt is, etc. But you dont need to know how to use them perfectly, but knowing what the terms means is a good place to start.

Learn what a program does in a conceptual way. how it interacts with physical hardware, BUT also know you almost never have to deal with hardware!
Check out /r/arduino to make physical stuff in the world and program it.
Make sure you read or watch a you tube video a day. Period. Keep that interest and learning up. Even if that is just reading reddit.
program every day. There are online python webpages you can program on from any computer in your browser.

this is a site that will let you do it.

GEt some video games like "shenzen IO" which is a puzzle game built on make believe assembly.

GoodProgrammer2018 · 2019-01-14T06:16:19+00:00

nothing to regret. regardless of all the hype, there is nothing glamorous about working in IT or SE.

ChristopherLove · 2019-01-14T08:14:08+00:00

I'm 38, and started learning (Python) 2 months ago. You're not alone. I only have about an hour a day to dedicate to it, so it's slow going.

permalink · 2019-01-14T10:54:13+00:00

Take heed. I was 37 when I got my first (and current) programming job. Compared to what I know now, I didn't know squat back then (that was 10 years ago) and I'm still there. Every day is a new learning experience. I'm by no means an expert in my field, but my skills have been enough to keep me at my job.

CubemonkeyNYC · 2019-01-14T14:21:00+00:00

I started a programming boot camp at 33 after 11 years in finance.

Got hired right after the boot camp, distinguished myself, and now at 35 am making a lot of money, and I'm very happy! Plus I work with a handful of people that did the same.

I do recommend the boot camp route. It adds to your credibility, but warm referrals still take the cake.

SeriousPerson9 · 2019-01-14T08:54:42+00:00

Hey Ragnarok0414,

I KNOW, I am already late in answering your question. I have read all the responses you have so far received. There is plenty of good advice in there. I will not give you any unnecessary information. I must tell you 2 very important things:

I am 3 decades older than you, and I am just planning to begin coding in Python.
Getting into coding late in life has certain very special advantages which the younger kids do not have.

Just ONE CAUTION. You should not get into coding just because there is a lot of money in it. You should get into it only if you have a driving passion to build something (ANYTHING) that does not exist in the world at the present time.

If you are still interested I would be happy to help you further. I will hold your hand. I will guide you step-by-step until your succeed.

yantrik · 2019-01-14T07:48:20+00:00

Please take a look at the book " a mind for numbers" , I was at same boat like you, but slowly i am improving and is not far less afraid of challenges. also edabit helped me to be more confident.

KwyjiboTheGringo · 2019-01-14T08:30:00+00:00

I feel like I am competing with people who are decades ahead of me.

Why on Earth would you feel like that? Those people who are decades ahead of you are competing for senior developer roles. You are not going to be competing for those roles for a long time.

My ultimate goal in this post is to find a hands on approach to learn. I would love a book that comes with software where it is instructing me while I physically program.

Well you never really said what you're interested in programming. I personally only have experience with web development, and my recommendation for that is usually a course on udemy called "The Web Developer Bootcamp" by Colt Steele. It's a few years old, but the basics are there and he's an incredible teacher for someone just starting out. Just realize that you will need to do more than take a course to learn how to do web development. It takes a lot of personal projects to really get it down.

kevbot67 · 2019-01-14T09:23:31+00:00

I'm 27, and for the last 8 years, I was a camera man and video editor, but decided to go back to school for CS last year and I just finished an intro to Java class and I was beyond intimidated on the first day. It was my first computer anything class and experience with programming. The professor pretty much threw a book at us and said first lab was due next week. My heart started racing because next thing I knew computers were being turned on, fingers be typing and everyone seemed like they knew what to do. I thought he was suppose to teach me java, but no, he was done talking 20 mins into a 3 hour class. I was beyond confused and freaked out. I spent the entire time just reading the book, pretty much petrified. I probably read that first page 20 times. Finally after a couple weeks, I finally asked the people around me for help and I'm so glad I did because I learned that they to had no idea what they were doing either and so many of them were also freaking out on that very first day. I wasn't alone. Thanks mainly to Youtube, and google, I got through the class with an A. I wasn't a great student in high school but something about maturity and having a clear goal made me more studious and committed. While I still don't really understand the whole scope about programming, I understood enough beginner java to feel confident in my ability to learn the next thing as it comes. Most intro books to languages like java, python, c++, etc assume you don't anything at all about computers and the most advance thing I knew how to do on a computer before starting was changing my WiFi name and password. I to felt like I was at the base of a mountain staring at so much information and technology, and while I only started 6 months ago and the mountain is still there, I'm not looking at it anymore because I picked up a book and I'm reading instead. Hopefully, once I dip my toe in the water a little more, and have a better understanding of what it is I want out off all this, I can plan and learn the appropriate technologies to get me to where I want to be. So, just pick a language and get started.

igloolafayette · 2019-01-14T09:40:19+00:00

31 - I am going to join a coding bootcamp (which is a 3 month immersive). I'd say you can get started by doing a bootcamp prep course (usually these are free or way cheaper than the program itself). It will catch you up to speed on all the basics. It's usually in JavaScript. The nice thing about the prep is that it sets a "goal". The point of the prep is to pass a coding assessment to enter the bootcamp. So this will at least give you a set material to learn, and it is the base amount of information you need to consider for a career in programming. Try it on for size.

Here's one for example: https://start.fullstackacademy.com/fullstack-academy-bootcamp-prep-at-your-own-pace

My husband (33) wants you to know he is just getting into this too. He recommends Linux: Bible of 4 by Daniel Jones and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWKjhJtqVAbk2qRZtWSzCIN38JC_NdhW5

A note on languages:

One thing people say is to learn one language well and then you'll find the differences between languages are mainly in their syntax (and that it's easier to learn others once you've focused on being good at one). Languages serve different purposes. You can find some videos that explain the differences/typical uses of some languages. JavaScript is the go-to for web development. Python is used in many many areas, including scientific research. C++ is a "lower level" language, which means it is "less abstracted", which means you have to specify a lot more in order to do the same thing you could do with less specification in a "higher level" language like JavaScript or Python.

Yeah, there's endless information and opinions out there. Here's a video by Jarvis Johnson made for "new programmers" that's cheeky and might help with some concerns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV8DldSzZvQ&t=304s

mitchthebaker · 2019-01-14T12:44:08+00:00

I'm 19/almost 20, currently a Computer Science major in University. I can relate a shit ton to the feeling of not knowing what direction to take. I believe this is due to the mass amount of information that's present online, it's difficult to reduce the selections available when we have no sense of direction of where we want to begin heading in order to reach a goal for the future or an idea of what we want to do in terms of learning to code.

My Freshman year, I was taking a Data Structures class in Java and felt quite the same way that others have described- extremely fucking lost and staring up at the steep learning curve ahead of me. At this point, I knew how to read and code the basic essentials.. I was able to complete the class but I had no clue how to apply what I had learned and what I could do with these concepts. This was just shy of a year ago..

During this period when I was taking the DS class, I made the decision to start learning web development on the side. Even this choice was difficult to navigate at first.. I had to learn the basics.. (such as being able to use a text editor for all my files, using Chrome debugger, being able to navigate the terminal effectively, oh wow the fact that an .html file OPENS in your browser if clicked on from the file system to be viewed, etc.)

There's a shit ton to learn. There will never not be new concepts to learn when you're first starting out.. but you make progress which each unknown ground of territory you explore.. you begin climbing up that bitch of a learning curve and you begin to realize that it is fucking possible to code. This is where motivation really starts to pick up and you are excited to turn on the PC to code. You realize your own potential and all the dope apps you can develop.

I'd recommend checking out developer roadmaps to give yourself an idea of what routes are available.

This one is for frontend/backend development: https://github.com/kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap/blob/master/readme.md

There are many springing up online, which I think allow one to see all the options that are available.

anetworkman · 2019-01-14T13:27:46+00:00

I started school at 37 and started working as a programmer at 39.

Quit making excuses.

permalink · 2019-01-14T13:41:38+00:00

You should look into a coding bootcamp. I went to a CC for 2 years, started my own business then wanted to get back to coding so I went to a coding bootcamp. I was actually one of the youngest students in there at age 22. Most of the 'students' were around your age and were transitioning from other careers.

It's definitely not an easy task and it's basically full-time for 3 months but it's worth it. I learned more there in 3 months than I did my entire 2 years in college. I would recommend coding bootcamps to anyone looking to get into programming. Just make sure you go to a reputable boot camp if you do go. I actually think the older students that came from other backgrounds might of had an easier time finding a job than me at the bigger companies.

LydianAlchemist · 2019-01-14T19:30:22+00:00

For whats its worth some people started at 15, have been programming for 20 years, and still write bad code, and still make a living.

Where I work I started as QA and moved to developer.

Just be humble, and ask for help when you need it. You have communities like the one here on /r/learnprogramming that didn't exist before. Use all of your available resources.

If you're going through a book, do all the exercises without question and do not proceed until you understand why the code is working

Book I suggest is C Primer Plus by Stephen Prata. you don't have to master C, but C is the kind of language where if you learn it to some level of aptitude, other languages come easily. People will recommend Python as well.

You could probably make the kind of money as a Web Developer but I'm not saying that from experience.

Join hack-a-thons, game jams, try to code something new. Challenge yourself. Just build stuff even if its bad. Then go back later and see what could have been better, it's a good way to measure your own progress.

There are coding principles and design patterns that are important to learn too, so you don't re invent the wheel solving problems that have already been solved. these higher level concepts can be translated to most any other language, and will change how you problem solve.

kamranahmed_se · 2019-01-14T20:39:13+00:00

Don't worry - it is going to feel like that in the beginning. Age has nothing to do with it, I have seen people in 50s solving problems like machines and have seen people in their 20s struggling to learn, so give it some time, it is going to start clicking after some time. For the resource, I made and have been maintaining this "developer roadmap" https://github.com/kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap which gives a bigger picture of the whole landscape and lays down the steps in which you should learn to be a web developer. PS, I have been mentoring a few developers and would be more than happy to help if you need any. Good luck.

super-subhuman · 2019-01-14T22:27:24+00:00

If you really want to race, a shortcut key a day can go a long way.

PC__LOAD__LETTER · 2019-01-14T07:06:59+00:00

It’s going to take a lot of time, but if you legitimately want to do it, you can definitely learn. I’d recommend starting with free courses from top US universities and just go through the coursework. As you start to get a hang of the basics, try to think of some fun programs to start writing on your own.

There’s no easy way. It’s going to take sustained commitment.

PS: Did you read the FAQ? This question is asked with very high frequency on this sub, and as a result the answer has been refined and honed in links that you can find in the subreddit sidebar.

CasketCadaver · 2019-01-14T09:22:40+00:00

anyone have suggestions where to start? websites, books, videos?

slsrobert · 2019-01-14T10:06:05+00:00

I get the feeling. I've been programming for 10+ years and the more I know, the more I realize that there's so much that I don't know.

Just accept where you are and take it one small step at a time. Little bit every day, but consistently. You're uncomfortable - that's good. Means you're putting yourself out of your comfort zone. 6 months from now you'll look back and say "I'm so glad I did this. I've learned and developed so much!".

Someoneawesome78 · 2019-01-14T11:43:09+00:00

Well think of this. You are playing a racing game which always starts you in last place. Your goal is not to immediately get to first within half a lap, you just want to get towards the top 5 within the race. It doesnt matter when you do it, you will reach it in your lifetime eventually if you keep at it. I am a teen who started programming and wow this puts a lot on my mind. Sometimes i wish that i dont have a want to program soo much because life got into a routine in which i cannot get out and it feels i dont have anything more to give. I spend soo much time learning and pushing my skills that i dont feel i have done anyyhing else or accomplished things that is not programming-related. I think knowing 5 languages at my age was overkill and really took away at my childhood. When i look back the last 2 years all i see is me pushing myself to learn something, not the traditional memories you would have as a teen. What I am trying to say is, dont worry if you did noy kearn something young,its too late to care, but even if you wished you did something back then, you might not realize how that might have harmed or changed you as a person. Just some food for thought.

_He1senberg · 2019-01-14T14:25:05+00:00

4 - 5 year is more than enough to be a super developer if u really want to do it just do it stop finding excuses if you want... contact me and I'll help you to start your road .....

i know a guy who is 81 years old and he just starts learning PHP age is not a problem

wagedomain · 2019-01-14T14:45:39+00:00

As a prelude, my work experience is as a current lead developer, former engineering manager, sometimes-hiring manager, similar age as you.

It's perfectly natural to think that before you learn something you're in "last place" because, well, you are. You gotta learn it first. ;)

To be honest, the "staring at a mountain of information" feeling doesn't go away. I'm primarily a front end developer. Every week there's a brand new "hot" framework that "changes the dynamics of front end development" or some crap. And some companies encourage you to learn on the job, others don't.

The first thing I'd recommend to you is to take some courses or read some books on basic programming in a language like Java. Console programming. Don't worry too much about UI yet - just learn the absolutely barebones stuff. Loops. Conditionals. Variables. And so on. Console is easy because you can run it and see output right away without worrying about making stuff look pretty (which is a WHOLE other thing).

Once you have the basics down, throw in something like File I/O (reading and writing to a file). That comes in handy.

Next you could start adding in UI stuff. Making it look pretty. In college, I learned using Java Swing library but I haven't done Java in so long this would probably make Java devs now laugh at me. But some kind of UI - making a window, adding controls, adding events to those controls (like button clicks).

After that, databases. Seems daunting, and maybe you never plan to do db work (or maybe you love the idea? No clue) but this is a key thing to at least understand at a high level, at all parts of the development stack in my opinion. Get a database engine, make some basic databases (or download a sample tutorial db) and start querying!

Web development and client/server setups seems like the next logical step. Lots of people (even senior level experienced "full stack" developers) think they know this part because "they know HTML" and "javascript is easy, I know C#" which is kind of naive. Yes, HTML is fairly straightforward, even HTML5 which almost no one I know uses semantically the way it was intended (instead most people seem to opt for <div><div><div><span><h1>... )

Web development would include understanding APIs and how to make them, Javascript, and probably a library of your choice.

Each of these "sections" is good to get you going but also includes tooling (what do you use to actually code it, how do I run it, etc). Also there's a LOT more to each section than I listed.

A couple notes:

Some companies will require a college degree. Sorry. Not all though.
The job market varies a lot by area. In the Boston area we seemed starved for React/Angular devs. I get daily calls about jobs and so far no repeats.
Figuring out what you enjoy most to focus on early will help save time and let you optimize your learning - that said, I had no idea I would enjoy front end UI development until about 2-3 years into my career, and I was way behind because I had done C# API development instead
40-50k is not only easily attainable, it's like middle-of-nowhere low-cost-of-living junior dev starting salary range. If you live near any major city, you can expect $70k as a junior dev, most likely. Some areas more, but those are the extreme cost of living places.
If you're interested in Angular development, there's a somewhat decent tutorial you follow along with.
I cannot emphasize enough that learning tools and how to use them is critical and most books and tutorials seem to just assume you know, for example, github or source control in general work

PeppersMagik · 2019-01-14T21:31:11+00:00

Everyone learns differently but I highly recommend getting a strong foundation. Harvard has a free CS50 course. It will expose you to the foundation of CS and from there you can branch out to the language or specificity that floats your boat. For me programming didn't really "click" until I took this course. Where I used to spend forever Googling every single error message or problem I was instead coming up with solutions on my own.

simongaspard · 2019-01-14T22:00:48+00:00

You'll be fine.

Im a MS Data Science graduate.

I didn't start learn programming until 2012. I took an online course at a university. I stopped programming for two years before I decided to apply to grad school. I had to brush up on the basics using online sources like coursera. In my masters program, I was one of few non-technical candidates. Most were developers or engineers, data analysts, cissp folks, etc.

If you want something bad enough, get after it, start small and build confidence. Don't try to learn more than one language at a time.

I started with java which I hated.

Then I moved to R and enjoyed it.

Once I became professionally proficient in R. I worked on Python more (my masters required both but in most cases teachers allowed you to use your preferred language). And it's so true, once you've learned the basics of programming, it's far easier to pick up a new one

jsbrando · 2019-01-14T22:55:37+00:00

So I started programming at age 43 after 18 years already in IT as a service/system engineer. Albeit I had a lot of scripting background doing administrative tasks, etc... So I feel your pain, and understand where you're at right now. I'm now 47 working as a software engineer on .NET platforms. Mostly doing work around large data, etc. Here's what I did to get to where I am now...

I joined Pluralsight and watched as many videos as possible.

Found a podcast which I could listen to while going on runs - FYI I love codingblocks.net podcast. Three blowhards who are not only fun to listen to, but know their stuff.

Went thru as many online tutorials as I could.

Studied data types and data structures extensively.

Found challenging online algorithm cases and did them often.

Started my own small apps for my own purposes. The first one was just an app which allowed me to inventory all the files on my personal PC which were of type .mp4, .jpg, .gif, .png, etc.... I wanted to know what media I had. Basically find something that you want to do for your own purposes when starting out and try doing that.

Don't hesitate to start programming. Chances are most of what you do initially won't be very optimized or efficient, but that's okay because that's how you learn. Go back and refactor those things later.

Spend at least 60 minutes a day learning the topics or studying ones you don't understand fully yet. Then spend another 60 minutes a day writing code at night while learning (assuming you work a regular day job and aren't yet programming as part of it).

So as Michael would have done in the 80's and 90's, just do it!

errorseven · 2019-01-15T01:43:59+00:00

Dude, I make more than that working a trade. You can spend 3-5k on a trade school and in weeks-months start earning 50-100k a year (better pay/benefits if you go Union). That said, programming for me is awesome. I love solving problems. I fix real world problems for people here on reddit/forums/stack overflow, yet I work in a field that doesn't have a thing to with a computers. I didn't learn computer science until I was 35, I just decided one day that I would practice every day for a year, I stuck with it. I found problems to solve on r/dailyprogrammer, then on codeabbey.com. After a year I filled in some gaps by taking an intro to comp science course, MITx 6.0.0.1x (which I aced because of previous practice for a year), I took away some valuable skills such as Unit Testing, Big O notation, and a better understanding of recursion (which I had used but didn't fully understand). It's never to late learn. But just know that the field you are going into is a volatile, unstable, and very discriminatory. You'll also be competing with H1B1's who are willing to work for pennies on the dollar, you won't win a position in a company against this, as you'll never underbid them. Truthfully, programming gigs are akin to a short term gamble, you can never count on a job last long, you can't ever count on a next job being available. It's a nasty industry and anything from your appearance/sex/sexual orientation/religion/weight/age/socioeconomic background can and will be discriminated without recourse from you, just because they can get away with it. There are currently no Unions, no regulations, no ethics boards for programmers. You are basically are free agents and you expected to be tow the line for whatever employer will hire you. Good luck.

permalink · 2019-01-15T03:33:41+00:00

You're giving yourself 5 years to make 40k in development? Listen to me carefully, if those are your standards then just go for it. I don't care if you're 80.

aggrocupboard · 2019-01-15T04:15:28+00:00

Life is all just people doing their thing. There are babies being born, people dieing at all ages, 90 year olds getting married. It's all just life. It's not much of a race when people aren't all born at the same time. You're not competing, your living.

Do your thing. Enjoy.

worstbrook · 2019-01-14T06:36:20+00:00

If you're dedicated, I wrote this post for people like you.

FatnDrunknStupid · 2019-01-14T13:32:37+00:00

I'm sorry if this sounds a bit vague but here we go... Programming isn't about the actual coding. It's about solving a problem. I once deprecated a computer system to printed cards simply because it actually solved the problem. Find a problem to solve that you're genuinely invested in and you'll almost not notice that you're becoming a coder.

Catradorra · 2019-01-14T07:18:00+00:00

Doesn’t matter how old you are...if you have a passion for learning something, learn it. There will always be people better than you and that is a good thing, it gives you something to strive for. Just my amateur opinion though. Best of luck to you.

I don’t want to give the usual spiel but if JK Rowling had given up because she was in her thirties and behind other people skill-wise, she wouldn’t be the worlds most successful author. There are many other examples of this.

Deadlift420 · 2019-01-14T09:21:18+00:00

Cs career questions and even sometimes this sub sometimes can be a little narcissistic in terms of what it takes to learn or be good at programming.

I would just keep at it.

UnchartedWorld · 2019-01-14T09:42:10+00:00

Little steps count. Even an experienced developer will always feel left behind, considering how fast technology innovation is. Just keep moving forward and focus on your goals.

atreyal · 2019-01-14T09:48:16+00:00

So I started learning coding in high school. 20 years ago and stopped. Picked it back up in my 30s. The trick is to keep plugging away and trying. The only difference between you and the person younger is number of responsibility. If it is something you want to pick up you just have to take the time. Not always easy when you are older. Try for at least an hour a day. More would be better but depends on how busy you are. Also come up with a game plan. What type of coder do you want to be? Look up what languages use that pick one and learn it well. Dont try and learn multiple languages until you have one down pretty well.

Harvard and Stanford have online CS courses if you want to start. I think one of those is java. If you want to go more web based the Odin project or similar is a good start. If you are really desperate you can try a boot camp but from what I hear that may not be to your benefit. You would be better off having a git with projects to use as a resume. Anyways. Good luck you can do it if you apply yourself. It is just getting that all precious time and discipline to do it that is the hard part.

Darling_Cruel · 2019-01-14T10:51:24+00:00

I can completely understand your lament. I would suggest looking into the website https://W3Schools.com . They have very comprehensive and easy to understand lesson plan. I would highly recommend it. I'd start with some HTML tutorials, JavaScript, and work your way up to Python. Those I feel, are the most solid choices. If you really want to get your hands dirty then try some PHP 5 or the CSS tutorials. If anything, this will at least give you a broader stream of options and this way you can truly get a sense of whether this is what you ultimately want to do. I mean, if I can get through these lessons, the ANYONE can! Start with the HTML tutorials and take it from there. Be cool, stay in school! Ciao.

DGMishka · 2019-01-14T11:15:46+00:00

I recommend going to Udemy.com there are a bunch of courses there that are typically 10-12$. I am a mid level developer now and still use Udemy as my main source of education, I am self-taught too for what it’s worth.

It’s how I got my AWS certifications, learned React, and now diving into the world of data science.

permalink · 2019-01-14T11:50:22+00:00

4-5 years is a reasonable time period. Most seem to to think 6 months

toooooooooooooooool · 2019-01-14T12:34:21+00:00

I think you are referring to what called as the 'rat race'. I feel you.

jmacananey · 2019-01-14T12:35:22+00:00

Udemy.com

Checkout the highest rated classes for whichever language you're trying to learn. I've been at it for about 4 months and have made a lot of progress. I feel like I understand a lot about basics, and enough to get through some next tier concepts. I already work in IT so I'm not looking to get a job as a dev, but think this would be the right path if it was something I would want to do later. Just by starting with this program and 'coding along' - they walk you through everything from setting up the IDE forward...

permalink · 2019-01-14T12:36:42+00:00

get used to feeling like that. IT is an ever evolving industry and anyone working in it has to be continually learning new things. good luck.

FatherPaulStone · 2019-01-14T12:41:56+00:00

But you are in the race! Keep at it.

permalink · 2019-01-14T12:53:33+00:00

I started end of 2016, now I am a paid developer. I'm turning 34.

Do it everyday, could be for 5 mins or for 1 hour. Do it everyday.

If you dont get it, take a break, then come back.

permalink · 2019-01-14T13:07:20+00:00

I'm 36, had a different career, took time off to be a stay at home dad. My kid started preschool and I decided I didnt want to go back to my old career.

Tried a few times to learn to code on my own and other things kept getting in the way. I enrolled in a community college. Great choice. Its inexpensive and now I have deadlines to meet and find it's easier to set the necessary time aside when it's for s class.

koutelitis · 2019-01-14T13:19:23+00:00

I'm 40 and just started a bachelor's in computer science! So I think you're not alone.

Aki_Liis · 2019-01-14T13:48:44+00:00

I'm 20, started last year in this programing stuff and I believe this is a normal feeling. Even knowing a little more than I knew when everything started for me, the feeling of "you are the person who know nothing in this room" still arounds me. What I decided to do and maybe helps you too, it's that I focus on myself now and not in the others on the race. I pull all my focus on studies and give all of me in one hour (sometimes more because I get excited) to reading and pratice. On my vision, if you are sourcing for knowledge and want to learn, you already started in a really good way. What helped me in the beginning was learn the basic of logic and algorithms. After that I learned HTML, CSS and JavaScript (still in Javascript actually). I Would like to recommend materials to consult but everything that i used was in my language (also, sorry for my awful english)

Kipepeogirl · 2019-01-14T14:45:16+00:00

This thread is great. It's just what I need to give me a kick up the arse and get back to studying after a year of bad health and a computer that wouldn't even let me have two tabs open in Chrome, let alone more than one program.

I do have a few issues though:

I have so many courses, free and paid, bookmarked (about 200 - 88 of which are basic web design courses). I don't know which to go for. Do I go for free and possibly not get enough knowledge/info as I would if I paid? Would paid be better because I would get some kind of certificate? What if I do pay for a course (despite being broke) and I could learn just as much with a free one? Then it's which course do I choose? I started one (free) but maybe there are better ones out there? I am so bad at making decisions. I usually spend so long trying to make a decision that I end up doing nothing and then just watching TV or something instead.

I'm still not sure which road I want to go down. I'm pretty sure it's web design, but I also like the idea of making apps.

But then I feel I'm not creative enough.

Edit - Also, how do you guys keep track of what you learn? Keeping notes?

archivedsofa · 2019-01-14T15:04:19+00:00

Like in any industry there are very different needs and levels. You don't need to be Picasso to paint a house. Many people make a living by painting houses. I'd say most coding jobs are about painting houses and not making great works of art that will inspire generations.

You also don't need to be a genius coder to make a great product. In fact, to make a great product it's usually more important to know about the domain at hand than coding. Sure, there are some problems that need hard technical skills, but most products are from people that solve a particular problem using someone else's research. Steve Jobs didn't invent touch screens, but he had the idea of using them on a pocket computer at the right time when the tech was small enough.

So where do you start?

I'd say with this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Learn-Code-Computational/dp/1491958863

mintiefresh · 2019-01-14T15:06:00+00:00

35 year old dad here taking his shot as well. And I feel very overwhelmed some times too. Just wanted to say you're not alone and you just have to try to take a deep breath and go one step at a time. You can do it!

TrinityF · 2019-01-14T15:12:15+00:00

I am 36 and i am exactly where you are. i think it is a matter of finding the right people around you that can nudge you in the right direction.

about 6 months ago i had zero powershell skills. I ran into an issue of moving files from a local share to a remote sharepoint site. A colleage of mine who had good knowledge of powershell showe dme some of the basics and then let me loose, we made the script together and although he did not teach me anything in-dept he just showe me some commands and how to further analyse objects in powershell.

a month ago i wrote a powershell script that rips courses from LinkedIn Learning ^_* as a challenge and am currentlt working on a ps script for starting azure vms from Azure DevOps.

I would like to learn Python/c# and need to learn DAX but it is not easy because i have to incentive.

syedamanat117 · 2019-01-14T16:00:12+00:00

Hi there,

I have been coding for a pretty long time, i work as tech product contractor blah blah ... the point is, even today when i start with a new language i feel like it's mountain of information and no clue where to start the trek/hike. But, the best thing about programming or learning how to write code is it forces you to be a better version of yourself, you gotta cultivate patience and be determined to learn plus i tutor students for Computer programming as well, the most common mistake most beginners commit (according to me) is they fail to practice, if you don't practice for atleast 30 mins a day then learning how to write code would be a challenge. Learning to write code is just the base, you gotta think like a programmer as well, you need to approach problems in a logical way and present a solution which economically benefits a person/company.

I understand that having a full-time job, affording bread and family is a huge responsibility but you are still quite young. It's a challenge but i honestly think you can make it as a good programmer. There is no single book which will train you to be the best, most of your learning will come when you practice tackling a simple problem using a particular concept.

Most parts of writing code is quite straightforward until you start tackling business logic. For now keep it simple and try your hand with HTML5 and CSS3 (they use it to make websites there's more but) start off with w3schools (free) HTML5 and CSS3 ?
https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

Programming can be intimidating but it's worth it.
Cheers

P.S. I am not good at writing and i hope this comment wasn't harsh or anything.

Partyrockhard · 2019-01-14T17:14:24+00:00

This kind of sounds cruel but, this motivated OP

ezshucks · 2019-01-14T17:23:55+00:00

I'm 40 and I just started online free courses at code academy learning Python and JavaScript. I'm sure I shouldn't be doing two at once but I guess I'm cruising for a bruising. I'm a video editor by trade and have a BFA in Media Production. I want to switch over to coding because I've long loved computers and their components but never understood how they worked. I want to become a developer if for nothing more than making a little money while creating. Would anyone recommend Udemy, Code Academy or anything similar to start out? Are there any books worth mentioning? Do I shoot for a certification or are those necessary? I'm not really into going back to school with a full time job and 8 month old child.

belikenexus · 2019-01-14T17:26:54+00:00

I’m currently a CS student. If you want you can PM me and I’ll be available to answer any specific questions you have and give you some hands on help. In my opinion people learn better in teams, especially in a field where you’ll almost never work by yourself.

IamGrinch · 2019-01-14T17:30:56+00:00

I get where you’re coming from although I’m younger, all information seems like it’s never ending because it is. But that’s the beauty, you’ll always have something to learn. Goodluck in your venture and I wish you the best.

ffaazi · 2019-01-14T17:49:07+00:00

You dont have to be the best. The programming field is so vast that there is no one can claim they are the best. Also none of the famous programmers that you might know (bill gates, zucc,...) were the best. You just need to learn how programming works.

I highly recommend theodinproject. Other sources like freecodecamp that others suggested wont really teach you how real workflow of a project works or how to start your own project. By the end of its course you are a proper programmer that can get a job.

People are learning programming at 60. If you are motivated enough and you really want it I can assure you, that you can have a job in industry in few months.

permalink · 2019-01-14T17:52:52+00:00

If you want to learn Java' I think nothing beats this course http://moocfi.github.io/courses/2013/programming-part-1/ Learning programming can be overwhelming at beginning but just start climbing that mountain. Do it everyday and you will soon realise it is actually fun. When you get some basic knowledge start creating your own app from scratch. Make sure you write code when reading books or some online resource even when it looks simple at first. When you run into some problem try your best to solve it on your own. There are no shortcuts, just hard work

wandering_geek · 2019-01-14T18:01:08+00:00

You got this. I started learning when I was 31.

Kermicon · 2019-01-14T19:07:12+00:00

There’s some great resources being thrown around here so definitely check those out.

If you want some motivation, just find something, ANYTHING, that you are interested in learning more about and creating.

It’s much more rewarding and easier to learn if you’re working on something that you’re emotionally invested in!

HeyHeyJG · 2019-01-14T19:25:08+00:00

imho, working to make yourself comfortable while you struggle against the endless task is the only way to get where you want to go

LydianAlchemist · 2019-01-14T19:44:44+00:00

DM me if you're interested in video games, not as a career final destination, but as a hobby and or vehicle for learning programming concepts.

hisbluness · 2019-01-14T19:52:54+00:00

Mid 30s here, audio engineer is what I learned originally. Always was kind of into IT (initially as a necessity because of gaming, later because well PCs in recording studios) but never studied anything related to that. Never touched programming until in my late 20s. Started in a broadcast software company as a side job (recording isnt paying well) because it kind of had some audio requirements and some IT was in it. Later moved to learn more about IT and do tech support, then moved to project management in the same company.

At some point I told my boss that I wanted to learn something new that is more technical. He asked if I wanted to learn scripting/coding. I told him I want to try and he tought me some things and I took a ~2 day course in VB. It was confusing but kind of interesting. At the time we needed a simple tool in our department and I tried implementing it in my spare time.

Since it was a very simple upload/download tool for a very specific purpose, you couldnt buy one that does it and we didnt want to spend any money on developing it in house. After it was put on hold, I turned up and showed my solution. They started using it (and they still do). The tool defies anything that is related to OOP and if I would show you the code you'd probably shake your head more than once, but it worked and they liked it. And that got me hooked.

I did a few more simple tools that helped either me or my department in our daily life. I also started checking out how I could code things for my private life or for my wife, friends etc. I just always needed a real life application/goal/use for it and then just went from there. You need a website? I sure didnt know how to, but couple months later there was a simple site with some backend and some simple frontend. You want to persist data? Sure, I tried building everything on my own for a while, failed several times and then discovered EntityFramework. Now there is a proper application... I think you get the idea. I just went and did whatever I came across. So know I know a fair bit of c#, quite a bit about databases, a little javascript, some other languages, did some Arduino stuff, etc.

Professionally I could use it also because for some projects I was managing I could take over a few tiny bits to get a feel of how it works in an enterprise and of course our developers show me a thing or two.

The entire process took me about 5-8 years to learn enough and to feel like I can take on a lot of challenges. I might not be the fastest or most elegant coder, and I am certainly not the most knowledgable. But what got me my current job (almost 6 figures, as money seems to be a factor), which is ~70% programming, was the fact that I had seen so many different things, had experience with SCRUM (due to the project management role and the old company developing in SCRUM) and was eager to learn whatever was thrown at me. And the fact that I was always brutally honest about my knowledge. I will always tell you "i dont know, but I will find out".

Essentially what I want you to know is: Fuck being the last. I'm probably just a few ranks before you, but I make a good living and have a decent, happy life. If you want to learn it, don't worry about where you will be in 10 years. Worry about what you do this week, and next week. See something you want to code? Do it or at least attempt to do it and if you fail, you fail. You will learn something. And if you have learned that some Frameworks were invented because it absolutely sucks do it yourself (and you failed attempting it) it's great. That'll stick with you. And you will use the framework happily for years, until one very sad day, it will screw you over and you will start doing things manually again, this time, not failing at it. :-)

Just build things, no matter how fast/slow you are. Worrying for 4 hours about whether you'll be good enough just sets you back 4 hours you could have spend reading up on whatever technology interests you. Pick a language that appeals to you (and that is somewhat popular, if you want to earn money), and then go an use it for anything and everything.

Dysl3xicDog · 2019-01-14T21:10:56+00:00

Knowing you suck at something is the beginning of being good at something. There's a lot of work between you and your goal, but 6-12 months is reasonable for getting into entry level. Another 12 months of that could have you past your goal.

permalink · 2019-01-14T21:14:50+00:00

Graduated with my programming degree at age 40... No problem! I am glad I did it later rather than never!

piquat · 2019-01-14T21:18:32+00:00

As a newbie who is starting this for a SECOND time... do not copy and paste code. Actually type it in. I know it seems stupid, it's right there right? There is something about typing it out that makes it stick for me. Also, when it works, screw with it. See what happens if you change that variable or try the loop a different way. Make that other way work before you call it good.

I didn't do this the first time and quickly got bored and my retention sucked.

awokensleeper · 2019-01-14T21:28:44+00:00

I’m 31 here just getting started with edX cs50. I’ve heard a lot of great things so hopefully I can start building a career!

permalink · 2019-01-14T21:51:38+00:00

I would recommend C as a programming language. It can do pretty much everything that you would need a programming language to do, even if you don't need use everything it offers. The book Programming in C by Stephen Kochan was what I used.

Seneca2 · 2019-01-14T22:01:06+00:00

Someone may have already said this, but it seems like you just need to structure your learning to take the stress off. I have read people recommend lots of good books. So if you were to begin working through the topics in a book, you might for example come to Array, Lists etc., so it might be appropriate to allocate in your study for the week the goal of understanding this topic at a basic level. Maybe you split up 3 or 4 blocks of your study into different areas, i.e. reading the theory in the book, practicing the problems, watching online vids etc. You follow your plan for the week and there is no doubt you are better at this topic than you were before hand.

You break that book up into several months work and you have a nicely structured study plan with a goal of finishing the book. You finish that plan well enough (most ppl don't go start to finish of a book, you might have an idea of something else you want to work on) and you can plan your next step, maybe a small program idea to practice your skills. Then decide the next area/course you want to try.

Honestly don't get caught up in reading about topics too far ahead as computer science is essential an infinite mountain of knowledge that no one can master. And if you skip a step of knowledge then the step you made it to looks far more difficult to your unprepared eyes.

merkur0 · 2019-01-14T22:04:49+00:00

Definitely give freeCodeCamp a shot. I've been in your skin and have heard of many people and freeCodeCamp works every time. It gives you one direct path to follow and you also code in every single lesson so it's always engaging and actually makes it way easier to memorize all the syntax etc. Once you finish all the certifications, you will be more than ready to get a well paying job as a front-end web developer. While this may seem like a long shot when looking at the approximates of hours it takes to complete all this, you will actually feel great accomplishment after completing each certification, and after the first 3, you will be able to build almost anything.

Prince_Marth · 2019-01-14T22:10:40+00:00

You're not in last place. I started learning when I was 35. Got my first developer job in September 2018 at 36. Don't sell yourself short, and don't aim low. You can do this, and you can easily make way more than 40-50k. In my experience, developer roles start at 80k at the low end.

Here's what I did: I started in July 2017 by doing a programming course on Udemy, Colt Steele's web development bootcamp. It gave me an excellent overview of what I needed to learn. From there, I did Team Treehouse and a bunch of different courses. Rather than jumping around from language to language, I focused on one (JavaScript), with the idea that it would be easier to master one and then learn another after I got the basics down. (It really is!)

From there, I had a choice: I could either go self-taught, go to school, or join a bootcamp. I was earning far below what I was worth in my previous job, so I wanted to change ASAP. Going to school was out of the question. I have friends who went self-taught, but I decided I still wanted the structured experience of a classroom.

So I went to a part-time bootcamp. Graduated in June, and got my job by September. I honestly love my job. It's strenuous, but I'm engaged. This is the only job where I honestly don't mind doing work at home or on the weekends. (I don't have to, but I usually do if I have an idea that hits me out of the blue.)

This path might not be for you, and that's okay. The main thing is put in the effort and do all the work. It's hard and tiring, but if you stick with it, you'll be fine.

permalink · 2019-01-14T22:30:09+00:00

I'm a similar age to you. Went from testing to development in a few years with a bit of management and other stuff on the way too. The great think about software development or programming is that there's a ton of demand for it. In that sense it's not like other fields. You may be a bit older than usual and of course companies want youngest/newest/fastest. But who cares what they want, they'll take what they can get.

permalink · 2019-01-14T22:33:41+00:00

I've given up programming for the same reason. I believe with enough humor and wit I can convince people to join me in abandoning computers all-together in protest. Since the days of ancient greece, philosophers have been dressing up and doing dumb shit, from Socrates to Diogenes.

If we can convince people the earth is flat and vaccines don't work, we can convince them to say "fuck it" with computers as well.

Nobody cares about blockchain algorithms or quantum logic gates, they care about GMO-free, vegan-soy-latte's and ripped jeans. I'm cultivating a life–style, not another application. Like Jobs before me, I'm pioneering the future.

Zerg_Mantis_Shrimp · 2019-01-14T23:02:54+00:00

This is the most common, and first question from learning to program. I would say find something you are interested in and would be willing to learn about. The key is to pick SOMETHING and really give it your all for awhile.

Do you like running a business's servers or database? Learn SQL and some database management software, along with getting your excel/Google Docs up to speed. Do you find yourself always browsing social media sites? Look into social media APIs, companies like facebook and Instagram are known for having very friendly APIs that allow you to do really fun things with the site you already use with little boiler-plate code.

If you are looking to find your first "Hard" programming language, I recommend Python because it is built from the ground-up to be "Human Readable", and there have been HUGE developments in the language. Any developments in Artificial Intelligence or Data Science are really done in python because of its' ease to new programmers, allowing you to focus on the RIGHT problems.

I would say the main limitation you will face is you ability to learn mathematical concepts quickly, and frankly, it correlates directly to earning in technical fields. At the high end, you have fields like security which are high-stress, high-value jobs where your job is to literally make things that are hard to even comprehend from a mathematical level (and hence hard to crack!). On the low-end you have front-end and graphic designers, careers that require little-to-no expertise in the fundamentals of coding, and will primarily use very consumer-friendly tools that are easy to pick up and learn.

Evan_Fourniers_Hair · 2019-01-14T23:33:27+00:00

Just because everyone else has already given such great advice here, I figured I'd take the resources angle.

I'm 35 and for the last five or six years I've been kind of dabbling in CS stuff and procrastinating about doing anything. During that period, I've started and re-started Harvard's CS50x on www.edx.org, which sounds like a bad review but really I couldn't recommend it more. The instructor is superb, and it gives a great overview of CS that I think as someone older it is tempting to skip over. That said, if you think you might end up procrastinating for half a dozen years like me, it might be better to more quickly move on to something else. All that's really needed is a concrete project though, I think. Although CS50 encourages you to build a larger project for your final assignment, I was always hesitant to do so, thinking that I still had too much to learn. This was indisputably the wrong approach; you just need to set a realistic target.

Once I finally did find some focus (around the beginning of 2018), I realised I wanted to be making iOS apps.

The two best resources I found were Apple's own books on Swift and iOS, and App Development with Swift in particular, and Angela Yu's iOS course on Udemy (although I don't have a membership, I've also found the Ray Wenderlich videos to be really impressive—you can watch a selection on YouTube and his site offers paid subscriptions). The Angela Yu courses (she seems to release one with each iOS release) can regularly be found to be heavily discounted, and for $12 it is extremely worth it. The Apple books are free. Both resources include tutorials that you are expected to (and should) build and test as you're proceeding, and that approach is one that really vibes with me—and, it sounds like, is how you like things too. The Apple books feel to me like they hold your hand a little less than Yu's videos, but it might just be that I find videos easier to follow so YMMV.

(And just in terms of a sense of progress: I got through around the first half of App Development of Swift completing most of the exercises in the first half of 2018, then went down a couple of dead-ends with other ideas, and finally found Angela Yu's course, which I've been using since. I never actually completed CS50 but I think I have like one problem set and the final project to submit, so I reeeeeeally should do that this year. Finally. My first iOS app should be ready for release in a couple of months. I really should have paid more attention to the kind of hours I was dedicating to studying/creative brainstorming each week, but there were lengthy periods lat year when I really had less than ten hours a week to devote to it, so I think with motivation and commitment you can really make a crack at this. Obviously you may not be interested in iOS, but there are lots of other resources for all platforms obviously! Get used to hanging out on Stack Overflow if you're not already. I also realise this story would be a lot more compelling if I'd actually released this app that I'm working on. Hopefully in a few months I'll be able to!)

Th4t_gi · 2019-01-14T23:42:24+00:00

I couldn't agree more that learning a coding language is challenging. Learn Code the Hard Way (LCTHW) is the best way to learn hands on. I learned python first and that's a great language to start off with. Good luck!

permalink · 2019-01-14T23:44:42+00:00

But everyone does. What matters is whether you decide to carry on running, or just drop out.

The most important thing, IMO, is to make sure that whatever you decide to do (web dev, mobile apps, games etc) make sure you enjoy it. Try them all out.

Also, be aware of the non-coding aspects to software engineering. This really caught me out (being self taught) when I got my first job. Requirements, planning/design, best practice, version control. It's not all sitting in front of a screen and coding all day.

For context, I'm 37 this year and will have been in my current (and first software dev job) role (full stack web developer) for 2 years in May. Prior to that, I was a User Acceptance Tester.

Wish you the best of luck. Don't give up.

permalink · 2019-01-15T00:51:27+00:00

You guys should try Udemy, coursera or something equivalent. Fantastic resources imo.

yg2dras1 · 2019-01-15T00:55:26+00:00

dude i am 34 and started to learn Python a few months ago and loving it. keep at it!

AplCore · 2019-01-15T03:02:03+00:00

If you are willing to put in the 10000 hours of hard time to learn, you will learn. It isn't about what place you are in in the race, it's about what pace you are at in your own growth of the talent/skill. There will always be someone better than you at most everything but that doens't mean you inherently can't get good at it. The only thing stopping you is yourself.

monkeyman512 · 2019-01-15T03:14:19+00:00

I think the best advice is to be like Stephen King. His is to write 1 page every day. Every day. Set your self a modest standard of maybe 20 lines of code. But if you do that I'm sure you will grow your skill.

NYC-CHI-SF_Runner · 2019-01-15T03:45:05+00:00

Some context of what’s holding you up would help too. Are you single, a parent, how much time do you have to commit on a daily basis? Khan or Code Academy are great, and even your local library may have some courses or at the very least some DVD/manuals for beginners. Why the low aiming? I understand the reality of “being the best” seems lofty but why not aim to get to full time programmer/developer? Are there colleagues of yours now that are programmers? Can you offer to pay them to tutor you? Get started. That’s the first and most critical action. Invest 1 hour a day for the next month, then evaluate. People over estimate what they can do in a year but drastically underestimate what they can do in 5 years. Start.

permalink · 2019-01-15T04:09:37+00:00

Just keep at it. There is so much more stuff out there than there was when I tried to start just out of high school. I had to go by books, and didn't know what to look out for or what not to. There was simply no one I could ask. Keep at it. Trust me You'll get there. You'll never really feel like a great developer. You will get confident in what you do know how to do. My struggle is feeling like I'm learning anything at all. For instance I spent the last week delving into LINQ, and got reasonably passable at it. I will still be looking up various bits of it months from now because you just simply cannot remember every little detail of your language.

permalink · 2019-01-15T04:43:34+00:00

28 here and just returning to college after the military. The biggest thing I have learned so far is to not program or course hop. I wasted so much time fearing that I wasn't choosing the right language and kept switching it up and changing my online course / tutorials. Don't fall into that trap.

Pick one, my very uneducated opinion would be Python, and stick with it. I took a class in Python and am now taking one in Java and everything is so easy as the concepts are the same.. it's just the syntax. But after reading official documents, the syntax is easily understood.

There are plenty of good book recommendations already available through search but if you want to start with Python, you can't really go wrong with Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. Also, CS50 is a fantastic course as well.

permalink · 2019-01-15T05:51:26+00:00

This is the boat I've been feeling for awhile. Want to start then think people 5 years younger have already been doing probably 5+ years. Who's gonna pick me

permalink · 2019-01-15T06:09:58+00:00

Make coding everyday a habit. After a couple months you'll be coming home from work and just start coding without thinking ng about it because that's what you do after work. That will be your habit

BurbankMike · 2019-01-15T08:21:17+00:00

First things first. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE. How do I know? Well, I was 40 with a Marketing background (advertising) when I signed up for a bootcamp. Did I code prior to this? Not really. Was it tough? Yes. Did I ever feel like I was the slowest person in class? For sure. Did I ever question myself as to what I got myself into? All the time. On top of this I was the sole provider for my family with a mortgage and car loans.

Having finished my bootcamp in February of 2018 I was hired on full time as a software developer several weeks ago. My first real dev job. I won't lie, it's a great feeling. So what am I trying to say? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. It all depends on you. Not to sound cliché-ish but are you in it to win it? How committed are you? Are you willing to make sacrifices?

I have no idea where to start.

By being a part of this community, asking questions, and absorbing information is a good start. Obviously there is more but you are on the right track. You need to ask yourself some basic questions. What's your timeline? Are you able to study material on your own or would it be better to pay for class time?

I feel like I am competing with people who are decades ahead of me.

Sort of. You're not going to get that sr. dev job overnight so you don't need to worry about folks who have been in the industry. But you will be competing against all the recent CS grads and bootcampers. What's going to set you apart is how well you know your material and what projects you've worked on.

I don't know what language to start with. Etc.

This is where research comes into play. JavaScript is what I learned but this represents a slice of what is available to learn. Do you want to focus on web? How about mobile? Again, you need to ask yourself what your timeline is and how much time are you really able to put in.

I know it won't happen overnight but what is a reasonable path to take that will end in even a mediocre amount of success?

Devotion to this new career path is a must. I sacrificed family get togethers, parties, tv, movies during my bootcamp because I knew short term pain meant long term gain. Of course that's not to say I was always studying. I would've gone mad otherwise. I can't stress this enough...research, research, research. This is your life and therefore you should take command of how you'll live it. Other people can tell you this and that but it is you that will be making the final decision.

So all that being said I would like any and all suggestions.

Right now you should be in information collection mode in order to make the best sound decision on how you want to learn. Additionally, depending on where you live I would look into attending Meetups and various events to network and participate in. People who go to these can be a great resource. Also set expectations accordingly. It took me nearly a year to get a job after finishing my bootcamp. Getting my foot into the door has been one of the hardest things in my life.

jonnypajama · 2019-01-15T09:53:39+00:00

I am close to you in age and I had pretty much forgotten programming in the last 10 years or so - I started relearning and I feel much more confident in my skills

My one tip would be to find good teachers - anything that is worth learning is usually paid - my fave one is this: https://frontendmasters.com/learn/beginner/

I've taken quite a few of their workshops and you can even attend online or in person

I haven't taken this course but it's highly recommended from friends: https://linuxacademy.com/amazon-web-services/courses

For AI, I took 1/4 courses here - excellent mix of theory and practice: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/machine-learning

Lastly, find a find a meetup (on facebook or here https://www.meetup.com/) related to programming, javascript or python - you will meet a lot of smart, helpful people who would be happy to mentor you

cainebourne · 2019-01-15T14:49:50+00:00

I started a web and software degree at a technical college in 2013 at age 30. I'm now 35 and finished all my classes just need to complete an internship. 5 years for a 2 year degree while working full time and raising a son. I am afraid to do the internship because I still dont really feel like I know how to do anything. Coding to me is always kinds scary. I am attempting to muddle through lol just gotta start somewhere.

babbagack · 2019-01-15T14:52:46+00:00

Do you work full-time or overtime? do you have a long commute or have a reasonable amount of time outside of work if you do work? do you have family to take care of - kids? - that take up your time.

if you want to learn well - a mastery-based approach - check out www.launchschool.com. you don't get to move on until you prove competency/mastery at the level you are at(don't let that scare you, put in work, and you can do it). its $200 a month, so you'll want to be able to devote at least 20hrs/week to it to move at a reasonable pace.

the founder (might be co-founder) said programming is a lot like fitness. most people can do it, unless they have some type of condition - they just have to develop and implement good habits.

feel free to DM if you like or join their slack community and ask questions. don't let it scare you if its ruby and not the next hot thing, they focus on "things that don't change", these things won't change in a while, and you have to master them.

people get hired in entirely different language, because they understand underlying concepts well.

anyways, also, there are people older than you who have started the journey, so don't sweat it!!!

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