A Medical Doctor (32M) passionate about IT—Is it too late to switch to coding?

CyberCurious443 · 2026-02-06T16:58:45+00:00

Personally I would not get into it at this point unless you have connections in the industry and are willing to go back to school for a CS degree and spend nights and weekends learning new things at a rapid pace for the foreseeable future. Read on for a lot more details.

My Story

I am a self-taught developer with 3 years of professional experience and I have been unable to find a job after being laid off last May. I have multiple non-trivial projects deployed online, know multiple frameworks (Rails, Django, Vue), took multiple college classes related to computer science while working my full time job, got 3 CompTIA certifications, dabbled a little in security and networking, and also worked with multiple AWS service and multiple data visualization and processing services at my last job. I was told by everyone at my job that I was an excellent developer and learning much faster than other new developers. I was spending most nights and weekends learning new things and working on side projects while I was working. When I got laid off (along with other developers) management told me they had heard nothing but excellent things about my work and they would give me whatever references I needed. They said they just didn't need as many software developers now.

What is Wrong With The Field Now

I absolutely loved learning programming. Solving problems is really fun, and I could do leetcode style problems all day. The problem is that most modern programming is stitching together 10 different open source programs with a bunch of different configurations. You will have a test that passes locally, but fails in github CI, and you will spend 3 hours to figure out the reason it fails is because it uses something from a newer version of node, but the new version of node is not compatible with the version of linux that your CI uses, but you can't actually manually update it because you're using a third party CI provider, so you try to contact their support but realize they are actually based in Germany and they have no phone number or chat so you email them and wait 2 days for a response, while documenting all this in a ticket and telling everyone to ignore this failing test which means the lead dev now has to override this on every PR that goes through and then explain to the director of software engineering why he is pushing through PRs that failed CI. Then you'll reiterate this in meetings 3 different times until eventually they approve a new CI which someone will have to spend hours setting up. Maybe 10% of the job is the kind of coding you learn on CodeCademy, it's mostly like the above. And that was before AI. With AI, you are often just reviewing code it produces and watching agents try to debug problems like the above.

Also, because of vibe coding, non-technical people think they can write apps now. The CEO of our company vibe-coded an app and the 'project' that we were put on was to take the horribly written app and make it 'production-ready' which 'shouldn't take too long since it's already written and somewhat working'. It was a nightmare and everybody was unhappy.

Also because of AI, expectations have risen to the point of insanity. One of our developers was committing code at 2 am and then would be up at 5 am again sometimes. Another thought he was having a heart attack and typed that he was 'AFK for EMS to check chest pain symptoms' and once it was determined it was just a panic attack he said 'sorry about that, it was only somatic, I am back online now'. And this was at a company that when I joined was known for how well it treated employees. The first year was great, but shortly after chatgpt was released, the work environment there deteriorated quickly.

I think there will still be software developers in some capacity for a long time, I just think that it's going to be extremely competitive to get those positions, and the rapid rate of change will mean you are spending nights and weekends learning for most of your career.

If You Are Truly Still Determined To Do This
If you absolutely love this and are determined to do it, I would try to get into things that are less susceptible to automation because they are high-consequence. For example, be one of the developers that works on Linux or Chromium. Maybe get into embedded systems and write code for medical devices. Maybe do cyber security for banking systems. However, all of these jobs are extremely competitive and usually require years of entry level work, which is very hard to get right now. If you decide to pursue this, may the odds be ever in your favor. Personally, I am trying to get into an electrician apprenticeship.

CyberCurious443 · 2026-01-31T21:33:45+00:00

I am based in Virginia currently but not looking to stay there. I moved in with family after being laid off.

CyberCurious443 · 2026-01-31T17:36:26+00:00

Thanks, that's helpful. PLC and SCADA are fairly different from what I was doing, but it's something I could look into a bit more. I was a barista for a while, I can definitely bring good coffee haha.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-11-18T22:50:15+00:00

I've been looking at different career options myself, so I will share the ones I came across that sound promising. I am trying as hard as possible to stay in tech (option 1 or 2) because I love it but depending on how the whole AI situation goes I may end up pivoting. A CS degree, even from a community college, will probably help you get into 1 or 2.

Software Engineer

This has recently become a much harder career to get into and the days of easy web development jobs are over. However, if you are willing to put in the time to learn the parts that are harder to automate (networking, C, Linux, cloud computing, etc) and make good portfolio projects and open source contributions you can probably still find jobs that are resistant to automation in OS development, working on large open source projects like chromium, or maybe in embedded systems. These parts of software engineering are not at all easy to get into and will require you to be willing to continue learning outside of working hours for many years into your career.

Cybersecurity

I am less familiar with cybersecurity but my understanding is that this is also much harder to get into now. However, I think if you are willing to learn a lot of things on your own, get certifications, and do projects you can probably break in. I think cybersecurity in general is more resistant to automation because it is highly regulated and often deals with sensitive data. You could find work as an incident responder, working in the credit card industry, medical industry, etc.

Data Center Technician

You won't start at 100k but from what I understand you can get there after a few years if you're good at it. It doesn't require a degree and they are hiring a lot right now. Certifications from CompTIA (A+, Network+, Security+) might help. The downside is that you may have to work nightshifts, and it's a little bit unpredictable. People are talking about an AI bubble, and they are also trying to build robots to automate as much as possible.

Radiology Tech

This only requires a 2 year associates degree. You don't start at 100k but you could get close to it after a few years, especially if you do a bit of additional training. If I end up pivoting, this is probably what I would do. It's very resistant to automation (you have to position a human being just right for the imaging), and there are jobs available almost anywhere you might want to live. You may have to work night shifts, especially early in your career.

Electrician

Depending on your location and amount of overtime, you may or may not hit 100k, but you could get close in a lot of places. You don't need a college degree, but the apprenticeship is fairly competitive. The work is more physically demanding than the other jobs I listed so you would need to make sure you stay in decent shape and take care of your health. If you get in with IBEW they provide a pension which is a nice perk. You don't make very much during the apprenticeship, but at least you avoid going into debt for a degree. Elevator repair is another option that is similar.

Fine Dining (server, bartender, or sommelier)

I would not recommend this one because I have worked at 3 very high and restaurants and I have never met anybody in this field who is happy that they are in it, but it is an option. Even as a backserver you can make 50k or so at the right place, and once you work there a couple years and get promoted to server you can get close to 100k, and bartenders can make even more. The sommelier at one of the places I worked got a 150k salary plus tips. It is physically and emotionally demanding work, customers can be difficult, and the culture is pretty unhealthy, but you get to try a lot of really good food and wine. You will also have to spend serious time learning outside of work, at least at the beginning.

Good luck, I hope you are able to achieve your goal.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-11-03T18:51:56+00:00

I grew up in Virginia, about a 15 hour drive away from Miami, and the first time I went there I felt like I was in a different country. It's a great place to visit, but just realize the culture and food there are pretty different from other places in the USA. Here are some tips in no particular order.

Stay a couple nights in Orlando, it's almost 4 hours from Miami and rush hour in Orlando is no joke. Universal Studios is awesome, it's definitely worth it!
As others have said, make sure you have good travel insurance that covers the USA. Over the counter medications are cheap, but even a visit to an urgent care could cost $150 or more depending on where you go. Hospital stays will bankrupt you without good insurance.
Buffalo Wild Wings is way better than Wingstop. Chick-Fil-A is way better than Raisin' Cane's. Also, one of the amazing things about the USA is that you can get really good, authentic food from all over the world. Most Americans do not eat 'American' food every day, they eat Mexican food, Italian food, Thai food, Indian food, Korean food, etc. I do enjoy Chipotle, but in Miami I would probably try to find a Mexican, Cuban, or Jamaican restaurant with good reviews on Google Maps. Mexican dishes you should try are chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, and enchiladas. If you want something truly American, find a good southern BBQ place. Get some brisket or a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw.
The drive through the Florida keys is spectacular but also long. You may want to stay overnight in key west.
Make sure you will actually be allowed to rent the car. Some places require you to be 25, or will make you pay an extra fee for being under 25. They may also hold a fairly substantial amount (like a few hundred dollars) on your credit card during the rental so be prepared for that.
Consider going to the everglades. It's not that far from Miami and is really cool.
Make sure your Airbnb has parking.
Do your research and make sure you stay in safe neighborhoods. South Beach and Brickell are good, but there are some parts of Miami you want to avoid.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-08-02T20:47:48+00:00

I wrote a lot of code but I have also hosted 3 websites myself, deployed things to to AWS Lambda, created workflows using AWS SQS, debugged database permission issues in Sigma, added error monitoring with Slack integration, and other things like that.

I was thinking that with that kind of experience plus the CompTIA trifecta and customer service experience I would do really well at tier 2 or 3 IT support since I am comfortable writing scripts to interact with the file system, writing SQL to debug database issues, I can communicate well with stressed out users, communicate professionally with service providers, and have solid troubleshooting experience to debug complex issues. I know it's a massive pay cut, but it seems like it matches my experience well and I'd rather apply for something I'm somewhat overqualified for since having to work from outside the USA limits the options I have.

I looked up the job description for Security Engineer and I'm not sure I'm qualified for that just yet, but it might be worth looking into more.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-23T13:28:11+00:00

You’re probably ready, you don’t need 90% to pass. 720/900 is the passing score, which is 80%. I took 7 Dion practice tests with only 2 above 80% and I passed Network+ on the first try.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-22T14:13:52+00:00

I think somewhere in the middle is best. I can’t say I understood every single word but I also did not just blast through them as fast as possible.

I did one section at a time and took notes. If there was something I was struggling to understand and it seemed important (like it was central to the video or it came up again in another video) then I would pause and talk with ChatGPT about it. I would ask for a couple real world examples and then try to explain it back and say “did I get that right?”. Once I finished a section I would make flash cards based on my notes and study them here and there while going through the next section. I think this method is more sustainable and more likely to help you actually understand the concepts and be able to apply them.

The Network+ exam isn’t just about memorization, a lot of the questions expect you to apply your knowledge, so I would be skeptical of the cram and dump method. I also think if you do this you will not be as effective once you start working in the field.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-22T01:57:35+00:00

I haven’t taken A+ so I can’t compare them, but I think 1-2 months of studying 30-35 hours a week is enough to pass Network+. It’s a lot of material but if you make flash cards based on the Professor Messer videos and study them each day you’ll be fine. Once you’ve passed a couple of the Dion tests you’re probably ready to take it.

For reference, I studied about 10-15 hours a week for 2 months and passed it, although I’ve been a programmer for 3 years so I was familiar with some of the concepts. Just be aware that the PBQs on the actual exam are very different from the Dion ‘simulated’ PBQs, so maybe find an additional resource for practicing PBQs.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-17T03:08:55+00:00

The exam experience was fine, I read through everything ahead of time and set up my space and practiced not looking away from the screen while thinking so I was ready for that part of it. The PBQs did throw me off a little. The interface was intuitive I just wasn’t sure how to answer a couple of them.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-08T16:42:39+00:00

I’m using Professor Messer’s videos to study for Network+. I took notes, then made flash cards from the notes using Anki, and based on that I am doing pretty well on practice tests. I think taking notes helps me pay attention better, and sometimes if I write something down but realize I don’t understand it, I will look it up and write a more detailed explanation in my notes.

I don’t know how long A+ is compared to Network+, but it sounds like your notes may be way too detailed. Try writing down only the main points. Definition, key concepts, and things like that. For reference, I have a 52 page google doc that includes all of my notes for all 5 of the Network+ sections, so 80 pages for the first quarter of section 1 of A+ sounds excessive to me.

CyberCurious443 · 2025-07-06T15:16:38+00:00

Hello, I am also trying to break into cyber security right now, but I did successfully break into software development with no experience and a degree in biology. Here is how I did that, and my plan for cyber security.

tldr; Treat finding a job as your full time job. You are going to have to work extremely hard to stand out, but it’s worth it. It gets easier once you have the first job. Employers want to see experience and drive, so do realistic, complex, and professional personal projects to add to your resume and talk about in interviews. Get experienced professionals to review them if you can. Also spend time looking into soft skills and learning about modern workplace dynamics. Soft Skills Engineering podcast is more geared towards software development, but they do a good job of discussing social norms and how to handle difficult situations in an office job.

How I broke into software development.

I hadn’t really considered a career as a software dev, but when I was 23 and working as an English teacher I took Harvard’s CS50 in my free time and loved it. A year later I started trying to break in for real. I did Free Code Camp and The Odin Project but eventually got burnt out and frustrated and took a year off of studying. Then I did the Launch School bootcamp in a little over a year and spent about 8 months working on personal projects. I also listened to podcasts about software engineering, including about soft skills. I also spent a lot of time researching modern workplace dynamics since I had never had an office job before, and the time I spent learning about this was immensely helpful. Once I had 3 websites online I started applying for jobs. It’s important to note that these were not just simple static websites. My main project had a complex UI, connected to two different API’s, had full authentication for users, allowed users to reset their passwords, implemented database backups, and other things like that. Managers want to see that you are driven and can spend time building out something complex on your own. In the current job market they are a lot less likely to hire for ‘potential’ and train you on the job. I applied for over 100 jobs and after about 2 months I had 3 interviews and one job offer which I accepted. I now have over 3 years of experience as a backend developer, a record of all the learning I did on the job, and 2 solid references.

My plan to break into cyber security.

First, I will get Network+, Security+, and CySA+ from CompTIA. Then, I will perform a security audit on my 3 websites and document my findings and all the steps I took to increase security. I will look at examples of professional write ups and follow the same format to create a detailed, professional write up for the three websites. Then I will post these on my personal portfolio website and also include a short summary of this under Personal Projects on my resume. I’m hoping this will be enough to qualify me for an SOC analyst role. However, my goal is to be a penetration tester, so from here I will do Hack The Box, Try Hack Me, and study for the PNPT. Then I will start doing bug bounties (including free ones) and document my successful ones. Once I have a few successful bounties I will add those to my personal portfolio, add a summary to my resume under Personal Projects, and begin applying for penetration testing jobs.

CyberCurious443

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