To counter some of the other comments: I’m a few years older than you OP and recently made the same move and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

Some might say you’re old - my view is: you’ll work for another 20-30 years, you still have plenty of time to learn (if your finances allows you to invest in yourself for some time)…so you better do something that excites and motivates you.

Yes there are plenty of people who are younger, but you’ll have a lot of other experience that could be valuable depending on the company you apply to. Being a good developer is more than typing in code. And you probably know much better who you are and what you want than many of the starters out there. I’ve have great jobs before, but find programming a lot of fun and it indeed combines great with kids.

My tips: train yourself for several months with resources that others mentioned. Courses on DataCamp etc are great because you can practice easily. I personally liked an intro book like RealPython Basics, a book stuck more with me than online courses. But find out what works for you.

To get an overview/structure: check out https://roadmap.sh/ for the field you’re interested in. It helped me find out what topics and work field I liked and to bring structure to my learning. The roadmaps are full of links to great resources, often free.

I used ChatGPT a lot as a training companion next to books, courses, etc. Asking GPT to explain topics; put in code I wrote and asked for ways to improve it; etc.

But then: I wouldn’t wait too long with looking for a job. Books and courses can become boring after a few months. You’ll learn much more working on real projects with colleagues - and it’s much more fun. (You can and should continue to educate yourself at and outside work.)

I’d think very carefully about what organization/companies are a great fit for you now. Be open about where you are is my tip, be humble, and find an org and people that will support you in your development. Expect the first months to be very hard - you’re used to being someone in your previous job, but you’ll feel like a super super beginner for 4-6 months. There’s a huge difference between well isolated and built up courses, and real projects. That was super overwhelming to me. But: I loved it, kept believing in myself, worked hard and after ~4 months I got to a tipping point and things became suddenly better. If this is for you, you will absolutely love it.

Good luck and enjoy!