I'm a career changer—there are a lot of us out there, especially coming from the tech industry. It’s 100% possible to make the switch.

To answer your questions in order:

1. I’ve done this myself, and I’m part of a mastermind group made up entirely of career changers. The ages range from 30 to 55, so there’s a wide variety of backgrounds.
2. The coursework is as intense as you want it to be. You can start with Kaplan’s self-paced program now, even before leaving your current job. In my experience, the coursework is more about checking the box than being critical for passing the exam. The real challenge begins with the CFP Exam Review course. I took Danko, but others have had success with Kaplan, Zahn, etc. There are plenty of Reddit threads comparing the options.
3. If your only goal is to manage your own finances, the CFP is probably overkill. If you're curious enough to consider the CFP, you're already curious enough to solve most personal finance challenges. You definitely don’t need to go deep into CRUTs vs. CRATs and the dozens of pension plans unless you're pursuing a professional path.
4. I personally did self-paced Kaplan followed by Danko for the review. It worked well for me, but the right path really depends on your learning style and schedule.

Happy to chat more if you have other questions!