Ben Halpern
Posted on
What's your advice to someone over the age of 30 considering a career in software development?
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Top comments (80)
Pick a marketable stack to learn
Software Development is an incredible vast discipline and there is literally no limit to what you can learn/do with it, but first and foremost you want to make sure your skills are put to use in the market so you can sustain yourself. Nowadays there are plenty of learning resources which will teach you precisely what you need to know to join the workforce (JavaScript, React, HTML, CSS should be a good start, Git is a must).
Don't get spooked by gatekeepers
There will be people who will tell you "it's too late/you can't do it/too difficult/etc". Don't get spooked by such statements, you may not be able to land a Senior position or cherry pick your salary, but if you can solve problems, communicate well, and demonstrate your ability to learn, there are plenty of businesses that can benefit from your work. Remember that software development is ultimately about implementing solutions that other people can benefit from using code as a medium. If you can help other people, they will help you, even if you are not the best programmer in the world.
Put you prior experience in perspective
The ability to communicate, research, negotiate, particularly if you can lead other people, can be a great leverage to trigger your career. If you are used to solve difficult problems, be accountable, "owning your mission" as they say, this can be a great asset for a potential employer. From an employer's perspective, what matters is how much value can you provide for them, not so much how a good developer you are. I know this will infuriate some people but is a hard fact about the reality of the world which doesn't mean you can't get better over time provided with the right opportunity.
Get used to uncertainty
Tech keeps changing all the time, that's why I don't believe the people who say that you can't do it unless you start young. New stuff is developed all the time and there are no rules on how it can be used. If you embark in this journey you will have to keep learning and updating your skills forever, so don't assume that knowing any given stack is assurance of anything.
Create a nice showcase
The best way to learn to code is by coding, and no code is good enough unless it solves some actual problem in the real world. If you develop a useful piece of software and release it to the world, there is no better presentation card than that, even if there is something similar already there. You can do your own version of some tool with some variation or adjustment according to your personal taste or use. There is enough people in the world to guarantee that somebody will prefer your version of the tool over some other version of the same tool.
Learn from the best
You can save a lot of time and learn very fast by following the right people and investing in the right resources. You just need a Twitter account to find really amazing people from whom you can learn a lot and keep yourself aware of tech trends (I do this!). Many of them will be very happy to answer your questions and give tremendously useful advice for free. If you know someone in the industry willing to guide you or provide some mentoring, that can be of great help. If you start networking with those people you can speed up your learning a lot. Once you find the right people, you'll see most of them can provide high quality education by a fraction of the price that you would pay from traditional sources.
Be humble
Remember that some of the smartest and most intelligent people in the world are working as software developers, and you'll only gain their respect by being humble and knowing you own position in the industry. There is no shame in ignorance as every person in this world is born ignorant, so don't be afraid to ask questions and make your presence be noted in forums which are dedicated precisely to people like you. Rudeness and egotism are not appreciated in this craft, spite some popular characters which may present themselves in that fashion. Avoid the toxic people, the gatekeepers, and anyone who tells you you don't belong here.
Hope it helps!
agree with all the points, only need to add this:
Don't quit your former job while you're still learning, you might discover that while you're good at writing software you hate to do it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Software writing is not a career, it's a vocation. You'll never stop learning, the years of experience won't be a guarantee for finding employment, and after you get to "senior" there will be very little opportunities for formal promotions.
Indeed! Thanks, you are right on point, I'll add these points to my original post if that's ok
sure, feel free to add them :)
"and after you get to "senior" there will be very little opportunities for formal promotions" . - that
I totally agree with you in every way. Sometimes it's very easy for people(gatekeepers) to drop discouraging comments like software development is difficult and only for geniuses. I may be new in software development as well but one thing I have come to understand is that software development is for everyone. Developers constantly learn and improve on their previous knowledge. So don't give up. Besides, age is just a number. As long as you're willing to learn, you can make a great developer. Everyone is learning one new technology or the other. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
Turn this into a post, it's that good, or better :)
Thank you! Yes, I'll most likely turn it into a post and add some edits/suggestions by some people here (I'll make sure to give proper credits)
Amazing
Wow! Awesome. Thank you for this.
Great advice. Thanks.
thanks
I started in my mid to late 30’s. I was an 8 year employee at a Fortune 250 when I decided to completely change my career direction. They completely supported me. So I understand that a lot of people don't have that luxury. But it wasn't easy, still not easy. Imposter syndrome is amplified and you always feel in catch up mode. Sometimes you feel you aren’t taken seriously. So you need to find a way to overcome those things. It’s hard to give advice there because I struggle with it constantly. The advice I do have is
EDIT - what people are saying about previous experience is spot on. For example, I had tons of Excel and analysis experience before my career switch. The mode of thinking in terms of setting rules and logic transferred nicely.
"Don’t feel you need to know EVERYTHING" - wish I knew this back when I started working for clients fresh from university. Sometimes I still need someone to tell me to pull the break and "just make it work". :D
Thank you, I needed to read something like this, hehe.
This is a good article about not knowing everything from Dan Abramov. overreacted.io/things-i-dont-know-...
Don't discount your previous experience. Use it. If you're career changing from insurance to coding, for example, you have the industry context of insurance and if you can find a programming job in that industry you have a huge advantage because you can merge those two worlds super well.
Yes this is huge, and I'll venture to say that it's not just what do you know professionally, but what do you also do outside of work?
A keen hobbyist, a mother of four children, a person who loves fitness training ... they will probably all have a very great perspective on what they want out of technology, and what others like them would want.
@ali Spittel said exactly what I wanted to say exactly how I would have wanted to say it. 🙌
This question makes me feel old!
I'd say the same thing I say to anybody asking about and kind of career switch, "Do it."
You've got only one life. Sure, you'll encounter all sorts of hurdles in your quest. It may turn out not to be the right thing for you -- programming is not for everybody. Stay flexible the entire time. You never know what aspect you'll find enjoyable and where you end up.
Transferable skills are a real thing and can give you a view that others may not have. Be creative with your previous experience and explore/demonstrate what you've learned and how it can apply to development.
I did exactly this. Was a dental tech until I was 32, then switched careers. Previous lab management experience helps me see more than just code - business needs, customer needs, training other employees, etc.
I've offered similar advice to others.
Then it becomes finding your place in the market as a hireable coder.
Position yourself as different from other "junior dev" candidates as someone with a decade in the workforce who is going to understand the dynamics of professional collaboration and will provide way more value than a comparably experienced software developer.
Your past experience will be your biggest asset. EQ > IQ. Use that and combine it with excellent programming skills and you'll move at lightning speed in a matter of 2 years. Also, join a 10 person start up, not to big and not too small.
Big enough for stability, small enough to leave a massive impact
Let me put some realistic advice. Don't think of it as a gatekeeper point of view but more of realistic view on where to put your head. The answer is not intended as shot of ageism but if you want to take your anger and vent at me. So be it. Still I wish to stay realistic.
Degree does matter, when you are developing serious applications. e.g. With arts and humanities degree, if companies start to hire the intern grad for the rover or the drone programming where even small change in float value can destroy a product, that's where the degree comes in for in depth involvement of developer or worker. Don't think of this as a gatekeeper point of view, this sort of products are in realistic world, with realistic expectations. If companies start to compromise on who they hire, that reflects in final product. We can't do kumbaya, lovey dovey in this sort of sector especially when recession kicks in.
Age does matter. You can play around Javascript, CSS and HTML. And you can take yourself upto age of 70 if you have less memory loss issues. However trying to build applications that involve lot of calculations (say finance sector) and testing means your age matters for attention of details and execution towards it. As we age we can delegate better but we are also likely to miss out on small details, which matter a lot, when we learn new stuff and also try to execute it.
Salary does matter. If you are going to be into Web dev position salary is not going to be 120k plus unless adobe or top 100 MNCs hire you. That's where the maintenance projects come in. So let's say you learn to code, try to find maintenance projects where you are fixing someone else's code or product instead of building from scratch. Those jobs do pay and many MNCs are always in search to find a guy in such case.
Lot of people here don't tell you the reality.
Try writing React like framework from scratch in 50s, you'd exhaust. Try remembering workflow for making dashboards using your full stack knowledge in 50s. It's even more harder. Being under 40 would be lot more ideal time for this. Sure exceptions exist but they are exceptions for a reason and not the norm.
Try to remember which library is right for the job as you age, that decision making switch is even more harder.
Try making game that involves a lot of complex details, you'd exhaust making games too.
Work life balance is harder upto 40, and after 40, even health comes into equation.
Religious, political and social opinions also have impact considering IT and Dev field is more of left leaning, you will definitely face lot of forced opinions on you in such context.
Note: Remember that programming, gaming, video streaming and vlogging are extremely exhaustive activities, where your age would definitely impact the performance. Will power can get you ahead but there is also limit to how much body can take.
However,
If you want to build your career in say Web Development I think there are less obstacles and nobody should stop you from getting into it. HTML, CSS and Javascript is easy to learn and retain in head for decades. It should not stop you from getting that junior dev job and move upwards from there.
So my suggestion: Go for jobs like say - Web Dev, WordPress support specialist, theme and plugin development for web based app or product, front end web dev, designer etc.
Buddy, I'm 50. I apologise in advance for the directness of this reply, but since we're speaking honestly here: I work in a much higher pressure complex technical situation than you ever will. Every day. There's a reason I get flown all over the world (which I hate) to do the jobs that affect millions of people. Why? Because I'm 50. Nobody younger can handle the pressure or has the experience I have, or believe me they wouldn't be paying me what they are - they'd have someone younger for less $. I'm sorry and hope I've not offended you, but you really need to have a good think before saying this stuff. I suppose, I used to have the same view at your age... It's just not an accurate view point. Oh, and I went to University and did 1st year engineering... It's ok. I can add up.
No offense taken. I can understand you point of view. My point regarding the 50s wasn't meant to be ageist but more of realistic view of how some people here were not realistic about starting something from scratch in this age bracket. Again this is based on what I have seen from the people who are restarting the career at that age bracket on those specific tasks. Again not meant to say that innovators, entrepreneurs, coders don't exist on 50s, 60s, and onwards. It's just people are not being honest about age bracket and physical limitation.
That's good you're not offended, though you did miss the point. That's ok, it'll click later on down the track.
Just out of interest, you sound like you have experience in high stakes projects. Do you lead a team (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology) or are you part of a team working on a big project?
Yes, working with one team on project for govt.
Ah. Very cool. I have a friend that has a few govt contracts in the local govt management sector. Which area are you developing for?
Energy & infrastructure sector.
Sorry, I had to sign up after a long time lurking just to reply to this - ageism aside, this is completely incorrect from my experience. The older, more experienced developers I know (I sit somewhere in the middle of the age spectrum myself) are typically the most detail oriented, having already learnt the cost of half-assing it.
I don't want to be negative about any other group, so I won't go down the road of "if anyone's likely to be sloppy and ignore the details, it's XYZ...", but what I've witnessed in my career (even if anecdotally) is completely contradictory to your post.
I'm 32 and just now getting into development. However, I have known HTML/CSS for more than a decade and have worked on tech-related projects in other fields, and have leveraged that as much as possible when talking to recruiters. Leverage anything technical you possibly can.
Networking like crazy is super important, because it lets you present yourself and pitch yourself in a way your resume might not. People skills and communication skills are more important than you think. Actively doing things that represent your skills (projects! volunteering! writing!) show that you can still learn and are actively doing that in a self-directed way.
Ultimately, I'd recommend NOT going into software development after 30 unless you REALLY want to be a software developer and are passionate about programming. It's going to be hard. If you're just in it for the money, there are probably easier ways to leverage your experience (or go into sales if you're a people person).
"Ultimately, I'd recommend NOT going into software development after 30 unless you REALLY want to be a software developer"
There are some people that get into it because they hear you can make six figures without a degree/etc. I agree it's definitely a poor move at any age, it just tends to be more associated with those switching industries mid-career.
I like to say being a software dev is like being a professional sportsperson. You need to enjoy it; there has to be a passion there. It would be unusual to be hired if you were only 'in it for money' yet lacking skill and passion. If you somehow manage to get hired despite hating every second of it, you'll burn out fast. Tech by its very nature - a bit boring, lots of sitting, frequent frustrations - will filter out those that hate it or are indifferent to it early on.
Definitely agree! My advice would be more for those on the fence because they heard it's good money but don't really like it, before they pay for a boot camp or other courses.
This is such a great question.
Just a few thoughts.
I keep iterating that I'm talking about a specific persona where people are switching careers into software development for the money.
Discouraging vs telling people the truth are two different things.
People can certainly become developers but let's not romanticize it.
What does very successful mean?
What does enjoyable career mean?
This is horrible advice why?
It won't win me the popular award for saying what I did.
Most people 30+ want to get into software development for the money, they need to know that money is unlikely to meet their expectations if they're chasing 100K+. So their motivations for entering the industry need to be different or their expectations for career progression need to be realistic.
30 is not old. If you spend your 20s in academia, bachelor's, master's, maybe PHD, you're almost 30 when you start working.
We hired folks who transferred from other occupations to development. It's not unlike other areas; you have to learn the basics on your own.
It may take a year, depending on your available time, to educate yourself to a level where you can get an internship or junior-position.
Once you have a foot in the door, it gets simpler. You can learn and get experience on the job from now on.
Thirty+, shmirty+.
Having not been a developer your entire career may bring something good to the party.
But breaking in may be tough.
I was lucky. When 32, I was hoovered up (like thousands of others) by DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation). They relocated me from Florida to Marlboro MA, to get a rookie documentor. (Can you imagine?) It was easy, over time, to show that I should be a developer.
Maybe best to try an oblique path, through, say, documentation, testing, or customer service.
I personally know 3 persons that did exactly this, coming from non-tech backgrounds, all in the last 4 yrs, and I'm helping a few others to do this.
Only advice is to find a way to live(support) for 1y and still have 6h/day free to learn.
It's a lot of work and you need passion to get trough it.
One of the biggest things I caution folks with when considering software dev is this:
This field moves very fast, so you need to be constantly learning. You need to be okay with that and willing to bucket time for learning. This is probably easiest if you're super passionate about programming, but development can also just be a really solid job even if you aren't passionate... but go into it with eyes open that you'll have to invest significant time each year keeping up with your learning.
I also agree 100% with @aspittel , your former work and experience can be a huge boon. The further you go in software development the more important your ability to communicate & work with folks who are not themselves developers.