I don't want to sound discouraging but the problem with the profession is multifold. First the problem is that the domain is very large and is constantly changi

I don't want to sound discouraging but the problem with the profession is multifold. First the problem is that the domain is very large and is constantly changing. So the time investment is rather large to learn a significant enough chunk to be useful. Second problem is that it requires a lot of cognitive load in terms of remembering many different things and having a good intuitive sense of why things are not working, which again requires a lot of knowledge and experience. Third is the problem with the industry itself, it's not properly valued by employers. A sub-par programmer for many of the employers is completely useless. The low end employers all have no money to spend, but yet want one person to do a job that requires deep knowledge of many different things. All of these things taken together make a very difficult profession to get into in your 50s, 60s, or 70s as it will take you about a decade to get any good at it and then you will be fighting an uphill battle to actually get a proper job as businesses don't find you in their ideal demographic when hiring.