I agree deeply that "where are you trying to go professionally?" is the required context for any sound answer to the original post. As it happens, I'm in my 30

I agree deeply that "where are you trying to go professionally?" is the required context for any sound answer to the original post. As it happens, I'm in my 30s and trying to shift from "programming is a good job" to "having an actual career in software," so I really appreciated your thoughts about how to make that shift. Thanks!