Your post brought back some memories. I'm also an ex-classical musician (flutist) who made a similar transition, at a similar age. I was half-way through my mas

Your post brought back some memories. I'm also an ex-classical musician (flutist) who made a similar transition, at a similar age. I was half-way through my master's degree, actually, when I decided to switch to CS. I think I got my first actual tech job when I was around... 30? And like you, my first real job was in an area I didn't like much (QA). I ended up doing QA for 7 or so years, made tolerable by some more interesting home grown bits of test automation infrastructure. There were times when it was hell, and I was seriously considering going back to school to get a Ph.D. in some other field (in retrospect a terrible idea.) Now I'm much happier, and more passionate about what I do than ever. I don't have much specific advice, other than to note that a) if I wasn't too old, you're not and b) it never hurts to interview at other companies to get a feel for where you stand. Simply being interested in what you do counts for a lot, and will impress people. You don't have to be "kick-ass" before you're hirable. Yes, having a CS degree would be helpful, but it's unclear to me whether it's worth going into more debt for. Perhaps others could comment on that. Good luck!