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I learned to code at 33. I am now working full time in the field. Before that, I was a sysadmin. I worked as a sysadmin from about age 20. I understood ops com

I learned to code at 33. I am now working full time in the field. Before that, I was a sysadmin. I worked as a sysadmin from about age 20. I understood ops coming in and this let me punch above my weight. It took about a year for me to get good enough to apply for jobs. I would now be considered a good developer by most standards. This only happened because I found a fantastic mentor. He took me under his wing and pulled me up. I have since introduced my non-technical brother and encouraged him to start learning to code. After about a year of effort he is starting his first full time job in the field next week. It is possible and very doable. Find a mentor early though to fast track the learning process. Other notes based on other comments: - My brother and I both value critical thinking and apply it naturally. We didn't work in creative fields previously. - We both settled on early mornings to study while managing our other lives (work/family) (5am). - I don't have a post secondary degree. Brother does in unrelated field. - Don't get hung up on "which language and ecosystem to learn". Pick one. Your work will ultimately dictate these things to you and you'll need to adapt. You can pick up a new language quickly. - Get good a networking (people to people). If you can talk to people, you can get a job in tech. - Find a mentor or a friend you can talk to about programming and computers. It's more fun and keeps you thinking about it. - Open your editor every day. Even if you're just reading code for 10 minutes. It sucks coming back two days later and realizing that it's slipping. - Be kind to yourself. This stuff is complicated.

codesternews 6y ago
How did you get mentor?
- nonotreally 6y ago
  Networking IRL. Most people think networking is trading business cards. Don't do this. It's pointless and doesn't work. Talk to people. Talk to everyone. Be interested in what they say. Be interesting. The best way to be interesting is to do interesting things. You can do interesting things by being interested. I met my mentor at the gym. We were talking about gym stuff and eventually he said something I recognized as technical. I followed up and kept asking _good_ questions. I respected their time but made it clear I valued their input. We developed our relationship overtime and eventually formalized it. I asked him directly to help me and he was excited to help. We all love helping people. It feels good. This is also how I got my first tech job (different people, same process). Talk to people and be interested in them and their lives. Sometimes this will provide opportunities. Don't do it with the intention of creating a transaction. If I _needed_ a tech mentor, I would hang out with tech people. Tech people hang out with other tech people. Go hang out there (this is obviously harder due to covid, but we're almost through it). Gyms, gun ranges, music stores, libraries all attract these people. Saying "Hi" is the hardest part.

codesternews 6y ago

How did you get mentor?

nonotreally 6y ago
Networking IRL. Most people think networking is trading business cards. Don't do this. It's pointless and doesn't work. Talk to people. Talk to everyone. Be interested in what they say. Be interesting. The best way to be interesting is to do interesting things. You can do interesting things by being interested. I met my mentor at the gym. We were talking about gym stuff and eventually he said something I recognized as technical. I followed up and kept asking _good_ questions. I respected their time but made it clear I valued their input. We developed our relationship overtime and eventually formalized it. I asked him directly to help me and he was excited to help. We all love helping people. It feels good. This is also how I got my first tech job (different people, same process). Talk to people and be interested in them and their lives. Sometimes this will provide opportunities. Don't do it with the intention of creating a transaction. If I _needed_ a tech mentor, I would hang out with tech people. Tech people hang out with other tech people. Go hang out there (this is obviously harder due to covid, but we're almost through it). Gyms, gun ranges, music stores, libraries all attract these people. Saying "Hi" is the hardest part.