Hey, I switched to design in my 30s as well. In my case, it was easy because I was working as a programmer for a consulting company already, and could just ask

Hey, I switched to design in my 30s as well. In my case, it was easy because I was working as a programmer for a consulting company already, and could just ask to take on more and more design responsibilities. The advantage with small consultancies is that they have a constant churn of shortish jobs, so you get plenty of reps in across different areas. My recommendation, then, would be to look for contracting or consulting jobs. As a side benefit for the worker, it's not terribly hard to get poached by a client if they like you. Also, recognize two things: 1. Not getting a job you apply for doesn't mean you suck, or that you aren't valuable, or that you won't ever get hired. If this is your first software job, you may not know it in your bones yet, but the hiring process in our industry is flat out broken, don't let it break you too. 2. This is a tough time to apply for jobs across the board.