>I'm 25 and I feel fucked. Has anyone else been in this situation, and what did you do to get out? Did you go more technical or less technical over time? I feel

>I'm 25 and I feel fucked. Has anyone else been in this situation, and what did you do to get out? Did you go more technical or less technical over time? I feel torn between what feel like different paths, and wish I could integrate both sides into my work. Going from healthcare to arts to programming has been a long, wasteful road. Going 'more technical' is very hard when it comes to programming because: 1) Businesses seem to be more suspect of autodidacts when hiring (my scope here is from mom-and-pops to big corporations to YC startups) 2) There is simply a lot of material to cover. 3) No one can tell you when you're really ready. You just sort of convince someone that you are, they take the risk, and you use google on the inside. There is no checklist that everyone has agreed to that says "You're ready to be a developer! Here's your $50k salary. Welcome to the middle class!" This annoys me greatly, because in healthcare, you have state licenses that more-or-less guarantee you a job. The field will eventually need this if we want to continue calling ourselves engineers in good faith, although I hope it is possible to take it without a degree. 4) Motivation for building your own projects is very similar to building a business. It is very hard to force this motivation upon yourself. Compounding the issue, projects are how autodidact programmers convince others that they are competent in some way. Some people luckily have a reward loop built into their heads that makes this motivation appear easy to acquire. The goal here is still clear: In lieu of a degree, make projects to get a job. On the other hand, you cannot break into patient care by self-teaching yourself. A degree is required. Although it's hard for autodidacts in programming, it is still possible at least. Although I have some modicum of technical ability, I'd still find it harder to move into project management from where I am right now only because I do not already have my foot in the door like you do. I've also put a decent chunk of time and effort, and I'd feel like I was abandoning that effort. I've already abandoned the non-significant effort of getting into Nursing school, so I plainly know what that feels like. If I were in your shoes, I would leverage the connections that your current job has. Your livelihood seems secure, so I do not think you are 'fucked', but simply lacking a direction for your passions. You still have the ability to change your course.