I am 31 and have a 5 digit TC in a non-tech role. I can do some SQL coding but that's about it. Is it too late to move to engineering now? If yes, you don't need to read ahead. You can tell me to fuck off. If no, 1. Where do I get started? Can anyone help me prepare a structured plan? Leetcode seems far-fetched for now. 2. Should I go for the UIUC or GTech MS degree? Or join a bootcamp? It's a lot of money investment for me. Or should I join online prep courses like interviewcake? Or are there YouTube videos I can get started with? 3. Also, how do I get interview calls given a non-relevant background?
No it’s not too late. Yes it will be difficult. Yes you can do it if you are sufficiently motivated. Before signing up for a boot camp try to figure out what your interest is or what subject matter you tend to focus on. Are you interested in games, web dev, security, etc. If you aren’t sure that’s totally fine that just means you have something to focus on. Since you have a little time try to focus on learning as much as you can. Look up free reputable courses on programming. If you are interested in web dev there are a plethora of items that could help. YouTube channel: fun fun function, is a good place to start. At a manageable but not insignificant cost is a membership to frontend masters. It has a lot of stuff from beginner to advanced. Again all of this is assuming that you are looking mostly into web dev work and are ok with being self guided at least for a small amount of time ( a few months, to see if you are in fact interested ). I could go on, but this seems like a good amount to get started with for now.
It's definitely not too late! You might just need to crack the first one, just like first job after any of your degree or career switch is going to be.
I moved to tech just before turning 30. I started out in product though. SQL is a good skill to have and if you can combine that with expertise in a certain industry, you can probably make the switch without learning to code.
Is product easier to get into than a coding job? Also, can you provide more details about how I can make the switch without learning to code like you mentioned?
Join a coding bootcamp
Can you suggest an online one?
Lambda school, Flatiron, HackReactor or some online learning boot camps like free code camp
I'd recommend classes on udacity.com or coursera.org. I'm a self-taught coder and got my start on udacity. You don't need to pay anything to do a class unless you want TA support and a verified certificate on completion.
Once you gain some solid foundational knowledge and know which area you want to focus on, a bootcamp is probably a good idea. Also, some companies (like wayfair) have programs to train industry switchers like yourself, but they do expect you to have foundational knowledge of software and OOP.
You should also consider starting with either front-end dev (html, css) or with app dev (Android/ios).
Definitely recommend this path — become an iOS or Android dev, but at the same time you need to dig under the hood. Understand the memory implications and how memory is handled in each platform, dig deep into performance too. I think you don’t have to do as much leetcode stuff if you can get into mobile.
Since you have some sql experience, I would suggest to pursue data analyst path and slowly get into big data / data science space. There are good nanodegree courses on Udacity which can serve as a great starting point. If your progress is on mark, they (Udacity) assists with resume workshops and interviews also.
This
Thanks. I will check them out. How do I get interview calls though?
Dude, 31 is still young. Go for it and welcome! Boot camp is quickest, I have a bunch of friends that are engineers from them. Fair warning though that it won't be easy and you'll need to work your butt off to get your first job.
Can you suggest an online boot camp, or the one that your friends took? Do bootcamps assist with interview calls as well?
Friend went to Hack Reactor, arguably one of the best. Job search help depends on the boot camp. I know HR has an online one (part time), but it's like 9 months vs the 3 months on site.
Moved to tech at 30, no better time than now
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Don't listen to this fuckwad. You can do anything you damn well want.