I have two non-tech degrees and a former legal career, and years as a SAHM. I’m really intrigued by coding. Is it possible to start learning this through part-time education, to get a taste? If I’m talented will it matter where I went to school? Is there work-life balance in this field? Is age-discrimination insurmountable? (I’m in my 40’s) Thanks in advance!
Coding is a tough skill to acquire even for folks with regular cs degree. That being said, the degree is only a factor. Most of the technologies are available under open source licensing for free and there are numerous ways to acquire coding skills. Alma matter doesn't really matter for an average Joe. It definitely opens doors and connections. Once you learn enough,You can definitely start as a freelancer working on side gigs, working on your work experience. When you are confident, you can start interviewing at small companies. You'd have to start as a beginner and work your way up. In mid 40s i don't know how that will fit your financial situation. You are a better judge to assess that. Work life balance drastically varies with teams even with in the same company. So there is no guarantee of work life balance. But it will not be as stressful as a ER nurse. And it is not a 8-4 job either.
Typical starting salaries?
New grad: 115k Self taught/first job: 40k On the bright side, it’s easy to multiply your salary as an engineer once you get good and get a few jobs under your belt. But you will likely need to start small.
Some coding bootcamps publish starting salaries for their grads. That would be another good way to gauge especially if the bootcamps are in your city.
I wonder if it would be easier to get into a career in tech as a product manager? WLB is not great for people in coding boot camps. The top ones such as App Academy, Hack Reactor, Lambda School, etc have people putting in 60+ hour weeks, then sending out hundreds of resumes to land that first job. WLB can be good after you break in.
I would argue product manager is hard to get into because of the limited amount of spots compared to SWE. You also have to compete with all the annoying MBAs and SWEs that want to switch over.
Ageism is real in the tech industry. But your can try, I know one guy in his 40's completed a CS degree and now works at Waymo.
Age discrimination will be an issue for a lot of startups in tech. But if u got the stuff a large company will snap you up.
It's not talented ffs. Coding isn't a sport. Coding is about learning how to code. Talent implies natural aptitude but coding is something people can be taught.
Ok whatever. Some people are better at it than others. 🤷🏽♀️
The point is you can learn
Don’t get carried away by the big TC numbers on Blind. These are from the most selective companies and in the most demanding teams. Age discrimination is real in tech. The ones paying the top TCs regularly purge low performers. “Old folks” in their 40s and 50s who are still doing low level coding are prime targets. If you had a legal career, wouldn’t it be easier to get into patent law in a tech firm?
Never let anyone tell you what you cannot do