Advice needed: Should I try to shift from a stable career (that I don't love) to pursue coding (that I enjoy) at 30yo?
Hi all. First time posting and hoping I'm doing this right. I'm looking for some advice from engineers/coders/potential folks who also did this in their careers prior. Long story short, I absolutely adore coding - it's one of the few things that puts me in the flow these days. My degree is on Design and have a passion for creating stuff. Despite the bachelor in Design, unfortunately when I joined college back in my country SWE/coding wasn't a thing yet (2008). I ended up not being exposed to it and missed the train timing-wise. Needed money so joined corporate world with a career in Sales/Marketing/HR and back to Sales again now at Fb. I don't dislike it completely, but it's also not what I'm truly passionate about routine-wise. I apparently do well, have been a high performer in Fb so far with 2 promos in 3 years and promising feedback for future growth. Despite all that, I find myself levitating towards coding every chance I have and during my free time. I took on studying HTML, CSS and a bit of JS in 2017. I have now gone back to studying C, Python, etc. I'm HYPER passionate about games and AI. Took on starting to learn Unity too. I have this fantasy that if I fully switched my attention to that side of things, I could potentially create some cool/useful stuff, do something I actually enjoy and might be able to retire earlier vs. facing the Sales Corporate Ladder (still have at least 15 years to go there before even thinking about retiring). Also, I'm at Fb for God-sake. I have access to so many top-notch/cool SWE stuff and that I feel I could leverage more easily for the inside If I put my heart to it. What I'm afraid of: - My commitments: I'm 30yo, married, just bought a house (mortgage to pay). Will have kids in the next couple of years. My wife doesn't work currently (will hopefully go back still this year), so I'm the sole provider. - WLB: I hear from friends who work as SWEs that it can be pretty hard core. I fear burnout and not having any free time at all for my wife & kids - I fear SWE is even crazier than Sales. I do put up with LOADS of pressure in Sales and do put up with some hard core hours most times (average 10h workday, crazy growth/revenue pace & pressure, etc). But to be pretty transparent I'm not willing to fully enslave myself & end up hating something I enjoy, simply to work even more with no earlier end in sight. I would be totally willing to put up extra crazy hours if that means leaving the rat race early but let's face it, I'll probably be no Zuck and invent the next Fb at this point. - Not afraid of short term TC impacts since I know SWE pays well/better, even at entry levels. I know I might give a couple of steps back at first since I wouldn't initially be a great/senior engineer, but I'd be willing to lose a couple of years if that pays off in the long term. Should I even try/consider making that shift? Is it worth it at this point? If yes, any tips on how/where to start? Current TC: 230k YoE (non-SWE, of course): 10 Thanks!
You will be fine with the switch. Talk to a few managers and choose the one who can empathize with you and provide an opportunity. Wouldn't worry about wlb, tc etc cause most likely these won't change
I don't see any reason for you to not switch to coding! You love coding and it also provides a stable job. I have seen people spend decades in the same company! As far as WLB is concerned, I feel that it depends on the company's culture and not the profile (coding/design).
Truth to be told, I think it is tough decision to make and it will be hard to get good SDE job for your position. As SDE is not just about knowing how to code in some language. There is a philosophy and methodology to become a good SDE which we go through in years of studies. Trust me, many people know how to code but you can observe than people who got good computer science background get job at good companies. I am telling you this because you have good salary, experience in your field and you have family responsibilities. Do you really want leave it and want to struggle at less salary and less known companies because you will not start from some great position. I have seen some cases. However, nothing is impossible. If you are really unhappy ar your current job and willing to take risk knowing all situations, then you should, nothing is too late to do something that you truly love. All the best buddy.
Hmmm tough one. Maybe going through a part time boot camps will help you decide? For the same money WLB will likely be better. Although you’ll enter the field as a junior so you will take a pay cut at first. If you’re good you’ll likely hike beyond your current TC in a short time. Most importantly, don’t quit before you land a decent offer if you decide to switch.
Make the switch now. You have <10 years of work behind you and >20 years in front of you. Get your spouse onboard with the plan and back to work, in order to create the stability you’ll need at home for this transition. Good luck!
Check out Sales Engineering! You can use your sales background but you still get to work on more technical things and depending on the company may even get to code. Most people switch to SE from something else in their late 20s- early 30s (or later; not many companies like to hire people with less than a few years of experience into the role) so your age is not an issue at all. You likely won’t see anywhere near as much of a TC hit and could end up making more in a few years. My tip for making the pivot to SE would be check out online CS courses or a part-time bootcamp. If you’re technical enough you could probably even go the part-time master’s route but you don’t have to (it just might get you more TC and some companies like master’s degrees for SE’s)
Everyday coding for building products can get boring really quickly. What then? You will be in a job you dislike, just like you are now. Try being an in between such as technical product marketing or being a Sales Engineer who has coding power (very valuable) and see if you like it after a few years.
I don’t think Its ever too late to do something that you love. I made the switch pretty late in my career also, but am so much happier now and never looked back. Besides the gain in happiness > loss in TC