Programming at 37: A Realistic Dream with AI in the Mix?
Posted by cer0n@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 38 comments
Programming at 37: A Realistic Dream with AI in the Mix?
Hi. I'm very interested in learning to program. About eight years ago, I took some basic courses in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and honestly, I didn't find them too difficult. Now, at 37, I want to get back into programming—this time professionally—to find a job. However, I only have two hours a day to dedicate to it. I'm concerned about my age, the difficulty of getting hired, and new technologies like AI. Do you think it's still worth trying?
sandspiegel@reddit
Imo 2h is not enough. The problem is that employers nowadays want more than just HTML, CSS and Javascript.I am also in the self taught route right now and I put in 30 to 40 hours a week for over a year now and I still have the feeling it's not enough because of the crazy expectations on the job market these days. If you want to learn Web Development I can recommend the course I am doing called the Odin Project. It's open source and completely free. However if you only put in 2h it's going to take you a long time to complete. I am in the final stretches in the backend Nodejs section and while it has been really difficult at times I cannot recommend this course enough. It taught me almost everything I know. Btw I'm 33 so also late to the party.
PeanutButterKitchen@reddit
You’re more than ready. I only did 8-10 hours a week for 2-3 years and that got me there.
sandspiegel@reddit
What year was it when you got a job? I feel like these days you have to know so much because the job market is so saturated because of the layoffs.
PeanutButterKitchen@reddit
2022 during the big tech downturn
You’re right that we must know so much, but more importantly companies expect a T shaped domain for skill distribution. Know 1-2 things very very well, and know 5-10 other things at an acceptable level (to the point of being able to use them with some googling).
If you’re putting in 30-40h a week for over a year I’d expect that there’s a few things that you will know extremely well. Be proud of it and don’t be afraid to flaunt it when asked
Ok-Significance8308@reddit
No
DiscountExcellent478@reddit
Definitely go for it! I'm 33 with no prior programming experience, and now I'm pursuing an AS in Computer Science. Don’t let the noise about 'AI taking over programming jobs' discourage you. AI is essentially just a collection of code built into one program, which means, at the end of the day, AI still relies on human programmers for maintenance, direction, and more. Focus on yourself and go for it! I wish you the best of luck!
polymorphicshade@reddit
Yes, but you picked probably the worst time in recent history to enter the SWE job market.
If you want to make this a career, start with a CS degree.
DroppinLoot@reddit
Unfortunately by the time he gets a degree things might be even worse. It's a tough field to recommend to people these days that's for sure.
compbros@reddit
I started my journey three years ago, I was 34 at the time. I was laid off from my previous job and spent basically the year learning what I can from bootcamps and online courses. I had never programmed a day in my life. Got hired for my first job as Junior Web Developer two years ago.
AI seems scary in the immediate future because that's what companies are pushing. That it can do so much more right now than it actually can. In the future it may replace people, it may not, but if it takes 10 years to get to that point and you start today you may have 7+ years of employment by that point.
The MAIN issue is getting hired right now. It's a tough market and may be tough for the next couple years. It's not impossible to get hired, it's just going to take a lot of work and a healthy amount of luck.
D0MiN0H@reddit
Yes, eventually all the programmers relying on AI will end up breaking things in production with no clue how to fix it, so programmers who don’t rely on AI will have a better chance at getting hired to fix the mess AI made. So it’s s good time to relearn and dive in.
Helpful-Ocelot-1638@reddit
Ai is not taking over SWE anytime soon. The only people saying that are non-tech workers. Ironically it always seems to be the blue collar guys that just know AI is replacing tech.
Machine__Learning@reddit
I’m gonna be honest:if you don’t plan to get a CS degree,your chances are 0.
BroaxXx@reddit
The problem isn't your age, is only having 2h/day on an increasingly demanding job market. AI is irrelevant.
I self-taught programming at 34 but the job market was much more inviting during those COVID years. It's still doable now but I studied programming full time. 15h/week really doesn't amount to much. Perhaps you can add 20 hours on the weekend? That'd be better.
ripndipp@reddit
2 hours a day? Do you have kids? I did the self taught route back when the market was good. But it was a long and hard one, not for the weak. If I could I would go back in time to school I've seen dudes pull it off.
cer0n@reddit (OP)
Yes, I have a family, my wife and two beautiful children, and although I could dedicate more time to studying, that would mean neglecting my family and not dedicating time to them.
ilostallmykarma@reddit
I'm in my 40's and started two years ago with only an hour to spare a day (more on weekends) to learning.
I refused to get a degree because at my age I don't want student loans and I see everyone getting screwed and going on debt over it.
I'd rather try my luck making a nice portfolio and if it's meant to be, it's meant to be.
I'm currently building my portfolio site now and feel ready to start my job search.
tacticalpotatopeeler@reddit
I was in your shoes a few years ago. I did a 9-month part-time bootcamp along with a full time job and a family.
I know everyone is different but the only way I got through it was my spouse’s support. They were basically a single parent for that time period. I also had some flexibility at work to study as well.
It’s doable but it’s not going to be easy. And at 2 hours per day, it will not be fast.
Hopefully by the time you’re ready, the market will be better, but right now I’m 9 months unemployed with 3yoe. I’m also not great at interviewing or networking though, which is probably the most important skill you need to land a role at the moment. Obviously you have to also prove your tech skills, but you have to get a foot in the door to even have that conversation.
So in addition to learning programming, I’d recommend practicing interviewing and starting to build your network in the tech space. Meetups, events, etc. You may even be able to land a tech adjacent role where your tech skills can be leveraged without being a full on developer.
Interviewing is way less stressful if you have a job, so definitely hang on to that. The days of quitting your job for a 3 month bootcamp with an almost guaranteed job at the end are long gone.
It’s way harder to break in these days, but it’s not impossible, it’s just a different and harder journey now. It’s not for the feint of heart, but if you have the drive and discipline, and a realistic expectation as far as a timeline, go for it.
ripndipp@reddit
I asked because I'm a dad and usually try 2 hours to myself on a good day haha, one of the reasons the Nursing profession was to become a software developer at the time to be home with my kids more, we were expecting our first.
It's hard dude but it's the best decision I've made in my life, I get to do the pick ups and drop offs, I'm always there. That wouldn't be the case working in a hospital.
If you really want to, you have to sacrifice something, maybe not your family but your leisure stuff, you have to lock in. When I remember learning I was doing all kinds of shit, listening to web dev podcasts ( Syntax FM ), making websites I learned how to do on freeCodeCamp, you tube videos. That was the beginning, then I did courses on Udemy, I did The Odin Project and landed on a free course from the University of Helsinki called Full stack open, really good.
For like 1.5 years I didn't go out much or play much videos games, hell I even quit smoking weed for a year. I really wanted this and I couldn't really love with myself if I didn't get a coding job, that was the mission for the future and after 1.5 years of learning and 900 job applications I got my job a few years ago.
I honestly believe you can really do whatever you put your mind to, this was what I put my mind to and I did it.
cer0n@reddit (OP)
I really appreciate your comment; it’s been encouraging. I know I have to change my habits and develop new ones to achieve this, but I’ll give my best effort to achieve this profession. If there are any tips you’d like to recommend, I’d be very grateful.
GrunkTheGrooveWizard@reddit
Well, as someone who has just started learning to code again at 42 (with limited prior experience about 15 years ago), with no chance whatsoever to study at degree level for finding reasons, this thread is a pessimistic bundle of doom and gloom 🤦
Stronku@reddit
No. Maybe as a hobby.
LuccDev@reddit
As others have said, not gonna lie, it's a bad time to start programming. It's also a field that has some ageism IMO. That said, if you've found the basic courses easy, maybe you've got a good brain and you can evolve into someone that's really competent, in which case there's a lot of hope.
It's hard to say if AI will have an impact (even if it's not good enough to replace humans, maybe it will still impact how CEOs are willing to hire new devs)
Serializedrequests@reddit
More important than studying is finding the right job posting where you have something to offer. You really never know what you will find. If nothing comes up, find a job you can do for a friend for free for a reference and portfolio.
No AI has not ended the field. Coding is fundamentally exact, and AI is probabilistic. It also lacks judgment.
AlexanderEllis_@reddit
Yup, by the time AI can actually replace programming, every other job is going to be replaced very soon after or will have already been replaced. If you want to do it, go for it.
zenthav@reddit
jus curious, why is dat the case?
Alphazz@reddit
Because the LLM's are simply bots with a large memory. They don't offer anything unique, simply recall the information that are stored in them. If we get to the point where AI can actually solve unique problems, then we are honestly screwed. It won't just kill swe gigs, but also a 100 of other jobs and this will need to be solved politically where government guarantees jobs or pays a big stable unemployment amount to prevent massive unemployment. And if they dont do that, people will go to the streets and throw a few molotovs until they either do or we end up in civil war.
Veggies-are-okay@reddit
I mean the internet as we know it and all available apps are just no/low code solutions. There will always be a majority who don’t know, don’t care, or don’t have the time to build out every single thing they do.
Machines didn’t kill careers for carpenters, and robots even now haven’t full replaced manual labor. Extrapolating a bit here but you get the idea.
If you have any soft skills right now it’s an excellent time to begin imo. AI is making the learning process easier and your new-grad competition is currently people whose formative education years were during covid (feels cold to say but many soft skills vanished overnight). Commit to the grind, stay curious, always enter meetings with a question and leave them with an action item and you’ll find success in the field!
ryunocore@reddit
Two hours per day is just not going to cut it if your goal is switching careers.
sweet-459@reddit
id say go visual, unreal engine's blueprints helped me tremendeously. its incredibly user friendly and is actually teaching you OOP programming without the syntax so you can pay direct attention on whats happening. Its actually super easy to pick up c++ or literally any OOP language after it, the knowledge almost sticks to you like glue after you understand whats happening under the hood.
TastyImplement2669@reddit
same exact boat as you at 36. im figuring out the bare minimum of whats needed to accomplish what i want. i just build an entire webapp with lovable/supabase and some youtubing. ive never learned so fast in my life. id say figure out what you want to build and just learn what it takes to build that thing.
Shadowslcie@reddit
I know new grads who haven't been able to find work for over a year. It's a horrible time to look for a swe job, doubly so as self-taught. Not a knock against you, but I would assume it would be an instant no for 99% of companies. I appreciate others encouraging you to learn, but I wouldn't put your eggs in this basket.
Rinuko@reddit
AI is a tool, you are not getting replaced by it
PigDog4@reddit
So, it depends on your goal.
Is your goal to become a SWE? Entry level SWE is (probably) harder than ever at this point in time.
Is your goal to stand out at work? If you're at one of the bazillion companies in one of the bazillion roles that still uses Excel for everything, being able to write an actual script that does an actual thing can turn a three hour Excel workflow into a three second script.
Really depends on your goals. Going from zero to FAANG in 2 hours per day is going to be rough. Going from zero to not-only-Excel in 2 hours per day is extremely doable.
scottywottytotty@reddit
what’s a good book on these scripts? just automate the boring the stuff?
guzam13@reddit
Still young. Get a degree though. Easier to get in with a CS degree.
Anon_Legi0n@reddit
It depends on how good you can get at what you do. Do not worry about AI, its only a tool/lever that is supposed to increase developer productivity. The ones screaming "AI will replace our jobs" are the one who do not fundamentally understand that AI is just a marketing term and LLMs will not replace developers, or are the one who do not bring much to the table to begin with (these are the ones who will eventually lose their jobs, not because AI will replace them but because skilled developers that have been carrying their dead weight can perform the menial tasks these developers work on without losing productivity by leveraging AI). Lazy unskilled developers != Jr developers, I've worked with a lot of very talented Jr Developers in my career, its all about work ethic and passion the art
Kaeul0@reddit
You could probably do it if you get into a big corp with your current profession and try an internal transfer, or you know someone. Otherwise you probably won’t do well.
TonyStarkLoL@reddit
AI is not a factor, age is not a factor either. In fact you need to know how to use ai tools, to not fall behind.
Difficulty of getting hired depends on many factors but mostly on where you live. US is more difficult than Europe, but remember that you only need one yes. Is it realistic with 2 hours per day? Yes it is. Will it take time? Yes it will. It will be a slow progress but if you found things easy the first time thats definitely a bonus.
Once you acquire that knowledge you only become better, given that you do it everyday. At one point you will reach "hireable" levels.