30 years old to become a programmer after all? In the rapid development of the Internet today, many people will have such an idea, this article tells you that there is nothing not to, the key depends on how you do.
Changing careers can be scary, and sometimes dangerous. The older you get, the higher the risk. It’s always hard to learn something from scratch, especially when you’re surrounded by people who are younger and more accomplished than you are. I entered the tech industry at the age of 30, and along the way I had great experiences, met great people, and had many opportunities.
In my 20s, I felt like I’d found what I wanted by the time I was 32. I had a vision of being a happy woman with a great life, a job I loved, great heels, and a detailed plan for my future.
However, there is always a gap between reality and dream. Today, I painted makeup on my face yesterday and wore my husband’s shirt. My life is happy, but it’s not what I thought it would be, and MY career is just getting started. I never wear high heels because I find them uncomfortable and I have no plans for the future!
It took me a long time to get into the tech industry, with tears and frustration along the way. Originally, MY dream was to become a linguist. I wanted to travel around the world and translate ancient texts at famous universities. Then, unfortunately, my mother got cancer, and nothing mattered to me anymore. The illness plagued her for two and a half years, during which time my life came to a standstill. I felt so sad that college didn’t matter anymore, that my degree didn’t matter anymore, that I was suddenly lost in life, aimless.
It took a while, but I finally got over it. I suddenly thought of going back to Web design, which I used to love. I’ve always loved Web design, but never thought of it as a career. So I started learning to code, and I found a two-year program where I met Manuel Matuzovic, who was my teacher, and we eventually became friends, and I consider him my mentor. He constantly challenged me and brought out my potential.
About a year ago, I became a full-time developer, and I wanted to sum up what I learned from that year and share with everyone how a 30-something started in tech:
Everyone is so young!
When I started, I was the oldest person in the company and a junior developer. It’s a strange feeling, especially in my previous job where I was part of management and managed a team of over 60 people.
I felt like I couldn’t keep up with the people around me. They were so much better than me. This feeling still comes over me from time to time, but once I found my strength, it became less intense.
So here’s my advice: find something you love and improve yourself. Confidence comes from practice.
Impostor syndrome is real
You can’t fake good programming. For a worrier like me, sending code to colleagues for review was a nightmare. I always feel that I am a loser, that I will never make progress. In my opinion, the key to overcoming this feeling lies in communication. I talked to my boss about my insecurities and asked him to evaluate the quality of my code and if I had made any progress over time. Whenever I had a different problem, I would ask questions and keep learning from him and others. Luckily, my boss and colleagues are great people who let me ask them questions.
The people around you matter
Like any other job, being a developer requires networking. Your peers, customers, users.
I met a lot of great people at the science conference. The atmosphere in this industry is really good, people respect each other and learn from each other. At the time, the tech industry, like any other, had its ugly side, but I felt the human conversation. We still have a lot of room for improvement and we are all working on it.
It’s not just a job
In my previous job, I didn’t want to think about anything work-related after I left work every day. In tech, instead of going straight home after work, I go to various meetups. On weekends, I go to Hackathon, tech conferences, and sometimes I organize my own events.
Being a developer is a very special experience. Work doesn’t stop when you leave the office.
Public speaking is fun!
I’m a dreamer who went into the tech industry wanting to succeed. I had never really prepared for it, but when I went to Meetup in Vienna, I immediately became a tech speaker, speaking in front of 1,000 people. Perhaps because of my age, I am now less afraid of speaking in front of people and even enjoying it. I even started teaching other people things. I don’t think I could have done that at 22.
Where is my future?
I hope I can get more public speaking opportunities, more programming challenges, attend more conferences, embrace more excellent people, and make my career more complete.
If you’re considering a career change but are worried about getting too old, take this message from me: Pursuing happiness and success, enjoying your work, and meeting great people at your job — there’s no age limit.
Disclaimer: Reprint programmer’s home
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