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Comment by ClassyJacket | Hacker News Reader

I am 33 years old haven't gotten a programming job yet. I could be making so much money now if I'd done it years ago. I'm hoping to finally make that change in the next few months.

But I couldn't stick to one language or specialization, I have a bunch of half-working projects and nothing finished. I kept switching depending on what interested me at the time. And I kept putting it off due to poor mental health and travel.

I'll never catch up to people that started in their early 20s, but I hope I can figure out how to climb the ladde as quickly as possible.

If I could go back I would finish one thing before starting another.

I also wish I had studied computer vision at uni instead of being the idiot teenager that did game development.

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Same here. Mid thirties. Friends are running successful companies, making 6 figures, in early retirement. I'm still living in a small apartment struggling with a Swiss cheese resume.

My advice to others: don't think "I'm still young, there's still time." Push push push today! You will rapidly run out of time. All through my twenties I did various jobs, I thought that great software job was just around the corner. Turns out it's not that easy and when you're older people expect a lot more from you.

Why not study medicine and become a doctor? The web dev industry is too ageist and mostly runs on churning new-grads, whereas as a doctor, gray hair is an advantage not a perceived "disability".

Or try less hip domains in SW development popular with gray beards like embedded. Pay isn't as hot as web dev, but age is not a problem.

Edit, since I'm comment throttled and can't reply: In my country studying medicine is free/vey cheap. And SW devs don't make six figures here so studying to become a doctor is way better for your bank account and job security than competing with thousands of new-grads in an ageist industry.

This is strange advice? I would assume becoming a doctor is hard, extremely expensive, takes a long time and not something you should go into because ‘you see your friends making 6 figures’

Stange advice indeed. It will take years to become a doctor and you will be over 40 and starting with no experience.

My daughter went to med school right out of college and is just now doing her last year of fellowship in her specialty. Next year, she'll be earning much more than I do. It was expensive, but not enormously so compared to what one will earn.

Webdev is risky as an older person if thats all you know because its the most popular, and therefore most competitive.

My advice is to use webdev as a backup to a specialisation of some kind, ideally something you can grow with. Embedded is a great choice, and its definitely more technical work.

I’ve been a software engineer for many years, I stick at it because I enjoy it. Paying well is secondary. It requires a lot of focus, but the enjoyment of solving problems and being creative, is what drives me, not financial. That’s why I still do it. If you can find that enjoyment, don’t worry about not catching up, it will come.

I read the number of developer jobs doubles every 5 years. So with 5 years experience you’d be in the top 50%

>I read the number of developer jobs doubles every 5 years

Is there any indication this will go on forever? Moore's law is also dead. At one point "software is eating the world" will also come to an end. In my city it's already more difficult to find a plumber than to find an app/web developer.

well, nothing is certain. My point was, starting is better than not starting and regretting that you are too late to start. Deciding what to start is the question.

> I'll never catch up to people that started in their early 20s, but I hope I can figure out how to climb the ladde as quickly as possible.

I programmed from been a kid in the 80's, I truly loved it (still do) but I didn't start my full time career in programming til I was nearly 30 (I trained as an industrial electrician because I didn't think I was smart enough to be a software engineer - crippling self confidence issues and a horrific upbringing - ended up working minimum wage),

I shot up the ladder and in my early 40's I'm exactly where I would have been had I started at 21 - the later start and working different jobs in difference industries gave me a soft-skillset I wouldn't have otherwise gotten.

So while you are starting a few years after me its well within the realms of possibility if you get the right breaks.

Good Luck!.

> And I kept putting it off due to poor mental health and travel.

I've been you, quite literally. And with an extremely similar age timeline even.

I won't tell you _you will make it_ because we are not owed a specific outcome in exchange for our efforts, but I can tell you it can be done. Channel that regret into creating the proper scaffolding to propel yourself into trying to make it work.

If you don't end up _making it_ at least you will be able to say you did indeed try your best until you couldn't.

The ideal best time to do it was ten years ago. Next best time is today.

> I'll never catch up to people that started in their early 20s, but I hope I can figure out how to climb the ladde as quickly as possible.

I was in a similar position a couple years ago. You don't need to catch up. Just pick a certain direction, i.e. frontend, backend, embedded, devops and stick to it. Once you got a certain years in the industry, it is easy to find better paying jobs and it is way easier to get hired.

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