I was laid off in July after 11 years working in logistics coordination. My severance and savings should cover us until roughly the end of February, assuming nothing unexpected happens. My partner is employed, we have a five-year-old, and we're financially okay for now—but we can't afford to make this experiment twice.
I'm considering spending the next six months studying programming full time, around 40 hours a week, and trying to become employable in software development. Is that a realistic runway, or are people who say it is mostly selling courses and optimism? I'd genuinely rather hear that this plan is unrealistic now than discover it when the money runs out. If switching into software isn't practical, I need to know soon enough to focus on finding work in logistics or a related field.
4 Answers
I would treat programming as a useful secondary investment, not the plan that has to save you by February. Spend most of your effort applying for logistics and adjacent roles now, while learning automation, spreadsheets, SQL, or basic scripting on the side. Those skills can improve your chances in your existing field and give you evidence to move toward technology roles later. If you discover that you love software, you can continue building toward a full transition without putting the household’s stability on a six-month deadline.
Your 11 years in logistics may be much more valuable than six months of beginner programming. Look for roles such as logistics systems analyst, implementation specialist, operations technology coordinator, solutions consultant, or product support for supply-chain software. You could learn enough coding and automation to build small tools around logistics problems, which would make your existing experience an advantage instead of throwing it away. A company may care far more about your understanding of the industry than whether you can compete with a computer science graduate for a generic junior developer role.
Six months of full-time study can teach you a surprising amount, but learning the basics and being employable are different goals. You’d need a very specific target, a realistic local or remote job market, strong portfolio projects, mentors, networking, and enough uninterrupted time to study. Having a young child also means the supposed 40-hour study week may not really be 40 focused hours. It’s possible in an unusually favorable situation, but it’s high risk and not a responsible bet for your family’s only financial runway.
Honestly, six months is very unlikely to be enough to become competitive for a software development job from scratch. You would need time not only to learn programming, but also to build substantial projects, understand professional development practices, prepare for interviews, and then search for work. The entry-level market is already crowded with computer science graduates and experienced developers, so a short self-study period would put you at a major disadvantage. If your household depends on income by February, I wouldn’t make a programming career switch the primary plan.
Exactly. Knowing what a useful logistics application should do is difficult domain knowledge. Use programming and modern development tools to demonstrate that knowledge, rather than pretending six months makes you an entry-level engineer.