Thinking About Switching Careers to Programming—Is It Possible?

Sure, it’s possible! Just be mindful that you might start with a position that pays around $50k and involves lots of basic tasks or even outdated languages like VB.NET. It might take some time before you can apply for a real software engineering role, though.

Remember, it’s not just about how long you’ve studied; it’s about demonstrating what you can build. There are plenty of people who study a lot but still can’t show they can perform the job. Focus on building actual projects to showcase your skills.

Honestly, I wouldn’t dive into programming as a full-time career change. It’s more of a hobby at this point, and the job market isn’t great—this type of work is easily outsourced, and with AI advancing, a lot of jobs are at risk. If you can, think about staying in teaching or switching to something with better financial prospects.

Learning programming could be a solid move if you’re looking to start a web-based business! But finding a traditional software development job might be tricky in this market. If you’re flexible about relocating, that could open up more opportunities for you. Also, when you work on APIs, dig deeper into the HTTP protocol instead of treating it too broadly as a single category.

Age shouldn't be a barrier for you! But I’ll be real—the job market is super crowded right now. There are tons of folks fresh out of college with computer science degrees facing challenges in finding work. Programming is rewarding, but go into it knowing what you might encounter out there.