53 and just found free Code Camp two weeks ago. Also considering a career switch… I didn’t realize there were more like me 
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@Corine1, While you are a unique creation, there’s a whole FLOCK of us. Herd? Bevy? Congress? Whatever. We are legion.
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I’m going through his bootcamp also. Great companion to the FCC curriculum.
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I completed a bootcamp at 54.
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I am 71 years old. Started my coding adventure 10 months ago. Lot of HTML, CSS, JS, Git, Bootstrap, Wordpress, command line, etc. Frustration and challenges at every turn, but still alive and decided to become a webdev some day. I am retired from my career in the Communications Industry (Advertising and Marketing)…First time I dare to enter a community. I think I have to start sharing experiences with others. 20, 30, 40 , 50 or 80 years old. I am actually working on an ecommerce project (Wordpress, Woocommerce) following a tutorial from Udemy.
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Do not take your age into account. Take into account the desire you have to learn, the most important thing is that you like this field if you are willing to change careers.
I recommend that before making a career change, first search a basic online course or look for tutorials on YouTube. Then do the challenges in FCC.
Online video courses are helping me a lot, are good and accesible + doing FCC challenges.
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At my coding school we had 2 students that were over 45+ . They both are very hard working and are very driven, however after they graduated they had a really hard time finding a job. Our talent placement tried their best and reached out to multiple sources and after six months of job interviews they lost hope.
I wish you the best in your journey and hope that you find enjoyment and fulfillment in programming. Just be aware that the industry is a bit resistant toward older Getz.
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It can be tricky, as many tech startups feel that younger coders are more flexible and planning on a much longer career path. Thing is, that does’t account for experience and the fact that younger coders will also be getting offers from other tech firm who think the same way.
I was in my mid 30’s when i owned a very successful web dev shop. I was also an IT consultant for graphic design houses, speciaizing in hybrid networks. And my wife and i ran a thriving family entertainment business.
So at this point, because i am not as “employable” as recruiters might like, i’m starting something of my own. If we older coders can’t FIND a job, we can by God MAKE one.
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It’s not a crazy idea (as you can see from the comments). I was in the trades as well and decided to make a career change into development a year ago. I just turned 55. My age was a concern for me at first but, I’ve decided that if my age is a factor with a company, I probably don’t want to work for them anyway.
Not having a degree was another one. The vast majority of job postings list a BA/BS as a requirement but, I have a lifetime of work experience and life experiences that you can’t get with a degree. I apply for those jobs anyway. The worst they can do is say no (which they usually do by the way - I remain undeterred! 
I even apply for non-development jobs with tech companies just to get my foot in the door simply to demonstrate all the awesome things about me, my personality and work ethic. I’ve been on one interview and it was the best interview I’ve ever had. I didn’t get hired but, going in to that interview, I knew I was going to be a lot older than the people interviewing me. I simply didn’t care what they thought of my age or me as a whole for that matter. As a result, I was relaxed and confident.
I’m also taking what I’ve learned here (and from other resources) and building a complex web app specific to the industry I left this past December. It’s done in Javascript and I’m currently on my third re-write. Not because it the app doesn’t work but, because it can be written better. I continually apply what I learn to that. In a perfect world, I’d sell it to someone or even offer it as a service. Even if that doesn’t happen, it’s been a great way to apply new knowledge and it will look good in my portfolio.
I’ll be honest - it’s hard work. And frustrating at times. Coming from a trade (my last job was building aluminum patio covers), you tend to know what tools you need for what job. Coding is no different. You just have to learn what tools can help you do the task at hand. And there are a lot of tools in coding.
If I can do it, you can too! Good luck!
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A terrific perspective of you and the story of your friend’s journey. I started looking a coding at 55. On and off again with my commitment. Now, almost 2 years later I started training, and work at it every day. I totally agree with your quote, “Age is just a number, and attitude is everything. Motivation will come and go but only discipline will prevail.”
Here’s my quote back. Age is not our principal concern. The challenge we endure is the speed of change in the world is, which requires most of us to perpetually learn/apprentice in something new. And always.
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Im in the same boat. 48, in healthcare and looking for a change. I am currently using udemy courses and will be finishing.up with FCC after my udemy course work.
Best of luck!
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We are happy to have you here, 50+ year Young mens…
.
And Womens too…
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Just want to say that I really love this thread! It’s spectacularly motivating and reassuring!
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And the fact that this thread is now 50+ (responses) makes me giggle a little.
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Hey there! I have no degree and no experience in the tech field. That said, one thing that’s pretty important for some of us who are a bit older is specialization. For instance, there are people that, all day, all they do is make small web animations for companies and make a great living from it. Some people love to make small things that others hate. I guarantee that someone who is a wizard at making forms, for instance, will be much valuable than someone who knows a bit of everything and is just okay at all of it. Since everyone knows a bit of code these days and nobody likes making forms, those skill will be more in demand. Same with animations, or logos, or maybe you’re an accessibility guru, etc. Find the thing you love and find the company that needs someone who can do it well. Also, for older job seekers, don’t always go for the obvious. People think tech job and they thing Alphabet or FB or even the lesser known tech companies. Every company that does business online, which is most, needs tech people to integrate their business so that they can focus on whatever it is that their company does. So, if you’re going for a larger company or freelancing, I suggest specializing once you have a good foundation since you’ll be part of a team. In smaller and non-tech companies, having that foundation will be important as the tech team will be much smaller and people may have to wear multiple hats.
I’m only on Day7 of my #100DaysofCode and 43 so, we’re all on this journey together. One benefit us older people have is an attention span longer than .5-2 seconds. That’s a skill you can’t teach.
Good luck!
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Good to hear I’m not the only one who finds the JS difficult.
And @Gilbert1391, thanks for this reply. It makes me feel a bit better!
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Your post is very inspiring for me. Respect!
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Thanks for your comment. Every word from colleagues are great to continue in the endeavor. Happy coding and looking forward to know more about your work and share mine in the near future.
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I can recall trying (& I do mean trying) many times to learn C and C++ in the 90’s. Nothing would click regardless of the all the " for Dummies" books I bought or borrowed. I tried different books, different resources and I finally gave up. NOW, with YouTube, FCC and forums like this, my brain is getting more responsive and things just sink in more. I just commented to my wife the other day about how now I am getting it in a few weeks but years ago, the books just could not put things into context for me. I think part of it was that books are limited with examples and now there are so many different examples, interactive things and such out there that it’s easy to keep looking for an explanation, example or even author that resonates with our individual style of learning.
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I’m 52 and my partner is 54. He’s a commercial electrician and has the same concerns that you do about his body. We’re both learning and looking to switch careers.
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