I’m in my early 40’s and currently working on a degree in Software Engineering. I am able to retire from my current job in 10 years so I thought it would be nice to be able to get another job since I will only be in my early 50’s when I retire.
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I’m 53 and just started the path to web developer. It’s so good to hear all these stories, because I thought I was the only one. For me, it’s about a career change. I’m a public school teacher, but I feel like I want to go a different way. It’s not the first time I’ve changed careers, so I know it’s possible. I plan to use my experience and wisdom as a selling point. I no longer have many of the bad habits I had in my 20s and 30s for example! In fact, I’m probably in the best shape, mentally and physically, I’ve ever been in. Will I get a job as a web developer. Hopefully, but in the meantime I’m just enjoying learning some new stuff.
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this is your life mate - never late to start learn new interesting field, try to give it more your free time and if you really LOVE it, you can start or perform your own business in this niche, you’ll start to talk with similar developers/coders on the new language!
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I just turned 50 in August of last year. I’ve wanted to learn to code and change careers from tech support to web development for years. I’m not going to let anything or anyone stop me, and I suggest you develop the same attitude! I’m so loving the support from everyone here, and I hope you gained the courage to trudge on with your journey of learning to code…
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This is super inspiring. I wish you the best of luck on your eCommerce project!
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Happy belated birthday, and the best present you could give yourself is OPTIONS. That’s what this really boils down to. Even if you don’t end up creating the next Facebook, you are allowing yourself to believe you can open the door to a new future.
Keeping positive, developing a strong support network (both offline and an online community), and knowing when to step back and have a cuppa will get you far.
Best of luck, @Rachellewms!
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Does Age matter to learn ? Keep learning and moving forward Respected Man
Hey all!! Just jumping in here. I’m a 43 year old mom of 2, home on disability but really tired of doing nothing and having limited income. I know physically I’ll never return to work as an RN again, so here I am trying to get a leg up on a career switch. I was looking into doing work as a virtual assistant and noticed that a lot of the remote jobs out there are calling for web development/ coding skills. So i googled a lot and researched and here I am. Its day 4 of coding and I’ve already made 3 projects and I’m loving it. I’m hoping to do freelance work from home eventually ( actually talked to an old friend today who is starting a new business and when I mentioned what I was up to said I could help her get a website up, so HEY!! first client already?? What better way to learn than to use a friend as a guinea pig?). I have all the same worries as a lot of you. Have applied to SO many office type jobs that I know I am over qualified for but yes, I do believe ageism is alive and kicking. Think about Freelancing? I’ve been seeing plenty of work out there. I’m just not ready yet. But I have confidence that I will be before long. In the meantime, who knew I would be having so much fun learning something new that involved typing in a bunch of mish mash. Keep coding NW!!
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Hi there! That’s wonderful! I, too, was out on disability at one time. I’m back at work now and working on becoming a developer.
Unfortunately, the data shows that ageism is worse for women than for men, but it’s definitely alive.
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Well you’ll not be the first priority of the employer.
Can you elaborate on this comment?
Kind of a defeatist attitude to take. There ARE employers out there that will be happy to hire someone regardless of age or disability (along with race, gender, LGBTQ…)
Yes we know there are unscrupulous employers and employers who unconsciously have a bias against certain groups that figure into their decisions… but I would rather encourage the people (and myself for that matter) to keep looking and pounding the internet/networking pavement. (the networking part is a giant challenge for me though).
Here’s my story.
I’m 42. I had to go back to work after being a stay at home mom for 15 years. We had some storm damage that meant I needed to help with roof repairs. After working part time in retail, I decided I wanted to go to work full time, but something that was better paying. My husband found a course for me that allowed me to study networking and cloud services for 6 months, and then paid for me to take a CompTIA test. I passed and got certified with no experience. I put it on my resume. (Big tip: Don’t put things like college graduation dates on your resume. )
I got a call from a staffing company. My current manager had seen my resume and wanted to hire me without an interview. I walked into the position without any experience in the field and now, my boss is trying to hire me as a permanent employee, not just a contractor. Now, I’m not as interested in network as much as I am in coding and devops.
TL;DR. Yes. If you are willing to work hard, you can switch careers.
Good luck! 
Melinda
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Crazy…like a fox!
My success story is still a wip, but I don’t regret leaving my job at 40 and there are lots of great inspirational tales here.
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Well all the people who are changing career in their 40’s and 50’s are pure inspiration. You guys will be success stories in 2-3 years, keep up the good work and be consistent. Rock On!
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Be consistent? This from the guy who can’t decide if he’s a Koala, a panda or a SLOTH?! rofl
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@snowmonkey Well why be one, when you can be all at the same time 
And one thing about this name is it makes ppl look at the comic side of things. Persistent would that be a better word 
? Anyways the message is simple " if the slowest of the slow can do it, no one should have an excuse! (it seems to work for me) I am considering a bit more coffied up name 
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If I have in any way made anyone feel that my tone or my post was intended as insulting or demeaning, I humbly apologize. For those who know me on Discord, I tend to change nicknames more often than I do socks. Not because I’m indecisive but, because I’m a snowmonkey, I am playful by nature.
I could say it’s the rough American humor. I could say it was a pre-coffee thing. But the reality is, while I intended my comment to be a light-hearted comment on a creative and entertaining nickname, it could have been read with a tone I in no way intended.
Besides, I’m old and crotchety.
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Hi @NancyK!
Thanks for sharing this. I too have been out of the job market taking care of the family and I am excited about the getting back into tech. I definitely have the same determination and it sounds like shoeke is on the same page too. It would great to share this journey, resources, experiences, challenges with other kindred souls. I just found FCC and am using other sources of info too (ie w3schools, linkedin learning). Which classes did you start with here?
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I’m 42. I have a degree in Engineering but I’ve been bouncing around different careers for years. I’m kind of an idiot because I never seemed to embrace what I was good at.
In the 80s I programmed a bunch of small fun programs using BASIC, and for my age I was pretty good at it. I don’t know why I didn’t stick with it.
I started learning HTML in the 90s, when I designed my own website and made my own animated gifs. I apparently had a knack for web design. I don’t know why I didn’t stick with it.
I started learning CSS in the 2000s, and I dabbled in Flash animation. I don’t know why I didn’t stick with it.
In the 2010s I learned Wordpress and designed blogs and content management sites for people for free. I don’t know why I didn’t stick with it.
So finally after getting laid off of my job and hopping from crappy job to crappy job, I’m realizing that I should have learned coding. All my projects in the past were sloppy and unstructured. It’s like learning how to cook without recipes, but still having a knack for flavor and presentation. So I’m hoping I can learn how to be a developer and actually have a career that I enjoy.
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Bonsoir Catherine,
Est-ce que vous pouvez me guider par rapport à commencer les projets sur CodePen. Je suis sur le projet: Build A Tribute Page.
Je ne sais pas comment commencer, pourtant, j’ai achevé toutes les challenges qui précèdent cela. Est-ce qu’on peut vous contacter sur WhatsApp?
Merci
Patrick