Anyone actually switched to a tech career?

[bookofthewitch]

Work in education, am ground down by it!

Keep looking for alternative options and keep coming back to coding/programming as I really enjoy what bits I've done of it.

I have been on codeacademy for a while and find it fascinating doing the lessons.

I am also taken with the idea of being able to work from home or flexibly at least part of the time as I have a child, but...

Is it actually doable? I'm 31 and keep seeing people online who are in their 20s and have done related degrees.

Just wondering if there would actually be a job at the end of any training for me and also what options are best. I see some boot camps etc offer funded places, but is that enough to then go and get a job?

Would love to know if anyone has actually made the switch, how did you do it etc.

I did this OP. I did an analytics boot camp which a good halfway step between full on coding/development and business consulting. You would most likely be eligible for entry roles to start but within a couple years would be able to command a much higher salary. SQL, python, Tableau, power BI, Salesforce, ruby, looker etc all look great on your resume! The salary floor for many of these entry level positions may not be much higher than jobs in the non-tech sector but they do shoot up with experience. I switched careers at about age 29.

31 is still plenty young enough. Python all the rage atm, but then there's some hardcore Java holdouts :-)
PP summed up all the buzzwords of the moment really. There are absolutely loads of jobs around, more jobs than people. There is always competition from India, but plenty of companies have moved away from the offshore model in recent years as it proved hard to manage. There's a lady in my team who made the switch into a trainee front-end dev role and I think she's older than that. If you have the qualifications and more importantly can pass the coding tests most companies will set, you should find something. They're these days a bit less fussed about whether you have a programming degree, it's all about whether you can write good code, whether you understand the key concepts, do you have some at least academic knowledge of the SDLC, pros and cons of different methodologies (everything is Agile, basically). In terms of approach, once you're ready, sign up to LinkedIn premium and just set up the keyword search, then apply for stuff that comes up. And make sure your own resume has all the right keywords.

I should clarify I moved from Marketing into BA work, then technical project management and then eventually into managing teams of developers. That first move was just me sticking my hand up in the company I worked for, and saying I hated data entry and had more to offer. I got involved in their Business Objects rollout, and the engineering manager offered me that first role as a BA. I love technology.

I'm soon moving back into business management again. I have a French degree, so it's all possible!

Good luck!

Hi OP, I did this in my 40s from a similar background to yours. It's one of the best things I ever did. I had to take a pay cut initially but it's not taken me long to recover. I'm never bored, and there are many different jobs I could move into if I wanted. There's huge demand for people at the moment as well. I've worked with people who have come from bootcamps as well as people who are self taught so it's perfectly possible. Most people I work with don't have a computer science or related degree, some haven't been to university at all.

Look out for companies offering free bootcamps for women returning to work or changing careers (e.g Sky, BBC and Very have all run programs like this). Find your local tech meet-up, there might be a specific women in tech one near you. Even if you don't go to any meet ups, get on their mailing list as it's a good way to find out what's out there. Loads of meet-ups happen online now, go along to a few and see what interests you. Freecodecamp is another good resource as is the Coding Train on YouTube. Good luck. I wish I'd done this in my 30s. My work life balance is so much better and I love my job.

Me. Have ypu looked at jobs at places like Atom Learning, amazing education platform with jobs for ex teachers in tech, you would have transferable skills

Thank you so much, useful advice already!