Career change - computer programming?

[JustAnotherViper]

I’m contemplating a career change for various boring reasons. It’s occurred to me I could learn to code and go into computer programming (recognising it won’t be quite that simple but still).

But I’m overwhelmed by the number of languages and types of roles. I have got friends in the business but they all seem eager to sell me on their job rather then helping me understand the differences, pluses/minuses, etc.

Break it down for me please, oh wise mumsnetters.

No chance op I am afraid. No chance.

Current teens and grads have been loving and breathing coding

even my 9 year old knows coding and taught at school

the ship has sailed op

Living

There are lots of threads on this with good practical advice.

Why coding?

There are plenty of jobs in IT and associated areas that aren't coding.

What do you do currently?

I have seen quite a few similar threads recently Op, they might have some useful information for you.

That's not true! Companies are desperate for coders BUT most coders don't make mega-bucks like in the movies. A lot of jobs are only a step up from data entry and paid accordingly.

What are you interested in op? Are you good at maths? Customer service? Organising things? Making pretty pictures? What jobs have you done previously?

Coding could include writing complicated mathematical problems and statistics (Python, SQL), managing a database and looking at sales figures (SQL), organising finances for a company, doing book keeping etc (SAP, SQL, Excel), or making pretty charts of what a company is doing (PowerBI). Could also include website development, everything from design to payment and database integration.

Another job that doesn't really need any coding skills is information/cyber security management. You just have to know what the general rules are, then technical staff implement them.

We are looking for someone who wants to work in Northampton, not easy. Unix and SQL, not rocket science.

I'll try and keep it as simple as possible. But there are a few things you need to think about first:

1. Are you looking to do front-end (visual, how things look) or back-end (logic, how things work)?

1. What sort of product are you looking at: small business/personal websites, large saas webs apps, smartphone apps?

1. What are your goals? To do something more creative, because you like problem solving, to earn lots of money?

This

Not sure an older entry level coder is going to be that hot on the market

I'm interested by all these people who think there isn't money in it anymore and the ship has sailed.

This statement maybe applies for basic website development like html and css. Which is likely what they are teaching your children at school, and in all honestly you could learn it in a month.

But for other languages like C#, C++, Java, React, this is simply not the case. There is demand and if you're good it's not too difficult to get a junior job on £40k+

That said to earn big bucks you need to know more that one language, and have 5-10years experience.

1. not all tech jobs involve coding (product owner, business analyst, project manager are also involved and can use their industry experience)

2. generally coding jobs can be divided into development and admin.

Development is like writing a bit of code that a customer uses (eg that allows people to sign up for account with a website).

Admin is running various systems that are either needed to run the code (eg making sure big web servers keep running so the website remains accessible) or required in its development before it gets to customer (eg to regularly run automated tests). Traditionally some admin does not involve coding (some systems use a mouse and user interface to change various settings), but now more and more code is being used.

3. coding is used in many different subject areas - and you usually have development and admin for it. Subject areas include 1) data analysis and data science 2) web 3) applications (traditional computer programs like games or word)

probably the best starting point for data and applications development is python (easy to google solutions to problems). For web, start with html and css then maybe look at a stack (combination of technologies used to make a website).

for admin, learn linux or windows and look for help-desk roles maybe. Knowing python would also be advantageous.

what skills do you already have? What kind of work do you like doing?

As others have said, there are loads of tech jobs out there.some requiring coding of various kinds, some not. I t’s impossible to advise without more info.

No expectations of mega bucks. Obviously if I want that I should have married a millionaire or gone into banking.

Currently I’m a stay home parent (baby and toddler). Before that I was in project management type roles, but my work history is pretty meandering.

Obviously the easy answer is to go back to project work but I apparently hate 9-5 project management and like crazy projects that you work stupid hours on to achieve impossible tasks. Which clearly doesn’t fit with small kids.

So I figured coding might give me that sense of actually achieving something while not working 110 hours a week. But from some of these comments perhaps I should just chuck myself on the scrapheap now 😉

I moved into a tech role at 35, I was a quality analyst which is manual testing of the website when the engineers made changes. Over the last 3 years I have been learning python and Java and am working towards becoming a quality engineer which does need to be able to code.

I would say look at something like codecademy and learn some python and see if it floats your boat. Me, my husband and brother have all moved into tech jobs but what I've realised it you have to really be interested in it. 3 years in the job and we are all still learning!

I career switched to tech (database admin) in my 30s.

But if u think coding is calm, methodical and stress-free then reassess. Some companies have lots of impossible targets, not enough coders to get the features done and tested in the timeframe.

My previous industry was more stressful (healthcare) - now I rarely have to work nights/weekends and wfh some days - so it’s good for me. But other people find it stressful and get burnout - it very much depends on the company and team you work in.

the key is whether you enjoy the type of problems and whether it fits with your lifestyle. I’d recommend either learning data analysis with python (as you can apply it to the data you got when you were running projects). Use python to create graphs and automate report generation;

or doing some basic web stuff (html css) then learn some javascript from a web development tutorial on udemy (as you can visually see the results and create a nice web site).

I think with tech you have to be quite pro-active and show initiative. I do upskill in my spare time - but I find it interesting - so not exactly ‘work’ (this is why subject interest is important). Agree that you have to keep learning (as new technologies come out) - try out new things. It can be hard at the start where you keep making mistakes and getting errors - but persevere and google your errors (if you use a udemy course with many reviews someone on the course forum will have had the same problem before and python, html, css and javascript are all super common, so the answer will be out there).

I don't think the 'ship has sailed' OP. There is still a big push to get women, especially, into tech and there are orgs such as Code First Girls to help facilitate this and work with multinational companies to offer job placements to those who have successfully completed certain courses they offer... which are free btw.

Learning to code and going into computer programming can be a great career change, but it can also be overwhelming with the number of languages and types of roles available. Here are some basics to get you started:

1. Languages: Some popular languages are Python, Java, C++, Ruby, and JavaScript. Each language has its strengths and weaknesses, and the language you choose will depend on your interests and career goals.
2. Types of roles: Some popular roles in computer programming are software developer, web developer, data analyst, and DevOps engineer. Each role requires a specific set of skills, and the one you choose will depend on your interests and career goals.
3. Pluses and minuses: Each language and role has its own pluses and minuses. For example, Python is great for data analysis, but Java is better for building large-scale applications. Software development can be well-paying, but it can also be stressful with long hours and tight deadlines.

My advice would be to start with a language that interests you and take an online course to get a feel for coding. From there, you can explore different roles and get a sense of what you enjoy. It's important to remember that the tech industry is always changing, so it's important to stay up-to-date with new languages and technologies. Good luck!