Is it too late to learn programming?
I don't know, dear reader, exactly how old you are, but as long as you are not over fifty, my answer is no, I'm not too old to learn programming (and even if you passed it, you're probably not too old to learn either). Nowadays it seems everyone is coding from young children who learn it in schools or in many games like the popular game Minecraft, right up to teenagers and adults.(MineCraft)
As well as those who have the appropriate rich content for each of them, either in electronic games or training courses and YouTube clips, in short, there is a lot of content to learn from.(Hsoub)
Our main question is: At what age is a person considered too old to learn programming? Is it for kids only? Or can those who are older or who want to change their career path or get a promotion that they learned?
Don't worry, just take the first step.
Many of us follow career paths that were logical for them at some point, and with the passage of time, circumstances may change and convictions change, so that love turns into aversion and passion into complete boredom! It becomes useless and impractical for what was appropriate for us in a previous period, so we enter a period of stagnation and stagnation. Regardless of the state you are in now, you know that learning programming is what you want to achieve, but the problem that appears before you now is that everyone preceded you to it and began to learn it from a young age, and they have mastered many skills that you didn't know were possible!, you feel With old age and that you are not connected to this world and late to catch up, and despite all this you want to be programmed to develop yourself and rise in your profession. Dear reader, you are looking at things from the wrong perspective!
Your focus shouldn't be on age, because if you hate what you're doing or you're not making progress towards your goals and don't pursue your passion along your current path, there's nothing wrong with correcting your way to the right path, if learning to code is the path you need to walk. Older and do not hesitate or worry about the issue of age, it is not too late.
First of all, what exactly is the code?
Quite simply, it is a set of ideas arranged logically in a certain way to create an interface for users to interact with. The programming process itself requires a certain level of perseverance, dedication, and effort for self-learning.
There is a lot to learn through programming, as it is more than just an understanding of commands and the way of writing or using algorithms, but rather translating ideas into something tangible. Being a programmer is the basis of the mediator between the owner of the initial idea and the final output. The more you learn programming, the more you realise that it is a tool to achieve your purpose and the different programming languages are just different versions of that tool. Because in the end you can achieve the same results using different programming languages, of course one language may be more suitable in certain issues than others, with experience and practice you will come to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and how well it suits your needs.(Hsoub) (Hsoub)
Learning at an old age.. the advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
The problem that many advanced learners of programming face is comparing themselves to younger people who seem to be more advanced than them in programming knowledge. They may think that having such young developers is bad news for those who want to change their careers, but this is not necessarily true.. In fact, as an older learner you have an advantage over them, you have many life skills and practical experience that will inevitably help you translate your ideas into code. Whatever work you've done up to this point, you've gained experience and skill from it, whether by interacting with clients, working on management skills, or anything else that requires a different kind of technical skill will not go to waste.
For example: you may have been working in a burger restaurant in the past years, because you know many of the minute details of the sales process, preparing meals, handling orders, financial transactions, and the like. All this knowledge certainly distinguishes you from those who are missing from those who are younger From you. Younger ones who have years of programming experience they may not have for sure, they may be professional programmers but they lack skills that can only be acquired through maturity and experience.
Maybe your field of specialisation is law, education, science or real estate, although it is far from programming, it is very useful. Nowadays in every field you can imagine there is a startup building a technology product for this field, and of course I will bet they will be keen to have someone who understands their field in addition to the software knowledge.
If you have experience handling complex business situations, the ability to consolidate team opinions, public speaking, or know how to prioritise work so that a project is completed on time, these skills will put you ahead of many engineers in the industry. Technology.
Increasing your life experience means increasing your chances of getting special and unique projects
The only thing a programmer needs is a way to prove that they can program. This is often done through projects, companies like to see that you can take on a real-world problem and create software to solve that problem. Your advantage here is that you have encountered many life situations. Maybe you can create a web page to promote an event in your field, maybe you are a new parent and you can create an app to record your child's sleep patterns and display the data in an inspiring graphic way. The point is, you can use your unique expertise to create extraordinary projects that your less experienced employers won't see.
Compared to other high-paying professions that you can practice and develop your skills in, learning programming is fast, you can learn it completely from home, and make a complete career change in a few months, while other professions may require long formal training, complex certifications or even Years of back to school! Of course, that doesn't mean the transition is easy (learning a new skill and getting a job can be one of the hardest parts of your life), but if you find fun in your learning journey, your hard work will surely pay off.
Defects
One of the things that may be a hindrance in your learning journey is free time, you may have less time than your younger peers, whether you are a parent or already busy with a stressful career in a different field, you will need to work harder to devote time and space to learn programming. Like any new skill, learning it takes the time and effort needed to make progress.
If your goal is to work in technology, you must accept the idea that whoever heads or interferes in your business may be a few years younger than you and in some cases decades younger! This can be a shock if you come from a traditional work environment where age generally increases with hierarchy. For companies, try to accept that and get used to it. On the other hand, you may sometimes discreetly encounter some bias against your age, as some younger decision makers tend to hire people of their ilk.
As a general rule, the larger the company, the more diverse the range of builds you will find in it. In start-up companies, the ages are often similar, as they were just started by a group of friends, for example, this type of company includes a lot of unscheduled work and overtime working hours for this company to try to launch itself in its field, and this may be accompanied by job insecurity (will this company continue for more Whose year?). This pattern of business and the magnitude of risk can make such companies in the early stages unattractive to seniors with obligations such as families and mortgages.
Final tips
If you enjoy programming, age should not be a barrier to learning it or finding a job in technology. Here's what you can do to increase your chances of success:
Make time to learn: Whether it's a lunch break or a few hours each evening after the kids go to bed, make some uninterrupted time coding.
Connect with other coders your age: Learn with a friend, or find people online to share your journey with, having peers who understand your unique challenges will make the process more interesting.
Don't compare yourself to others: Learning to code is not a competition, and if you think of it as a competition you will get frustrated. Focus on your unique journey, your strengths, and your goals.
Target more well-established companies: When it comes time to look for a job, consider focusing your efforts on larger companies. This doesn't mean you should never work for a startup, just be aware that it offers less stability, and you may have more trouble feeling like you belong in that environment.
It doesn't matter how old you are now. There is no such thing as "delaying" or "getting old" in programming. Most of those in the field are in a constant state of learning something new, we are all new to something. When learning to code is a prerequisite for making a positive change in your life, it doesn't matter what age you decide to choose. There is no grand prize for the youngest software developer!
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