Is it Too Late in Life to Become a Developer?
It’s not uncommon for tech headlines to boast about “The Youngest _____ in Silicon Valley.” If you were glancing through news headlines in the last twenty years, it’s difficult to miss the achievements that previous generations are able to accomplish at an impressive age. Overall, it’s a very neat thing to watch happen. But, if you are over the age of thirty, those headlines may have a completely different meaning. With teenage prodigies and prestigious school dropouts’ faces engrained in modern day society as being tech giants, being double (or triple, quadruple, quintuple) the age may leave you asking, “am I too old to become a developer?” But that feeling makes sense to have. Making a career jump or learning a large new skillset past the age of thirty can be a scary thing to approach, especially in an industry so notoriously young. But actually, becoming a developer at a later age has more benefits than you would imagine.
The Benefits of Learning Code After 30 Years Old
Regardless of what you may have believed, walking into the tech industry after thirty has its benefits. On the surface, there’s plenty of worries that are only natural to think about. Even something like a young company culture could send doubt into your mind when looking at what your next career move may be. But that’s a normal mentality to possess. Luckily, the benefits automatically attached with your age group may help you in the long run.
Having Life and Work Experience
One of the biggest advantages to learning code and becoming a first-time developer is the natural experience you have accrued over the years. Regardless of how opposite your past work experience may be from coding, it’s highly likely you have picked up plenty of knowledge from situations along the way. That work experience can translate to how fast you can learn something because you know exactly how you learn best.
Your personal life experiences also give you automatic benefits. Giving you a better understanding on how to maneuver tough beginner obstacles. Pivoting through scenarios in your adult life can easily give you the ability to overcome unforeseen outcomes. In coding, pivoting is a skillset that you absolutely have to have. An employer is likely able to realize this and look at it as an advantage to hire you.
What Really Matters in the Technology Industry
Unlike many industries, the world of tech doesn’t care what your background is. If you are able to produce quality in your work, then you are an asset to the team and product. This turns out to be a huge benefit for someone who has doubts outside of their work performance or skillsets. Seeking out your new coding ability makes the most sense at a later age because it’s supporting an accepting industry. When looking around you right now, there’s potentially hundreds of thousands of lines of code running in the background. The developer’s age is the last thing you could probably think about. You care the product works as you expect it to. In the technology industry, that’s the goal. If you are able to successfully write the code up to expectations – you are able to become a developer.
The Speed of Technology Requires a Demand
We’ve spoken recently on how huge the demand is for developers. With the number of new products and devices skyrocketing, that demand for coders behind them are larger. Learning a new skillset with such a massive demand is highly beneficial. If you obtain the talent to make lines of code for these products come to life, then you fall into a category of people who very sought after. Age doesn’t change that. The work needs to be done and if you can provide the quality to meet those expectations, then you are hirable.
How Can You Learn to Code?
Being an older age may cause mental barriers on taking the steps to go back to college to learn coding. There’s plenty of alternatives to that option that give you the same results and more importantly in a fraction of the time. Adult students have turned to online coding bootcamps more and more over the last decade. It can be a flexible option to quickly develop the additional skillsets you need to become a full-time developer over the age of thirty. With each course full of people of different backgrounds, ages, and places.
So, is it too late to become a developer? Absolutely not. If you are ready to take your next step on that journey, we are able to get you fully ready to become a professional developer in as soon as 13-weeks. If you are interested, we are excited to speak more with you.