Am I too old to make a career out of programming?

[EindacorDS]

I know this is extremely selfish of me, but I could really use a boost. I'm 29 and stuck in a career I really don't like. It's long been a dream of mine to learn how to create software, so a few months ago I finally said I wasn't going to wait anymore, I'm just going to do it. I bought a book on C++ and have been reading it and doing the lessons on a regular basis (I'm also on these forums constantly). To be honest, I can already tell I have a natural talent for this stuff. My brain is extremely math-oriented, and I'm a good problem-solver, so a lot of the things I've done have been no problem. Still, the more I try to implement what I learn to do try my own little projects, the more I realize how insanely vast the language and the skill set can be. It seems so daunting at times. I wish I had picked this up 4 or 5 years ago, but I didn't and have to live with that.

Anyway, what I'd really like to know is are there any other late-learners out there? A lot of people on these forums seem to have had an interest since they were kids. Is there anyone that decided to pick this stuff up in their 20's or 30's and had success? I'm starting to worry that I'm too late to the party to actually make a career out of it.

[Ill 4st 7lbs]

29 isn't too old to learn new things. Your capacity for learning although slower than say when you were 16 doesn't really start to decline until 50+. I'd say go for it better late than never. Also if you go to school for it or even learning on your own you will become proficient in what 1-2 years? Just dedicate yourself now I'd say.

[RastaWolf]

You're never too late to learn anything. As long as you're dedicated and you enjoy what you're learning, why would you even think about stopping? You may never make a career out of programming, that's up to how dedicated you are.

However one thing is certain.

If you stop learning, you'll never make a career out of programming.

Good luck!

[EindacorDS]

That's basically all I needed to hear, thanks for that. I'm having a blast learning and messing around, but sometimes its hard to keep a head of steam with all the random crap life throws your way sometimes. I'll stick to it though, and hopefully in a year or two I'll come to these forums with more answers than questions.

[MrHutch]

EindacorDS wrote:

Is there anyone that decided to pick this stuff up in their 20's or 30's and had success?

First started programming: 24.
First programming job: 26.

Everyone will have different experiences. It's a combination of hard-work, determination and luck. That last one will probably play more of a role than you'd like it to in most cases.

Don't worry about not knowing everything. You could program for 20 years and not know everything. C++ (and, for that matter, most programming languages) are indeed vast by nature, which is why they're so diverse and multifunctional. Given that standards and languages change over time, coupled with the multitude of libraries that are being added all of the time, it's virtually impossible to understand everything at first glance.

Just keep at it, especially while you're enjoying it. Take every opportunity to better your skills. Make yourself known on these forums; they're an invaluable resource.

Good luck. :-)