Started coding seriously at 34 with two kids. Some days I'm convinced I'm too late.
Career-switching into dev from a completely unrelated field. I study after the kids are asleep, usually an hour, sometimes I fall asleep on the keyboard. On the good days I feel unstoppable. On the bad ones I look at 22-year-olds who've been coding since high school and feel like I missed the boat by a decade.
I'm not really after empty 'you got this' — I'd rather hear honestly from people who switched later in life. Did the age thing actually matter when you interviewed? Did anyone hold it against you, or did the real-world experience help? Just want a realistic picture.
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AnonymousAnon The comparison to people who started in high school is the trap. You're not competing with their timeline, you're competing with other candidates for one specific role. Falling asleep on the keyboard after the kids are down is its own proof you'll grind. That reads as maturity, not lateness.
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AnonymousAnon Switched at 36. Honest answer: not one interviewer brought up my age, and my previous career (client work, deadlines, owning outcomes) came up as a plus more than once. The 22-year-olds have more time, but you have context they simply don't.