Becoming a Software Developer at 35

Is 35 too old to learn programming? Certainly not! Lots of people have learned to code at 35 or older. The tech industry has a lot of demand for developers. Software engineering is also one of the best prospects for building wealth as you don't need a college degree to become a Software Developer.

Dani learned to code at 35

Dani was a jazz musician but learned to code at Makers bootcamp in London. She changed career and became a Software Engineer at 35 despite coming from a totally different background. Dani got a job at top UK telecoms company Vodafone so becoming a developer at 35 is definitely possible!

"Makers was the only one that appealed to me. They weren’t ageist in the slightest (I was 35 at the time)."

Companies need more developers

Lots of huge companies like Shopify and Netflix with lots of vacancies are fine with people who are self-taught or went to coding bootcamps. For instance, here are 10 companies that don't require CS degrees . There is simply too much demand for developers for companies to require degrees nowadays.

You can teach yourself to code using affordable online resources

For people who want to code, there are lots of courses which are very affordable. You can find courses for less than $100 that deliver far more value to your career than a 4 year humanities degree.

Check out Beginner JavaScript by WesBos, a well-regarded online tutor who specialises in JavaScript. (affiliate) Lots of developers like Harry Dry, who makes the popular Marketing Examples website, learned to code from WesBos.

If you don't mind paying a little bit more, you can do the Zero to Mastery course for around $300.(affiliate)

Anca changed career from hospitality by learning to code with the Zero to Mastery course (affiliate):

Learn to code at a bootcamp

If you want the support of a cohort, check out coding bootcamps. These code schools often have an advantage over self-learning as they tend to have links with employers so you can get that all important first job in tech.

Lenni learned to code with Boolean coding bootcamp and was able to get hired at 19. This meant she didn't have to get into student debt and was able to start earning while her peers were studying.