How Old is Too Old? 223
NewtonEatPalm! asks: "I started college back when I was too young to carefully weigh options about my future. I entered a prominent art school at age 17, coasted through, and was spit out at age 22 with a film degree that I don't really want nor do I feel qualified to use as the basis for a career. Three years on, I'm still working at my mundane college job, though one thing has never changed in all this time- my love of and devotion to technology, keeping up with hardware news and the intricacies of powerful software through daily reading of sites like Slashdot and lots of home-brew system building and amateur web development. I've decided that I'd like to pursue a second degree in Software Engineering at one of the major Cal State U's, but that would place me in the tech job market at nearly 30. My question is, how old is too old? Are severe changes in career direction in this sector commonplace/successful? Or have I truly already let my best chance for entry pass me by?"
Thinking Radically (Score:3, Insightful)
If your radical ideas happened to be annealed in post-hoc math, you may just carve out a niche for yourself; feral engineers are too goddamn down-to-earth for my taste, anyway.
Thinking Experience (Score:5, Interesting)
And yet some of the best work has been produced by men and women well past 30.
Re:Thinking Experience (Score:3, Funny)
Indeed. Pamela Anderson was thirty-five years old when she highlighted Playboy's Sexy 100 special issue, back in 2003.
Re:Thinking Experience (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Thinking Experience (Score:5, Interesting)
In the majority of companies your CEO is not interested in your best work. Just read old slashdot article [slashdot.org] and the discussion on it
He is interested in you "not doing it for the money" so he can underpay you and provide fake perks instead of a salary.
He is interested in you "burning in your job" so he can make you work a 60+ hour week without paying you overtime.
He is interested in you applying for the job without reading all of the small print, asking all the relevant questions about the salary, possible career progression, stock, options, benefits and all the rest so he can fire you or underpay you anytime he likes
If you have an unhealthy interest in the small print he will know that he will have a much more difficult time screwing you left, right and center. Frankly, if you are 30, if you are smart enough to consider your career wrong and think of a career change you will be asking these questions. Why change the career if you would not. This will make finding any jobs very hard. You will not fit the prototype which the currently popular management sociopaths love to mind-rape.
I am speaking this out of experience by the way - I have had quite a few interviews ended and offers dropped the moment I start looking through the small print. Which I will continue doing anyway. I have changed career twice (the second time at the age of 28) for a reason. And it is the old cat motoL "I do it for the money, if you want "loyalty", get a dog".
Re:Thinking Experience (Score:4, Insightful)
It is never in an employers best interest to screw over its employees. If an employer does think this, his company will not suceed as he will just drive away his best employees. On the same token, each employee does have some responsibility to watch out for his own interests, demand just compensation and deliver value back to the company to justify any raises in compensation.
As to the original poster questions, it is never too late to attempt a career change, especially if it is something that you are really interested in. Just keep in mind that you will be starting at the pay scale that someone in their early twenties would be getting. Is your life style going to accomodate that?
Re:Thinking Radically (Score:3, Informative)
What Should I Do with My Life? (Hardcover) [amazon.com]
It explores this question from different angles to see how people answered it for themselves.
The short answer: You're never too old to start living your dream.
--
When Hiliary was president in 2012, it sounded like a good idea at the time, but unfortunately she was not prepared to handle the 1st wave of the collapse of America via the Civil War.
Re:Thinking Radically (Score:5, Interesting)
In this study they used a die of some sorts that when new cells grew, showed up a different collor on Xrays or catscans. It turns out that 50 some year old people learning to become taxi drivers there, developed new brain cells and pathways (for lack of remebering the exact term) in a somewhat large amount.
I think the conclusion was that the brain continues to grow deep into old age. here [bbc.co.uk] is a link to a news article, if it still works.
Re:Thinking Radically (Score:2)
You want advice? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You want advice? (Score:5, Insightful)
For example, you've already got a degree. About 90% of the people I have met have their degree in something other than the field they ended up working in! So get off your thumbs, and see if that degree plus your personal coding experience can get you a Junior level programming position. You'll need to supplement your personal experience with some good learning materials (you can never go wrong with the classics like Richie, Knuth, and Tanenbaum!), and you'll need to apply yourself to improving your analytical abilities.
But at the end of the day, if it's something you love doing, DO IT! Don't poke around with 10 more years of college. If college has drilled anything into your brain, it should be, "Never stop learning!" After all, college is just a resource that provides the materials and contacts you need. To actually get anything useful out of it, you should be pulling the information yourself! And with such a wealth of awesome written information on Computer Science, how could you not be learning if it's what you're interested in?
Again, SEIZE THE MOMENT! Do whatever it is that excites you the most. If you're driven in your love for it, others will take notice.
Re:You want advice? (Score:2)
At least not if you want to work in the industry afterwards. If you want to spend your time in scientific institutions anp perform research there, it might be an option, although they tend to be more interested in early starters...
Re:You want advice? (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree with the parent. Having a college education specifically in the field you want to enter can help, but it's not everything. All my hard work in school really didn't get me into a career developing software, as it was the middle of the tech bust. But, I just sat down and started writing software anyway, whatever interested me. I figured that even if I couldn't get a job, they certainly couldn't stop me from programming. Eventually a company noticed me, and it's been totally tits since then.
However,
Carpe Diem... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:You want advice? (Score:2)
Re:You want advice? (Score:3, Informative)
At most of the places I have worked, the majority of the developers had degrees in other fields. Oddly or perhaps not so oddly, the largest chunk were English majors.
One of the things I have noticed about career discussions on Slashdot is that they bear little or no resemblance to the real world, at least as I have experienced it. If anything, they are centered exclusively around the very highest tiers of corporate IT in Silicon Valley, which represents a vanishingly small percentage of the millio
Inch Time Foot Gem (Score:2, Insightful)
Takuan wrote eight Chinese characters & gave them to the man:
Not twice this day
Inch time foot gem.
(This day will not come again; each minute is worth a priceless gem)
Re:You want advice? (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, I had those at my Jewish grandmother's house all the time, although she changed the word so we wouldn't know we were just eating carp.
Guy at the tackle shop looked at me funny when I asked what sort of lure I needed for gelfilte fish too. Damn Bubby.
KFG
Re:You want advice? (Score:2)
Re:You want advice? (Score:2)
Re:You want advice? (Score:2)
Only measure against your own goals (Score:5, Insightful)
Some people "start" their life at 15 and burn out when they are 30, some start at 30 and continue on until they die. Everyone is different.
Re:Only measure against your own goals (Score:4, Insightful)
I got into med school at 28, finished training @39 (Score:5, Interesting)
If you want to stop your life and start a new phase of it, then probably you really want to do it and therefore you should.
Just don't do anything half assed -if you're going to do it, then go all the way - be dedicated. What you get out of life is what you put into it.
30! To Old!? Bite Me! (Score:5, Insightful)
I finished my EE degree and entered the engineering workforce at 28. If anything I found my age may have helped me. Most of the people you end up working with won't know when you finished your degree, so they end up looking at you as someone who is probably more experienced. Throw in the fact that in a technology job you have to stay current and not everyone does. Coming fresh from university you'll most likely be current.
Age doesn't matter it's your skills and drive, boy. (And stop asking questions that make me feel old)
Re:30! To Old!? Bite Me! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:30! To Old!? Bite Me! (Score:3, Insightful)
I got my first programming job when I was about 21, with a small company that didn't really want me to finish community college. 11 years later, I thought that maybe I was tired of programming, so I finally got my degree in mechanical engineering... just in time for a big slump in the engineering field.
However, since I had the magic piece of paper, I was able to get a temporary programming job at a manufacturing company that wanted someone familiar with 3-D geometry, and I still
Sure, remind me of my birthday... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Sure, remind me of my birthday... (Score:5, Funny)
what?
oh... i said... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLD MAN!!!
did you hear me THAT time??
sometimes i forget to speak into the horn.
Verily (Score:4, Funny)
Jesus died when he was 33... I'm just saying.
In a word, No. (Score:4, Interesting)
You only get One Life - and one chance to be whatever age you are. There's no dress rehearsal. Figure out how to "do" your passion for enough money to maintain a lifestyle sufficiency, and then go do it.
Remember, this is a one-life game. Use it up.
Re:In a word, No. (Score:2)
No you don't http://secondlife.com/ [secondlife.com]
Okay so that was lame, you are correct.
Re:In a word, No. (Score:2)
Re:In a word, Past Hives. (Score:2)
30 worked for me (Score:4, Informative)
my second ( third? ) career as a programmer then.
Had to work my way thru college. Tisnt easy, but
doable.
You are here, it is now. Start.
Hmmm (Score:5, Interesting)
Three years on, I'm still working at my mundane college job, though one thing has never changed in all this time- my love of and devotion to technology, keeping up with hardware news and the intricacies of powerful software through daily reading of sites like Slashdot and lots of home-brew system building and amateur web development.
I'm a little suspicious of this. If you have a "love and devotion" to technology, then what's stopped you so far from learning programming? You say you've done some amateur web development, so that's a gateway that normally might've led you to it.
I'm assuming you haven't learned any programming to speak of. If that's the case, then I suspect you have some romantic notion of what programming is all about that probably won't live up to your expectations. Coding is not all hot tubs full of babes. :) I'd say that people with a passion for programming already know that's what they want to do and don't need to "ask Slashdot", especially when you're looking at a career change for a job you think is boring.
I could be wrong, of course, but I think you need to consider that the career grass isn't greener on the other side.
No cause for suspicion, surely. (Score:2)
I say I have every sympathy because I'm in the exact same position, save that I'm in my mid-twenties. I coasted through school, college, uni just doing what seemed easiest because, basically, I was very intelligent and immature, and just wanted my adolescence to continue indefinitely.
It's only over the last couple
Re:Hmmm (Score:3, Funny)
Never too old (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Never too old-to dupe. (Score:2)
"How old is too old?" (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"How old is too old?" (Score:2)
Re:"How old is too old?" (Score:2, Funny)
Re:"How old is too old?" (Score:2)
Re:"How old is too old?" (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:"How old is too old?" (Score:2)
Yes, but how old were they when they started the trip?
But seriously, I've been to Isle Royale (a wilderness preserve in Lake Superior) a couple times, and was surprised by the number of over-60s visiting. Granted, most of them weren't out hiking the Minong Ridge, but they weren't just sitting around the dock ar
That isn't old (Score:4, Insightful)
You should however be certain of where you are going. Building PCs and doing light web development are not what most software engineers do in their day jobs. Teach yourself Java or Python or something and try your hand at some more substantial software development. And that is good practice - in most software engineering classes, the focus of the class is more about basic concepts and you are expected to teach yourself whatever you need of the language du jour to implement projects.
How old is too old is up to you (Score:5, Insightful)
You're too old to do it when you personally cannot do it.
A friend of mine is in his early 50's, and he recently landed his first "real" (paid) linux system administration job. Prior to this he had worked in construction his entire life. If he can do it at fifty-plus, you can do it at thirty. If you can't, there's a reason for it other than age.
People generally have more power than they think they do, and are limited not by what they can do, but by what they allow themselves to accomplish. So, be bold! Thrust your trepidations aside and throw yourself in the direction you want to go. You may surprise yourself.
-- TTK
Re:How old is too old is up to you (Score:2)
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." -- Mark Twain
Re:How old is too old is up to you (Score:2)
Uhh, sorry, wh
Never too old... (Score:5, Interesting)
I decided to I worked as a private contractor and took sub-contract jobs for minor network installs (Doctors offices, dental offices, law and accounting offices). I did that for about 5 years. One of my clients, a smallish lab, offered me a full time job. Over the years, that smallish lab has grown to around 200 workstations, 5 servers, 3 remote offices, etc. I went from a department of one to being a manager of 8 (both IT and Data processing departments).
Advice: Find a small or medium sized privately owned company. Learn to do a lot... SQL, networking, admin, support, word, excel (show some pivot table magic), etc. Forget working for anyone or anything with stock-holders. You'll enjoy the work, probably like the owner/boss and add a few years to your life.
Re:Never too old... (Score:2, Interesting)
Furt
Re:Never too old... (Score:2)
I agree with that completely. The addendum I would add that there is no reason that you need to really 'start' at 30. Unless you are somehow able to pay for your degree outright, you'll likely be working
Never too old (Score:2)
To cut a long story short, life experience counts a hell of a lot more than people think, and being older when coming out of uni can be a distinct advantage.
The right employer will value life experience. Additionally, most of the people I kow of that finished uni later tend to be more focused, as well as progressing towards a senior level far more rapidly. I know this is kind of a blanket statement,
You have to Love Technology (Score:3, Interesting)
talk the talk and walk the walk (Score:2)
30's Not Too Old (Score:2)
You got's a choice (Score:2)
I worked for six years after college, and decided to go back for a PhD when the small company I had joined was bought out by a fortune 5
not a factor of age, but related (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm 50, and I think I'm as creative and sharp as ever in coding. Since being laid off after twenty one years, I have written two major applications on my own, and hope to market them successfully.
But, as for companies, they're interested in how much you cost, not how old you are. Unfortunately for those over forty who have accrued knowledge, experience, and expertise, that usually comes at a premium. A premium on paper many companies are willing to forego for the "cheap" labor.
A more correct question would be: how little are you willing to work for, and how many benefits are you willing to waive compared to the competition? Competence? Expertise? Pshaw. That's not the most important part of the equation for most companies. It should be.
And the alternative is...? (Score:3, Insightful)
Too many people use the excuse that they will be 'x' years old when they get out of the schooling they need to pursue the job they really want instead of the fry-slinging they are presently doing. Do yourself a favour: get the buy-in of the significant people in your life, take a deep breath, and pay the first year tuition all at once. Then instead of having an excuse not to go to school, you will have an excuse not to skip/stop.
CPD.
it's not about your age (Score:2)
CAD (Score:2)
Re:CAD (Score:2)
Because it's open-source? Do you know of any other professional-level 3D CAD software (BRL-CAD is 3D solids, no?) that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and uses an open data file format?
You are likely correct in most of your observations, but CAD data rationalization has to start somewhere. A sophisticated 3D program is not a bad place to start. It's all X-Y-Z data anyway, isn't it.
Re:CAD (Score:2)
Not at all, why would technique or the approach be different just because of the visual output? Maybe you are thinking of compartmentalized computer skills that are popularly offered as "training". I'm gradually figuring out that you haven't done a lot of detail design work using CAD or pencil. That's OK though, I can ramble on and bore you to tears if you have the time to read. You see, in my day, we us
Advice from one who's been there (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow. Your story (other than the art school) just about parallels mine. High school, then post-secondary, then a crappy job for a bunch of years. Been there, did that, got the t-shirt.
A few years back I realized people would actually pay me money to do what I enjoy doing in my spare time (that is, mess with computers), but the big cash was in the degree'd jobs. Like it or not, that's the way in these days. So, I left the job, swallowed my pride and moved back in with the family, lived like a starving student otherwise for 4 years, and graduated with a B.C.Sc. when I was 29.
I got a job right out of school (actually, while I was still in school - internships RULE), and one day I got bored and did the math: it will have taken me only 3 years since graduation before I break even financially. That's including all the income lost over those 4 years, and tuition. I more than doubled my take-home as a result of the career change, and love every minute of the job so far.
Oh, the other nice thing: going to university/college as a mature student is FUN. People are very friendly to you (even though we're only talking 5-8 year age differences they think of you as the "old fogey"). You don't do the stupid things (frat parties every night during finals). It's also FAR easier to study, do homework, whatever - because you know damn well what awaits you if you don't get this degree finished, and with good marks. Personally, I found doing university the second time around to be just about the most fun I've ever had in my life. Only problem is, at an older age it seems to go by FAST.
If I won the lottery and didn't need to work for my rent, I'd do it a third time.
Best decision I ever made in my life.
Worked for me (Score:2)
If 40 is the new 30... (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, 30 is not too old. Given the current economic trends (global capitalism) we're all going to need to reinvent ourselves every 10 years or so anyway - yes, that probably means going back to school in your 40's and again in your 50's... maybe even later.
One more thing (Score:2)
Old? (Score:2)
Comp Sci v Comp Engr (Score:2)
Just my
When you're dead. (Score:2)
You will be fine (Score:2)
Switching careers (Score:3, Interesting)
Fast forward about 15 years, and I'll tell you that the things I thought little of, like career stability, retirement funding, long term mental stimulation, etc., are a lot more important to me now then they were in my teens.
I just earned more this past month, in doing network consulting and database development than from my "career". It was exciting all over again, that I had a mental challenge, people appreciated my work, and I had some independence from the Mother Company.
I'm 35, and slowly building up what used to be a hobby fiddling with computers into a side business. And if (or, as I suspect, when) the airline industry really tanks, I can just pick up the pace a bit on my second career. Perhaps I wouldn't enjoy it so much if I didn't have career A to start with, and perhaps I would have advanced far more in career B if I had started there, but who cares? I DID do career A, and I am now really ENJOYING career B.
I have an aunt who just retired from senior management one of the largest corporations in the world after 38 years. She scratched through college with a 2.01 GPA. The secret to her success? Don't let yourself get faked out by people who seem to know what they are doing. Ask questions until you understand, or research on your own until you understand, and you will be surprised how many people get by on 90% air and 10% knowledge. If you want to understand and learn, you will get far.
Go for it - good luck!
In the long run... (Score:2)
Credit Guy Kawasaki for that, maybe someone before him, but anyway dead is definitely too old. If you're not dead yet, you're not too old.
FYI (Score:2)
Being young is overrated (Score:2)
Some tangental feedback. (Score:5, Insightful)
If your parents are still living, see them at least once a year for the next 10 years.
After 28, you can't rely on your metabolism to keep you in shape. If you don't already have one, pick a physical activity you won't get bored with, preferably something not too dangerous.
Do you play any instruments? If you start practicing now, you should be able to play by the time you're 40, and even better by the time you're 50.
Sometimes the best job is one that lots of people aren't after. Yes there are lots of jobs for coders, but there is lots of supply too.
If you don't keep a journal, start. Some things in life are cyclic, and you won't notice them unless you can review what happened in past years.
I'm 55 and challenged every day - keeps you young (Score:2)
Just do it (Score:2, Interesting)
Sometime in the next two weeks I'll be enrolling in a DipEd (one year full time) so that I can start teaching at high school level after a lot of time working (mostly as) a chemist.
If I can do it so can you.
Dunno about you young people.
When I was your age we had to walk 10 miles to go to school - uphill - after the early shift at the salt mines, then walk 15 miles - uphill again - to go home to eat last week's leftovers before 2 minutes' sleep before
Never too old (Score:2)
Don't do it. (Score:2)
Slight Adjustment, Maybe (Score:3, Informative)
I'll mirror what most other folks here have said, namely that you're not too old for college or to enter one of many CS-type careers and that you should go for it. I will make one small detour from the norm, however, and suggest you might want to make a small adjustment to your major--and not for the reasons you may suspect.
The only CSUs that appear to have actual SoftE programs are San Jose State and CSU Fullerton. Since the Fullerton program is a Master's-only program, I'll assume that you're probably looking at SJSU.
And I just happen to be an SJSU student.
While the SJSU SoftE program is terrific, there are a LOT of very specific courses in the program. It is simply not well laid-out for folks looking to transfer in from other schools (or for those looking for a second bachelor's) IMHO. When I transferred over, I initially applied for SoftE, but changed my mind once I worked it out on a spreadsheet. It turned out that, even though I had previously earned an Associate's in Engineering (and therefore had taken a bunch of engineering classes), SoftE was 9 credit hours (or about 1.5 part-time semesters) more than plain old CS. The problem is that SoftE in particular is a fairly inflexible program with a lot of boxes to check off.
Then again, SJSU has one of the best CompE programs anywhere, and many of the SoftE classes correspond directly with CS classes, especially at the start (so you can change your mind later if you want).
The moral of the story (regardless of where you go) is that you should scour your requirements and see what will suit you best. For someone who's coming in as a freshman, it probably doesn't matter too much, but it's huge for a returning/transferring/second bachelor's student.
Don't do college for a second time (Score:2)
I'd say a career change is certainly possible and not such a big deal, but I don't think you should go to college for a second time.
The most important things you get from college (some maturity, the ability to digest hard books on your own, to finish a large project) are things you hopefully already have after the first time. College is good, but it's not the most efficient way to get specific knowledge on a subject; if your first degree was decent, it'd be a waste of time.
So learn to program, get into th
Late 30's isn't too late (Score:3, Interesting)
Career change at 38 (Score:3, Informative)
The short answer is that you will be as successful in a career change to the extent of your motivation, natural talent, and some amount of luck. Choose an evolving area of interest and stay current, aggressively so. I got to where I am by being a generalist - knowing and doing a little something with everything in computers from building boards with wirewrap, designing and wiring networks,to hacking in a couple dozen langauges from 8080/Z80 ASM to mainframe COBOL. Some of my peers are specialists and are just as successful. That is the luck part.
So pick something you really like and attack it like a tasmanian devil.
My story (Score:3, Informative)
IT is a constant learning process so age has its uses although I do feel my ability to work long hours has diminished, both physically and as a result of marriage/kids. Age does have a bearing on some aspects, if a company wants someone who can cut code fast and late at night, they want youngsters. When they want something a bit bigger/more complex that requires experience, they go for the older types.
In the same boat (Score:2)
For me, there are two issues: cost and employability. Cost, well I'll just have to save up. Employability... I'll be 29-30 with two years work experience in my entire life (was unemployed for 2.5 years after finishing my degree in CS). That could be an issue, especially if looking to work overseas. But
I'm 'old' (Score:4, Insightful)
I left school at 16, took an engineering apprenticeship and slaved away at that for another 8 years. When redundancy called at the age of 25 I decided a change was needed. Many people told me that my 4-year apprenticeship would be wasted if I left the industry; I ignored them.
I too have always been interested in computer and suchlike. I had some HTML knowledge under my belt. I also had some knowledge of the core MS Office applications. An office life for me this time!
Once in a low-skilled role I learnt some Javascript to complement my HTML. I spoke to people and they said "learn how to store and retrieve data from databases and you're laughing" so I did. My manager learned of my new skills and asked me to build a few simple business applications. "What about VBA?" he said. "No" I said. He then sent me on some courses to learn that.
These days I write small browser based applications that help the business no end, crappy Excel spreadsheets, crappy Access databases - someone's got to do it. If I had the motivation to learn more then I could progress more.
I am 32 and I have another 38 years left of my working life.
College "Age" Story -- not tech (Score:5, Interesting)
The moral? Don't knock maturity. Don't knock motivation. You can probably build a better relationship with your professors and forge better contacts for internships and jobs.
Age brings experience and termerment. (Score:2)
Nothing wrong in entering tech job market in 30's (Score:2)
It doesn't matter what your degree is in.... (Score:2)
Never too old... (Score:2)
First off, I would argue that you're never too old to go back to school. I too thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do straight out of high school and went to a prestigious school in Florida to do just w
another bachelor (Score:2)
I won't shine sunshine up your skirt. There are people who'll look at your late-20s razor stubble and the hint of crea
I'd Say... (Score:2)
Actually if that was the first thing you think of when someone asks how old is too old, you're too old.
Depends where you look, but basically don't worry (Score:5, Interesting)
- Some companies, generally big ones, will rule you out. Cynicism aside ("all companies are evil"), they, or rather the HR departments, use age as a shorthand for value, even though it's illegal. At 30 you'll be in the sweet spot for many of them, but without the necessary experience. Conclusion: most large companies will probably not be right for you (though exceptions exist, but they are few).
- When I hire, I look for people with drive and the ability to control their lives. E.g. completing a degree is not crucial (some of the best never did) but shows that you can complete a long task. If you go back to school, especially after a hiatus, it shows either that you don't know what you want to do when you grow up and are aimless, or that you know how to pick yourself up and take control over your life. I don't expect 20 year olds to have that kind of understanding; hence doing it at 24 is actually a positive sign to me.
- As another poster said: make sure you will be doing what you want and that you're not going back to school as a tool for decision avoidance (see previous point!). Try some somple programming out -- get a book, poke at your computer, take a short course at the local community college (need not go on your resume if you don't want). javascript, surprisingly, is a good introductory interactive tool since you can just press reload in your browser to see what happened.
Finally: from your post, you might find being a sysadmin fun. That's good because with a small amount of skill you can get a simple sysadmin job, even if it's just flipping backup tapes or babysitting servers at night. Once you're in the job you can go to school at night and you can also work your way up -- the "age thing" won't matter anyway. And the best sysadmins are programmers, but the vast majority are not, so again you can slide in and decide how much you want to have. Oh yeah: to contradict myself: these super-entry-level sysadmin jobs only exist at big companies, and are the kind they are least likely to worry about age at. Though again, they might worry about pointless certifications.Anyway: seize the moment and go for it. The longer you dither the longer you will answer the question by default.
School can help, in more ways than the obvious. (Score:2)
Don't go back to school. Degrees don't guarantee jobs, and you can (and should teach) yourself in a few weeks what takes months to cover in school.
People I know who got a CS degree know fundamentals that are important to understand and can better evaluate the buzzword of the month. When you try to do it yourself, you are left with holes that can mislead you.
You already know your best advisers. You have a degree in film. There's plenty of tech in film, so see if you can't get in from that angle. Ask
Re:School can help, in more ways than the obvious. (Score:2)
Or maybe your knowledge is to esoteric to be useful and to theoretical to be practical. Plus, you never learned anything about solid software construction, your code is sloppy, you are overly concerned with Big O Notation before your code is even functional, and your comments suck (or are non-extant). At least that has been my experience with Comp Sci majors lately.
Go the s
Re:School can help, in more ways than the obvious. (Score:2)
Ye'gads! You'd better be thinking about the Big O of your code before it is functional, because if you don't, you stand a very good chance of having to throw a lot of that functional code away.
You have a point in that most programming jobs don't need the stuff you learn in a computer science program. Most programming jobs are all about scooping data out of a database, displaying it on a screen, providing a UI so the user can m
Re:Don't go back to school (Score:2)
First, while degrees don't guarantee jobs, the lack of one guarantees that some jobs will be forever outside your reach. So for someone making this decision, the best advice is to look at the market, see what employers really are demanding, and decide whether it's a good move.
Second, when this discussion comes up, lots of people argue that s