Is it possible to become a programmer after 30?

The topic in the title was recently discussed in a Belarusian IT online edition . True, there was a question whether it was possible to become a programmer after 40. The author of the article, consisting of several parts, began to describe his way from journalists to programmers, then he reduced everything to PHP lessons “for the smallest ones” and stepped far from the topic. But the materials traced the idea that he did not succeed in quitting journalism and programming. From this it follows that after 40 years to become a programmer, if possible, it is very difficult. Let's try to lower the age bar for 5 - 10 years.

This topic is close to me, because I myself earn my living by journalistic work and also dream of becoming a professional programmer. Regardless of age. And in the light of recent trends in IT (shortage of personnel), ideas about retraining specialists from other industries as programmers are becoming louder and louder. So, I am not afraid to say that this topic is of national importance. I wish anyone with me to deal with this issue under the cat.

I note that the desire to become a programmer personally is not sucked from my finger (and not from the thought “they get 100,500+ money, I also want it”). This is quite a conscious desire. In my heart, I consider myself a programmer for a long time. But so far, programming has not become my main profession. I hope (perhaps in vain) that all those who mature in age are thinking about the profession of a programmer, are not guided by high salaries, but by considerations of self-realization or similar moral principles. What other advantages does the programmer profession have?
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pros

From the already mentioned:

• Self-realization. If a person does not find himself in the business in which he is doing now, then there is a chance, though not 100% true, that programming is an area of ​​human activity from which he can receive moral satisfaction. Here, of course, the question arises as to why a person could not get satisfaction from his work before, and whether he is able to enjoy work at all. But this is a very broad topic that we will move beyond the scope of this article.
• High income. Well, this is all clear. According to statistics, IT is one of the highest levels of wages. And this is the case not only in the former USSR, but also in other parts of the world. In addition, the situation in the foreseeable future probably will not change for the worse.

What have not said:

• Comfortable work. Yes, a programmer or web designer can work remotely, can work on a flexible schedule, which is not the case with many other professions.
• The opportunity to leave the country. Our IT professionals abroad are highly appreciated. But an accountant, economist or lawyer with our diploma find it difficult to find a job in a specialty abroad. For those who want to leave this country, a career in IT gives such a chance.
• These are the factors that make you think about how to take and become a programmer. But, of course, not so simple. Otherwise, everyone would have long given up their work and went to write code. Then there would be no personnel shortage in the IT sphere.

And what is the problem?

Being an adult, changing a profession is not easy. When a person first enters adulthood and is faced with the need to choose a profession, often he does not quite clearly imagine what his job will be after receiving a diploma. Sometimes the choice of profession is influenced by parents, the environment, and fashion at last (in the 90s it was fashionable to have an economic specialty, hence we have a surplus of economists of all stripes). Getting older, a person begins to better understand life and more clearly understand their tastes and desires. With age, it sometimes comes to understand that your work, and the profession in general, is mortal boredom. The 17-year-old boy does not have this, but there is one important advantage: he is young. And once mature, not everyone dares to change the profession, because intuition says that this way will have to face difficulties. When “reincarnating” into a programmer after 30 years, the main difficulties are:

• By the age of 30 - 35, most people have a family / children, which means that it becomes more difficult to take risks than in 20 years: on the shoulders is not only the responsibility for themselves. Like it or not, but not the fact that a new profession will immediately begin to provide you no worse than the old one. You may have to settle for less while you gain experience.
• The employer wants (used?) To see a green boy as a junior, a 2–3 year student, but not a bearded uncle, who by age is more suitable for a managerial position, and according to knowledge, he is only up to junior (and even is always).
• In adulthood, not everyone will be able to step over themselves and sit on the student bench again. Most people over 30 have some experience in some profession, they are used to being perceived as professionals and they are not morally ready to say (even to themselves): “I don’t know that”. In a word - hard to learn. In this case, we will not consider such a minus change of profession in adulthood as "brains are not the same." Brains at 35, if a person did not let them get covered with dust, they still work on the first! Many young handicap will give! Yes, and acquired the profession of a programmer suggests that the brain should be in place.
• "Colleagues will laugh." This item echoes the previous two. But it’s still a separate topic for the author of these lines, perhaps the most painful. It will be difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that there are young people around me who know and can do no less than mine. And if you also have to deal with them, to put it mildly, the “misunderstanding” of a bearded guy, who decided to become a programmer and the following skills:
• Fear of disappointment. And what if a new profession eventually becomes boring / tired? This thought also does not give a person who is already beyond 30 to boldly step into a new profession.

I would like to know the opinion of users about whether it is realistic to become a programmer after 30 - 35 years.

UPD: Following the example of one of my friends in misfortune who decided to go to programmers at an elderly age, I decided to start a blog in which I would share my experience in building a career in a new field. Maybe my experience will be useful for someone.