Stage 1 of 8 · 7 lessons · ~2 weeks
An honest reality check
Before you spend money or quit anything, understand what a switch really takes: the time, the costs, what the entry-level market is like right now and why some switches stall.
Start: How long a switch really takesLessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order
Do this
- Track one normal week and write down the hours you can really study.
- Estimate your timeline at those hours for about 600 hours of learning and projects.
- List the money, lost income and time your switch will cost.
- Check whether a degree matters for the employers and countries you want.
- Write your reason for switching in two sentences, focused on the work.
- Have at least two 15-minute conversations with people doing work you are considering.
Start with
- BookFreeHow to Learn to Code and Get a Developer Job
freeCodeCamp (Quincy Larson) · Beginner
Free book by someone who switched in his thirties: skills, network and reputation built in parallel
Keep handy
Also worth your time
A short, realistic look at what moving into software from a non-technical background involves
- The Pragmatic EngineerGo deeper
How hiring in tech is changing right now, when you want the wider market picture
Before moving on: A one-page reality note: your weekly hours and a realistic timeline, the full cost of your switch, where a degree matters for you, your reason in two sentences, and notes from at least two conversations with people in tech.
Do this stage before you pay for anything. Most people I talk to who regret their switch paid for a course in week one and discovered in month two that they had not checked the timeline, the market or whether they liked the work. A year is normal. Plan for it and it stops being scary.