Lots of people here work in the tech/IT industry, so I figured I'd post this here. I'm just shy of mid 30s and have been working as a nurse for a number of years. I make a good salary, but I'm scared about the long term effects physically if I continue to work as a nurse (many nurses suffer from chronic back and joint problems). I don't have much interest in most of the typical options in nursing for those who no longer want to do direct patient care, so I've been looking at possibly making a career change in the next few years.
I have always been interested in technology but have no formal IT or comp. sci education (I have two degrees...economics and nursing). I'm not super keen on spending tens of thousands on a third degree since I'm still paying off loans from my previous degrees. I know there are tons of of online resources available (ex. the Open Source Society University Computer Science curriculum on Github using MOOCs), but I'm not sure how well completing these resources would translate into actual career opportunities in the field. Were I to attempt a curriculum like the OSSU, my plan would be to complete it over the next several years with a goal of getting my first job in the field in my late 30s.
All of that said, I guess my question is how realistic (if realistic at all) is the idea of somebody in a completely unrelated field with non tech related degrees being able to break into the industry? Is going back for a third bachelors or masters an absolute necessity? I've read about a lot of ageism existing in tech. Does that hurt your changes if you are in your later 30s when you are trying to get your first job?
Any and all advice or recommendations are much appreciated. Anybody who has actually gone into tech a little later in life, please let me know your thoughts as well. Maybe I'm crazy for thinking about doing this, but I figured I'd ask here as this is a mature community and I value the input of the users here. Thanks everybody.
I have always been interested in technology but have no formal IT or comp. sci education (I have two degrees...economics and nursing). I'm not super keen on spending tens of thousands on a third degree since I'm still paying off loans from my previous degrees. I know there are tons of of online resources available (ex. the Open Source Society University Computer Science curriculum on Github using MOOCs), but I'm not sure how well completing these resources would translate into actual career opportunities in the field. Were I to attempt a curriculum like the OSSU, my plan would be to complete it over the next several years with a goal of getting my first job in the field in my late 30s.
All of that said, I guess my question is how realistic (if realistic at all) is the idea of somebody in a completely unrelated field with non tech related degrees being able to break into the industry? Is going back for a third bachelors or masters an absolute necessity? I've read about a lot of ageism existing in tech. Does that hurt your changes if you are in your later 30s when you are trying to get your first job?
Any and all advice or recommendations are much appreciated. Anybody who has actually gone into tech a little later in life, please let me know your thoughts as well. Maybe I'm crazy for thinking about doing this, but I figured I'd ask here as this is a mature community and I value the input of the users here. Thanks everybody.