Late start in IT - is there any chance?

Question

Career in IT

There is a complex, I do not know how to overcome.
From school I wanted to become a programmer, after graduation, of course, I entered an IT specialty, but there was no normal programming there, I studied until the 3rd year, I could not find a job in my specialty without experience, I began to sculpt my projects and hard to score for study , after which they were expelled. Then he worked for a couple of years mainly in working specialties, in factories, etc., while continuing to cut his projects in parallel. Then I realized that it was no longer possible to live in lies, filth and humiliation and entered again, to another specialty, true, IT-mathematical. Now I'm in my 3rd year, I'm 26 years old. I have 0 work experience in my specialty, although I am in the lead in my group. From the 4th year, some offices begin to recruit interns, which, of course, I will use, I will be 27, but ... this alignment terribly soars for me. After all, in fact, I, sorry, pissed off for 5 years. They will ask me “What did you do? You are so old, but where is the experience?”, But I don’t know what to say. The realization came too late. And it also makes me wonder that I may have to administer two computers and a printer with this situation until the end of my life, because give everyone 23-year-old Seniors.
That's it.
Maybe fears are far-fetched .. Advise something. It would be very helpful if you or your friends had a similar experience.

Answer 1

some you are too insecure
, I interviewed quite a lot of students and age rather plays on you
"What did you do? You are so old, but where is the experience?", Of course, they will ask, only not to drown you, but in order to understand what kind of person is sitting.
If you do well in interviews, you have no reason not to get anywhere.
psc, LATE START at 26 ??? I've seen grown men over 40 completely change jobs for IT, and you're 26...
dude go sleep

Answer 2

I have a similar situation, though I blew not 5, but a total of 6 years. Now I'm 25, I work as an administrator on duty. I managed to work in technical support, then as a junior administrator, now on duty.
Yes, of course, I feel that there is a lack of theoretical base and experience. Yes, it's a waste of time. But IT is the area where, fortunately, experience and knowledge are valued above pieces of paper. And anyone who can think with his head can pick them up. I try to make the most of every minute at work. If there are no current tasks, I write scripts and study the system. In my spare time, I regularly read textbooks on topics that interest me.
Here is correct bobrovskysergwrote, it is necessary to show oneself, to figure out the "portfolio". Do you have your own project? Great, on his github! Are you friends with the Russian language? Roll an article in the Habr sandbox about your project, wait for an invite. Do you have IT erudition? The toaster is always glad to see you.
Oh yes, if you want to grow professionally, I do not advise you to go to work as an office administrator. Better in technical support of a small Internet provider or hoster. They are always happy to raise personnel for themselves and are always happy to share their experience.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't be afraid, my friend! I understand your concerns. Your age is nonsense.
Himself already 33. Only a couple of months ago I got a position related to project management in the field of software development.
Prior to that, 11 years in the state office. There he started with an enikey worker. Carried computers. Admin everything you can. I worked a lot with people. Growing up to early department. He spent his free time on self-study, freelancing. Then they added getting a second higher education in absentia in an IT specialty (naked mathematics, programming was not enough).
It has long been clear that it is necessary to change the scope of activities. And very quickly. The brain "turns sour" at work completely ... So I decided to take emergency measures.
Yes, it's a psychological issue...
Went through interviews. I applied for the position of Java junior-developer (I chose Java as the most interesting for me at that moment, although my experience was in a different area). From these interviews I took out a lot of necessary and interesting things for myself. During this time I learned a lot. I slept little. I read/wrote/tried a lot...
Yes, I was ready to give up my ego in this way: to leave a "prestigious" position and start everything from scratch.
At one of my early failed interviews, the interviewer (technical specialist) asked the question: “But isn’t it too late for you, guy, to decide to change your field of activity so abruptly? Leave such a position. Yes, to such a low position ... Age is already ... I wouldn't risk it..." To which he received the answer: "These are my problems, guy. And it's up to me to decide how I live with it."
All my long attempts at employment still led to a positive result. As a result, I have a very interesting and well-paid job. And I am ready to spend my free time on self-study.

Answer 4

I'm 31 and started learning Python. There are no complexes and no uncertainty. Of course, I most likely won’t become a guru in programming, but I’m sure it’s quite possible to learn how to solve problems and tasks at work. Trained as an economist/accountant.

Answer 5

Dude, get some confidence. I myself studied for 6 years as an engineer, I realized that this was not mine, I switched to it. I studied for a year on my own, using textbooks, no one just gave me knowledge like at the university. I worked hard, went through about 50 interviews, where I was smeared on the wall, but still got a job as an ordinary Junior Android developer, although I had never touched Java before. A failed interview is an experience. After all, the ability to make good decisions comes with experience, and experience comes with bad decisions. All were newbies. Remember what they ask, learn these "holes" and one day you will pass and get into a cool team. If you get to work, then it will go like clockwork, there will be specific tasks, there will be deadlines, you will stop rushing about “where should I poke, what to do”, it will be much easier.
What you really need is your own projects. You apparently have them. That's just needed COMPLETE projects. The ability to bring the project to at least some state is very important. If everything hangs in your style: "well, I did it here, but it doesn't work, here is a bug, etc." - it's bullshit. It's better to cut the functionality, but make it work. This is really important and needs to be learned.
If you are from the city of Kazan, you can look and read about Innopolis. Although, perhaps, you can do it there, it’s really cool there, maybe you’ll think about moving :)

Answer 6

Heh.
You have an empty profile.
Don't have a Github account?
Are you an introvert?
Well, start being active here (are you an excellent student?)
Move, ask, answer, do not hide, do not play the fool - what are you risking?

Answer 7

If in order to become someone, you need to sit and wait for someone's advice, and you are constantly afraid that others know more and they are younger - you can already become an alcoholic. Nothing will change with this attitude and attitude.
What difference does it make how old someone is, and so on? Is he teasing you or what? Are you unable to find a job or learn something?
Not everyone can be Bill Gates or Pavel Durov, there is a huge layer of middles and middle-aged seniors who do not take a bunch of geek nishtyaks from life, but find their happiness. And for this you need to decide for yourself what to do and how - no one knows better than you what you are capable of.

Answer 8

It's not fear - it's not a lack of "motivation". Happens frequently now.
At one time, I also read a lot of questions and topics of other "beginning old men", both in Habré and in Dow. And yes, there was fear.
The following helped me cope with my doubts and fears:
1) The YouTube channel of M. Portnov and his School of Testers . Videos are very motivating, where already adults leave everything and go to another distant country, get a specialty that is absolutely unknown to them, learn the language and achieve success. I even at one time really wanted to go to the USA.
2) Vladimir Gerasichev. Resistance and choice. Gerasichev himself did not impress me as a coach, but this video helped a lot.
3) My family. Wife and kids. You can’t think of a better motivator than a happy family life.
There was a similar question recently. Maybe you will find something useful.
And so good luck - and remember, in fact, your age is not a disadvantage - it is an advantage. If you think of it like that, then everything becomes easier.
ZY: writing your question and reading the answers on the Toaster you spent time that you could spend on learning something really useful for your career;)

Answer 9

If there is a desire and aspiration that should not come into contact with the financial side, return criteria, all kinds of diplomas, pieces of paper "to wipe .."
IT, I think, is one of the most extensive and versatile areas. The amount of information to study is not enough and 2 higher ones to master. And the scope for realization and discoveries is certainly without extreme.
What is the actual problem? When you want to drink water, there are not thousands of thoughts about age, about career status, about tap water purification, about the origin of life and evolution... We just take and drink as much water as we need.
Conclusion: we just choose a field that is interesting without relying on existing knowledge (sooner or later you will have to understand/learn at least the basics and have an idea of ​​​​how everything works from all branches of IT), but the emphasis should be on the main one.
Designate the goals that NEED to be achieved under any circumstances, + like mine - something like a limit point at the time the study began (roughly speaking, at that time I saw a dead end in this, and so let's say the "final" of what has already been done, openly , used .. However, calling it a "dead end" was the most stupid act, but setting a certain ultimate goal at the time of the start gives some confidence and focus on the right path)
In general, I just needed a pledged idea based only on interest and desire to develop / discover not only for myself something new in it, however, this was already achieved on the 8th month from the level of "PC user".
Without attaching importance to the financial side, as a result, I am in an uncompetitive position in my chosen corner of IT, in addition, more than several thousand clients who show respect as a specialist (besides, only 1.4 years have passed from the starting point). Accordingly, universal gratitude and quite a few clients who constantly talk on third-party topics, ask questions of interest to them, and, of course, receive an answer if possible by my amusement. Perhaps this can be condemned as a waste of personal time that can be invested in development and improvement, but there is also the factor that they all become something like "friends", and so far no one has refused to ask for help in any way , as they say, do not have 100 rubles ...
Oh and also, what helped me achieve really incredible results in 1.4 years is the "conservative" training method I chose, which saved about 4-5 years of looking at young professionals who graduated from universities, and sometimes another huge step from their level. It consists in the exclusion of Google, wiki, for all the time, besides, he did not ask a single question to those who know about IT.
I agree that it is difficult, very difficult, and requires strong endurance and perseverance. But it's worth it. And if questions arise "how?", I think it's better to ask them to those who have already done it, implemented it, and used it for our use (after all, in the 1990-1998s they did not have Google, etc., and even after going through so let's say their path in their footsteps, you discover a simple thing for yourself that this has already been taken care of). For example, taking HTTP and HEADER values. I can assure you that by looking at them, you will quickly understand the general structure of www, the principles of server-client communication, rather than reading an article on Wikipedia from which nothing will be revealed to a green person, and in general, it is unlikely that you will get an idea about all the IT (foundations) on which everything rests / develops to this hour.
Outcome:
You can talk endlessly, talk forever, think as much as you like .. But this does not make the world "spin" around you ..
Interest, aspiration, and the right idea .. And the process of achieving laudable heights in certain areas will be interesting and light up with a desire to develop further ... And all other issues can be resolved by themselves, moreover, with the knowledge of the TS, if you can try hard and for half a year already to add a couple of articles to the common piggy bank that will open new frontiers in all IT. Get a little gratitude for the labors of gratitude from large companies, which will no doubt give a jump for many years from competitive "young" specialists .. If it is even possible to call them specialists. And the financial issue, I think, will close by itself, and in a fairly decent amount .. The main thing is to do it for the sake of the idea .. And share extra funds with those in need (charity) rather than accumulate unnecessary amounts under the pillow. Happiness is not in them, incentive is not in them, they will only beat off the interest of this very original IDEA, which each of us should follow, whether it is IT, whether it is state. institution...
It all depends on ourselves .. It can be easier - wipe your pants in universities, go to the special. where you have to study from the same scratch, spend another 5 years, and with deep longing and depression, blame everyone for the fact that, for several years now, you just have to rewrite the same source code, get a well-deserved salary for this in 800-1000 $ and hate the authorities for not allowing self-fulfillment and further development..
The choice is solely on the set idea, everyone has their own choice.
I hope there will be something to think about and some incentive to throw the mess out of your head and understand what you generally want to get for your efforts ... Good luck)

Answer 10

In my opinion, the main thing is to be a good specialist in your field, age and the rest is not important.
If you have knowledge that you can show and put into practice, you have nothing to fear. Find a job - the authorities will see your abilities and skills and appreciate them (well, if it's a good employer).
If you are afraid that you do not have knowledge, and your projects were yours and were done on your knee (no offense, I just guess) and when you are given a real task - you will not cope, then this is another question - "Where to get knowledge?".

Answer 11

Mr. TS, in IT, no one cares what papers you have, especially if you work via the Internet. Complete a test task, then 1-2 projects with payment after the fact, and now the client already wants to work with you on a permanent basis. (we are talking about freelancing)
Personally, I did not think about getting a job in the office. I myself have been engaged in entrepreneurial activity to one extent or another, so I can’t even imagine how I will work for someone.

Answer 12

I am 33. 12 years of work experience. Of these, 9 - service engineer / system administrator. Last 3 years WEB developer. Just one company asked about my age. I didn't go to them. Don't worry, it's not too late to change your specialty at 40! I know a precedent, in the form of a 42-year-old junior - layout designer :)

Answer 13

My dad went to the doctor at 25, and has been studying there for 7 years! At 32, he had just finished his studies!
My grandfather, still under the Soviet Union, graduated from the higher party school at 43! (He studied there for 5 years!) After which he was sent to work in a completely unfamiliar field of activity. It's NEVER too late to start something new!
I dropped out of college in my 3rd year. He opened an entrepreneur, repaired and sold PCs, had his own DVD rental, then had his own recruitment agency, a non-food store, then went to work at a factory, then got a job as an administrator in a gym, where he was promoted to manager of a sports complex, he conducted many interviews.
At the age of 30, he quit his job as a sports complex manager and started working on his own online store. Now I'm studying a completely new direction for me - website development. My self-education never ended! And I recommend the same to you.
Get rid of the silly stereotype "you can't find a job today without experience". This is the position of the victim. If you want to be successful, the first thing you need to do is stop being the victim. Never take the position of the victim! Never whine or complain. Then something will start to happen.
From my own experience, after hundreds of interviews with candidates for various positions, I can say that an intelligent employer is more likely to hire a person without experience and without a diploma, but with a great desire to work and ready for self-study. And when applying for a job, they write something like “mandatory experience of at least 2 years” in order to immediately weed out those who are unable to achieve their goal.

Answer 14

afxgu, there is only one barrier between a person and his dream - this person.

Answer 15

Now it has become problematic to look for "seniors at 23". Yes, and they will disperse in the fall, it is easier for the young to dump.
In general, 26-27 years old is normal.
Of course, no one will hire you as an intern, but as a duty admin / junior developer / support - completely.

Answer 16

started at 25) before that it was a project, why I decided to change it - I think I decided that I wanted to be responsible only for myself, and not kick idlers.
It cannot be said that a genius (non-core higher education affects = lack of a toretic base.), Rather, an artisan.
The main thing that I determined for myself at the beginning was to reduce the requirements (including salary requirements).
For reference, 6 years ago I started with 18 thousand rubles (at the same time, as a project, I received three to four times more).
So you'll be fine, don't worry.

Answer 17

Ty... This is IT, skills are evaluated here. Become a first-class specialist - and there will be no price for you.

Answer 18

I am 32 and just finishing my studies. I work remotely (freelance). Completely satisfied. In my group, people study even at 36 - 40 years old and nothing.

Answer 19

I'm 35 years old and I'm only in my second year of really full-time work in IT. (True, the first real year was 10 years ago, and already then I had 10 years of amateur programming, and for the next 10 years I freelanced from time to time - well, according to the principle: "I worked for two weeks, I rest for two months", and in particular, as part of this freelancing, for 3 years I did homework, control and coursework on programming for a couple of American students). But in general, I have, you see, a late start.
So don't be shy! Learn Java (this is the most demanded in Moscow time), go to interviews (with obligatory work on bugs after each interview), and you will be hired. Moreover, the world of Java is full of not only 23 seniors and 40-year-old middles, but also 30-year-old juniors who, due to marriage, have moved from a hungry puff and a changeable web to the world of corporate stability.

Answer 20

You need to be confident in your abilities.
I have a 9th grade education.
He studied as a programmer until the 2nd year and did not finish and went into the army.
Got into reconnaissance. bat received the rank of senior sergeant.
He came, worked as a facer - then to a PC repair office.
I trained there for 2 months now I work as a software engineer.
I have a non-working wife, a child of 5 months, a puppy, a cat, I support everyone, a dude with a 9th grade education.
I have knowledge of hardware software setup \ repair.
Completed an internship at positive technologies in information security.
Programming languages ​​PHP, mySQL, C#(Winforms), perl, python Web
- CSS HTML JS
Conclusion A person can do anything if they want.

Answer 21

There is no late start in IT.
vk.com/it.school.hillel.kyiv?w=wall-76633825_117
ain.ua/2015/03/08/568344

Answer 22

Don't let fear take over and don't follow your dreams because of it! I understand very well .. I conceive also think that it is too late for me to do something, to learn something, but this is all not true. I have to watch a lot of motivating videos, but one of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnDBVgSPJbc&list=P... , which prompted me to start learning, just the same programming!