Why a career change is really a life change.

Twelve months ago, I decided I want change my career and become a software developer. A lot of people have asked me about my experience so here I am writing my first Medium blog about it! Although I was excited about changing my career, I felt the odds were stacked against me. I had zero coding experience, wasn’t terribly good at any STEM subjects in secondary school, and didn’t pursue anything programming-related during university. All in all, I did not feel like I had a strong foundation to embark on this change.

There were so many questions, uncertainties and considerations. Is it even too late to change into this profession in your 30s? How long can I afford to be off work for? Am I prepared to take a pay cut? And the big one…What if I can’t find work in this field afterwards? Asking the tough questions is a must but fear can be a champion at crushing your dreams. It’s easy to say that “this is just all too hard” and just go back to where you were. Taking risks isn’t like what it used to be when you were young and oblivious to the consequences involved. If I don’t take any action for myself, then I know I will be asking the same questions and have the same desires again and again. I don’t want to be stuck in an infinite loop- it’s exhausting! Making tough decisions needn’t be so hard and Ruth Chang explain it well in her talk . What am I interested in? What do I stand for? What do I want to do with my time? Why do I need this change? I was 100% committed to my decision and the reason for my change is a rational response, it’s not dictated by reasons given by others but reasons created by myself. I am the author of my life. We all need to be.

There are so many learning paths for programming and deciding on which one can be tricky. I reviewed all my options:

learn to code on your own
take an online course while I work part time or full time
save up money and then complete a coding bootcamp
complete a computer science degree

There are plenty of online resources and books that you can learn on your own but I found this was difficult after a long day at work and it can be an isolating experience over time. My mental capacity was also at it’s lowest and solving coding problems was a tough gig for me! This leaves the last two options. What it really came down to was cost and time off work. A degree is expensive and takes several years but it may cover theoretical content with more breadth and depth than a bootcamp course. A bootcamp course will give you the practical skills you need to learn on your own. This suited me more as I feel I learn more from doing. I also felt I had the capacity to save money for the course fees, take a few months off work and allow myself to focus on learning in an immersive environment.

I completed the bootcamp course at Makers Academy in London. My reasons for choosing MA was because their curriculum focused on good industry standard practices like TDD and skills you need to gain work afterwards. Their offices also had a great vibe and their supportive coaches guides you to be an independent learner. The course consists of a month pre-course study and three-month bootcamp. The point of any bootcamp course isn’t so you are an expert afterwards, it’s to give you a good foundation so you can explore further.

One of the interesting things I noticed when I first started programming was the physical impact on my brain and body. Not being used to thinking like a programmer and doing intensive problem solving for long periods, I remember falling asleep on the couch at 4pm a couple of times in the first two weeks while I was learning at home. I would also get hungry very quickly and couldn’t study with any lyrical music on. It makes sense that when you introduce different mental and physical activities, this would have an impact on the biochemistry of my brain. I agree that having a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset is important to continually develop ourselves. There’s been a lot of research in neuroplasticity- our brain’s ability to restructure itself after training or practice. Every time I’m out of my comfort zone and processing new information, new neural pathways are formed from new or stronger neural connections.

Learning something new is hard but it is exactly the struggle that I enjoy. There are days where I don’t understand very much I’ve become frustrated and disappointed in myself. Our internal dialogue can be negative and I need to listen to this and change this. I realised that mental timeout is valuable and it’s ok not to have understand everything immediately. Giving my brain a rest and practicing yoga and meditation helps to refresh my mindset, especially when you are stuck on a problem. Being too fixated on any problem can block your ability to think clearly. In fact, being a developer meant that I have increased my exercise regime in order to achieve a better mental balance.

The other challenge I found is FONK- fear of not knowing. Earlier on when I was learning, a lot of people would use tech to explain tech or mention three different foreign tech terms to me in one sentence. I would be asking myself “What does that mean?” or “Do I need to know this now?”. All I can say that is that it’s ok not to know and it’s better to know how to structure your learning and prioritise what to learn.

It’s easy to forget the impact on those around you when you are going through a career change. There’s only so much time, and often you sacrifice the time you can spend with your family and friends. I want to thank my partner for the support and for putting up with me during all the times that I’ve been absent, even when I am present and just not listening because my mind is distracted by problems. I want to thank my friends for their ongoing encouragement and understanding. And a big thanks to you, who has read to this point, I hope this has been of some help or insight into a career change.

Have you gone through a career change? How did you find it? I would love to hear other stories of struggle, success or just work in progress!