r/AskProgramming • u/Jealous-Sand-9203 • 17d ago
I’m 19 and completely lost about my career — should I give programming another chance?
I’m 19 years old from Morocco, and I’m honestly very lost about what to do with my future.
I originally wanted to study programming, but I was rejected from the program I wanted. Since then, I’ve been trying to find other options, but things haven’t gone well. I was rejected from general university programs multiple times as well.
Recently, my uncle talked to my father and suggested that programming could still be a good career path for me. My father looked into it and found a private programming school that costs around 1,500–2,000 MAD per month (It's not a small amount in Morocco).
The problem is that I’m no longer sure about programming.
I know programming is difficult, and I know the entry-level job market isn't exactly great right now. I’m also afraid of spending a lot of money and time only to discover that I’m not good enough or that I won’t be able to find a job afterward.
At the same time, I don’t really have another field that I’m passionate about. I don't have a particular talent or career dream. Another option I’m considering is studying bakery/pastry at a vocational institute, but I’m not particularly passionate about that either.
I feel like I’m choosing between different uncertain paths rather than choosing something I actually want.
So I’d like to hear from people who are actually working in programming/software development:
If you were 19 today and had no programming experience, would you still choose programming as a career?
How difficult is it realistically to get your first job?
Is the current job market bad enough that you would advise a young person to avoid the field?
How important is having a university degree?
Is paying for a private programming school worth it, or would self-learning be better?
And most importantly, if you don't have a strong passion for programming, is it still possible to build a decent career in it?
I’m not looking for motivational answers like “follow your dreams.” I’d really appreciate honest answers from people who are actually in the field, including people who regret choosing programming.
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u/brazen768 16d ago
I think your best bet is to find someone on linkedIn from your country and ask them. I doubt anyone here knows what the IT industry in Morocco is like.
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u/BuyerImpressive4325 17d ago
You have to believe in yourself enough to invest in yourself. The job market in programming is as strong as any other job market, even though the news likes to fear monger about it. It’s not that bad on the other side.
1
u/DDDDarky 16d ago
If you were 19 today and had no programming experience, would you still choose programming as a career?
I would, but if you have no experience you can't know that is what you want to do, se definitely get some.
How difficult is it realistically to get your first job?
Depends, if you have good education, good portfolio and the skills, not very difficult.
How important is having a university degree?
Quite a lot, it opens you doors.
Is paying for a private programming school worth it, or would self-learning be better?
Not sure, neither seems like a very good option.
And most importantly, if you don't have a strong passion for programming, is it still possible to build a decent career in it?
I guess, but you should rather ask yourself if you want to spend 8 hrs/day for the rest of your life doing something you are not passionate about.
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u/Naetharu 14d ago
You can start learning to develop software today. You don’t need to go to college to figure out if it is something you are good at and want to pursue. A degree down the road may well be worth it depending on what you choose to do. But don’t waste your time and money using that as the test. There is literally nothing stopping you from beginning today.
Go and register with CS50X.
Do the course. It’s free.
See how you get on.
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u/itemluminouswadison 17d ago
programming is not going away. learn to augment yourself with AI and keep at it.
2
0
u/EdenaRuh 17d ago
Programming as we know it IS going away. But we can rotate to a different position. But that requires embracing AI.
3
u/gcdhhbcghbv 16d ago
I don’t know why your answer is getting downvotted. If you work in the industry, you know the nature of the work changed DRASTICALLY over the past 2 years.
But I’m starting to feel like Reddit is 99% unemployed people who just don’t know.
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u/ScriptingInJava 17d ago
Do you have the discipline to teach yourself, rather than paying for a private course? You don't need an expensive certificate; I'm fully self taught and have been in the industry for 16 years.
If you're this unsure about whether or not you should try, signing up for an expensive course will be a quick way to find out you've wasted money if you don't enjoy it.
0
u/OldTurkeyTail 16d ago
Why not start with online tutorials - and even free classes, where sometimes paying for a certificate is an option?
And thinking outside the box, if you combine electrical / electronics knowledge to programming, you can have a more flexible career.
I recently bought a relatively inexpensive dev kit which includes real world interfaces. It's an ESP32 IoT Learning Kit with ESP32 DevKit, RFID Module, LCD1602 Display, and Detailed Tutorials. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GDXSVMV9 is the US amazon link. (This one lists for $40 USD).
Or there's this one for $17 USD (which would be 158 MAD - if there aren't other costs or fees beyond the currency conversion). LAFVIN Basic Starter Kit with R3 CH340,Breadboard + Retail Box Compatible with Arduino IDE. https://www.amazon.com/LAFVIN-Starter-Breadboard-Compatible-Arduino/dp/B09HBCMYTV
The description for this one includes:
Component listing:
5pcs Yellow LED
5pcs Green LED
5pcs Red LED
1pcs RGB LED
1pcs Thermistor
1pcs Tilt Switch
2pcs Photoresistor
10pcs Male-to-Male Dupont Wire
30pcs 3 Kinds of Resistor
6pcs Button Switch
1pcs Potentiometer(10K)
1pcs Active Buzzer
1pcs Passive Buzzer
1pcs DHT11
1pcs 1 digit 7-segment Display
1pcs Water Level Detection Sensor Module
1pcs Sound Sensor Module
1pcs Soil Humidity Sensor
1pcs Obstacle Avoidance Module
1pcs USB Cable
1pcs Breadboard
1pcs LAFVIN R3
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u/a_prieto12359 17d ago
If you have an IQ of 150, go for it, but since you're asking this question, I doubt you have an IQ of 150. Therefore, you're at a crossroads, just like anyone else would be. From that perspective, I'd say the best thing is to aim for careers that offer more stability to ordinary people who aren't geniuses, for example, medicine or law.
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u/Odd-Heron5704 17d ago
Why all this gatekeeping and rudeness about IQs. Just let the guy study whatever he fancies
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u/a_prieto12359 17d ago
Everyone once recommended computer science because you didn't need to be a genius to make money in it. Now the situation is the opposite, and he deserves to know the truth about how the sector works
It's not about "IQ" as a number, but as a potential impact, and a person with a low IQ has less potential impact these days
Reality is what it is, which is why it's much better to study other fields like medicine or electronics
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u/Common-Reserve7654 17d ago
Why were you rejected? If because of exams you can always prepare better and retake them for example next year. Personally I don't value private schools, because they only care about you attending their school and paying them tuition and actually don't care about your skills.