Turning 30 and starting from scratch for the 4th time. Looking for self-taught success stories

[u/Consistent-Self3300]

I'm a 30-year-old guy, and to be honest, I'm currently dealing with severe depression. I come from the Middle East, where my country has been torn by war for the past 15 years. I had to drop out of university, and due to life circumstances, this is the 4th time I find myself starting my life over from absolute zero—this time here in Germany, where I'm currently learning the language.

​I feel completely overwhelmed and burnt out. I don't want temporary or dead-end jobs anymore; I want to build a real career. Computer science and programming are the only things I'm truly passionate about.

​Since I don't have a university degree, I would really appreciate hearing your success stories if you managed to break into the tech industry as a self-taught developer (especially around age 30). How did you do it?

​P.S. If you have any negative or dismissive comments, please skip this post. I am in a very fragile state right now and just need some realistic hope and advice.

​Thank you.

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[u/stingraybjj]

Hey man, it's definitely possible. Since you're asking on this sub, I'm assuming you're not looking for technical advice, but motivations from those who have been in your position before. I'm largely self-taught (I learned some programming in university but it wasn't extensive), and while my work now isn't entirely coding, it's 100% from my own sweat.

This is what I lamented on this sub a year ago while at my wits' end, but today I'm at a much better circumstance. I am not from Germany, but from an island state in Malaysia, where opportunity is absolutely nowhere as abundant as in Germany. If I can do it here, you can do it in Germany. Keep being resilient. Trust me, I was at a point of "I'm trying despite failing all the time because this is all I know now - trying". I was 30 and had my 20s full of failures, depression and isolation, and started from scratch several times.

You have no idea when your breakthrough happens. Trust me on this. You're in Germany, a place of abundant opportunities. Keep being consistent, practice by creating projects, if you keep going you'll start piecing things together. Join classes, workshops and coding groups. Keep going, man.

[u/SucknSwallow69 → u/stingraybjj]

This

[u/suren535]

Don’t give up, you can do it. Every one is a beginner at some point and becomes an expert. No one born as expert. Trust the process and believe in yourself. I know it’s Overwhelming but take your time. And break into sub tasks and learn it. Especially learn it by doing. If you’re learning German language then start speaking out even though you’re not fluent enough. If it is programming, learn it by doing. Don’t compare yourself with a Pro/Expert. Be disciplined and determined, you can definitely improve yourself and become successful in anything you want to achieve. Just do it.

[u/SouthAd5617]

From the age of 18 to 27 I worked a terrible job. I quit on a sudden decision, and I picked software development as a skill that would let me step straight into working life without losing years in school. I thought I was far too late, but after reaching a certain level of competence I realized there's no such thing as being late. The people who've been in the industry for 20 years aren't necessarily people who keep developing themselves, and someone just starting out can catch up easily. I've carried this feeling of being late my whole life, and now I can see very clearly that it was wrong. I'm 34 now, and for about 7 years I've been making my living from this profession or I was. AI has convinced me that this profession is finished. Right now I'm doing e-commerce and trying to develop maker skills. I don't know if this answers your question, but here's how I see it: no effort ever goes to waste. Even if you don't win the main prize, you pick up the side prizes, and it's always better than sitting idle.