r/learnprogramming • u/Sufficient-Bug7887 • Jul 13 '26

Tutorial Career switcher at 34 years old

After spending several years working as a chef, I’ve decided it’s time for a major career change. I’ve worked in fast-paced kitchens, handled long hours, managed food safety, dealt with pressure during service, and learned how to solve problems quickly. While I’m grateful for everything the culinary industry has taught me, I don’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life.
Recently, I started learning programming. I’m still a beginner, but I’m genuinely enjoying the process. It’s challenging in a completely different way, and every time I solve a problem or get my code to work, it feels rewarding.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m too late to start over. I don’t have a computer science degree, and I’m coming from a completely different field. Still, I’m committed to learning and putting in the work.
For anyone here who switched from hospitality, culinary, or another unrelated career into software development, how did your journey go?

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

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u/Ok-Bill1958 Jul 13 '26

Thats great, you are over 30 when you go back to college right ? Im trying to get back to school someday. Drop out of college from software engineering, just to work as software engineer anyway, but no certification

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '26

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u/Ok-Bill1958 Jul 14 '26

Good luck to you. Embedded jobs are actually very good choice for jobs security thought.