Hey,
I am unhappy with my current job and I seek the strategy to improve my life situation. It took me a long time to sort out my personal problems, so I am rather late to the party, but I finally feel ready and capable to try and learn something new.
I have basic knowledge of how GNU/Linux works and very limited knowledge in C++ programming. I enjoy spending my time on learning new things in that subject and I would like to use it as an advantage to earn money doing it. Yes, hobbies turned into work sometimes ruin it, but I have no better ideas at the moment.
I already figured out that costly professional courses may be a waste of time and money or at least that's what I've read online. The only truly good thing is that they sometimes offer help with finding job at the end of the training, which might make things easier. I am not sure what to think about it.
Is the perspective of choosing a job in the IT field and changing a job realistic at my age and without any formal education? If so, do you have any advice for me on how to even begin the journey?
I know that I did not specify anything, but I'm trying to get an advice before I make any decisions and I will be happy to receive any suggestions.
Cheers!
It’s definitely possible and there actually quite a lot of sysadmins and programmers without any formal education in that field, including ones that started late. If you want to learn on the job, the most important thing is to get a job that will get you there, which means that you’re going to be working outside of your comfort zone. Some companies might be willing to put in the effort to get you up to speed if you can convince them of your interests, motivation and basic skills.
For programming it’s hard to start working with very limited knowledge, so for that one you might want to do one of those boot camps where you get paid while learning and end up with a job that you have to commit to for a year or so. Or maybe you can find a company that teaches programming in house.
For sysadmin work it already helps if you’ve got a basic understanding of GNU/Linux, because that will help you solve new problems and gain knowledge. A colleague or mentor that’s willing to teach you things goes a long way. It also helps to have a basic understanding of Bash and/or Python if your job involves scripting (which it probably does). Chances are you’ll end up using configuration management as well, such as Ansible. It helps if you know what that’s about.
You can develop skills in your free time, but in the end you’ll learn much faster when you really need them in practice, so if you’re motivated, just go for it and see if there’s a company that’s willing to invest some time.