Can You Learn Coding and Web Development in your 40s and 50s?

Yesterday, I was speaking to one of my friends who were not from a programming background but working as a teacher in a college of Engineering and Technology in the countryside of India. He just turned 40, and he is also the father of two wonderful kids. He has been teaching Maths to B.Tech students in a private engineer college for the last 15 years. He is earning Ok, but he always wanted to explore the world, and he now realizes that a Programming job can provide him that opportunity, so he contacted me to find out whether it’s too late for a Programming career.

He was keen to learn Web development, particularly using the latest technologies like Angular, React, Vue.js, and Node.js. Still, he is worried that it might be just too late for him to become a Web developer or work in a software development company.

He was in a dilemma, so he called me up for a discussion. I was thrilled to learn his desire and assured him that it’s never too late, all you need is the passion for learning and dedication to achieve your goals. 

Many software companies don’t mind what you have done in the past if you can show them that you have relevant skills for the job they are looking for.

Once he saw encouragement for me, his next question was, can he do programming part-time to see if it fits him? 

Like, whether he can actually do Coding or not? I know he was afraid of coding, which is quite obvious because of his non-programming background and trying to minimize his risk, which is definitely not bad. After all, he has a family to support.

I never advise you to leave everything and start something new, that’s not my style. It also depends upon your risk-taking abilities because success is never overnight, you need enough fuel in your tank to sustain for the long term. I also suggest you start small and keep making progress, celebrate small wins, that’s the way to sustain. 

How to Learn Coding & Web Development in your 40s and 50s

Regarding the question, Yes, once you learn to Program, you can do a lot of online jobs picking from sites like Freelancer.com, Upwork.com, or Fiverer.com, which not only gives you the much-needed experience but also boost your confidence as a Programmer and Software developer.

But, questions never end, and he asked me what should he learn to become a Web Developer?

Now that is something I cannot explain in one word, but rather, I told him to join and online courses like Colt Steel’s The Web Developer Bootcamp to start with. This is a super-course which not only teach you all the thing you need to know for web development but also give you some hands-on experience by showing project-based development.

He is now in the second month of his learning and now has a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s still some time for him to get some confidence in coding and Web Development, mainly because he doesn’t have much time to spend, but he is on the right path, and I am sure he will reach his goal sooner than later.

If you are also on the same crossroad of whether it’s too late to learn Web Development or Programming, then don’t get discouraged. You can do it on your favorites, and even in the fifties, all you need is the right guidance and resource to succeed.

Further Learning

If you want to become a Web Developer, here are some of my recommended resources:

And if you like this article, I am always there to answer any of the questions you have with your career or programming in general.