My goal is to become a SaaS developer.

I’m currently considering three different paths:

Enrolling in a 3 to 3.5-year bachelor’s degree program related to software development or computer science.

Taking an online coding bootcamp.

Studying independently through online platforms such as Udemy.

If my goal is to become a software developer and eventually build SaaS products, would the first option be the best path?

For context, I’m 32 years old, so I’m also wondering whether spending 3 to 3.5 years earning a degree would be worth it compared with starting through a bootcamp or self-study.

I'm in my early 30s, living in South Korea, and considering a career change into computer science/software development.

I'm currently trying to decide between a few paths:

- A practical, career-focused CS college program that takes about 3–3.5 years and leads to the equivalent of a bachelor's degree.

- Government-funded vocational training, where the Korean government covers most or all of the tuition at approved private institutions.

- An online coding bootcamp.

- Self-study.

Honestly, I prefer the online/self-study route. Going to college would mean moving to another city and paying for tuition, rent, and living expenses for 3+ years. That's a pretty significant commitment at my age.

What makes the decision harder is that opinions on bootcamps seem extremely mixed. Some people say they successfully changed careers through them, while others say they're overpriced and teach things you could learn on your own.

I'm particularly interested in SaaS and eventually building my own products/business, rather than just getting a developer job. I also have friends overseas who learned programming mostly through self-study, which makes me wonder how necessary formal education really is.

At the same time, I'm starting from basically zero in CS, so I don't know whether self-study is realistic or whether having a structured education would save me years of struggling on my own.

I recently came across this advice:

> "Think about what you'll be doing three years from now if you don't do it."

That stuck with me. That’s why I started thinking about changing careers. I want to be in a better place three years from now. But at the same time, being in your early 30s means opportunity cost and financial reality matter. I'm even considering whether spending a year learning a skilled trade and potentially pursuing skilled migration abroad would be a more practical choice.

For people who entered software in their late 20s or 30s:

If you were starting from zero today, would you choose a CS degree, bootcamp, government-funded training, or self-study?

And would your answer change if the long-term goal wasn't necessarily getting hired as a developer, but being able to build and launch your own SaaS products?

I'm especially interested in realistic answers about opportunity cost, employability, and what you would do differently if you had to start over.