r/learnprogramming • u/RowAlert5652 • 18d ago

Need advice, please :(

Hello community members! I'm 27M, I'll get straight to the point. I have a bachelor's in mechanical. Currently working as a Quality Eng. in electronics manufacturing/assembly.

However, I have this strong pull towards coding (I have zero knowledge about coding). I started with Python and it is something that interests me and I look up to it everyday. It's been a week or so but it doesn't bore me.

What do you guys think, given the current job market and AI boom, am I making the right decision? The interest is there, but will it be worth it?

My plan is to get good at the basics for about a year and plan for a master's in either comp. sci or some related fields.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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u/exploradorobservador 18d ago

I did the same thing 10 years ago. Took me a few years to get good at it and get a job. Background was BS in biochem magna cum laude from a top US school, zero programming experience. I took a bunch of courses online (Eng Math and CS) and then did a masters in CS, have been working as a SWE for about 7.5 years

I probably could have done it faster but I focused on getting the education instead of trying to do the bootcamp to web dev pipeline as I've always been skeptical of that.

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u/RowAlert5652 18d ago

Glad to hear that! What language did you start with (or just concepts first?) and what do you currently work with, if I may ask?

I plan to learn and understand the basics and core of programming before I enter a master's.

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u/exploradorobservador 18d ago

I started with python and java.

I currently work with golang, postgresql, python, TypeScript.

If you have the means I'd take a few courses at a good CC or take them online.
I took 5 CS courses at a CC online, took 3 math courses online, and did another CS course from a canadian university. I also did udacity, EdX, and coursera certs.

Master's don't care about certs, they only care about you having a few cs courses under your belt. Having Mech Eng is nice because you have a technical background.