[orangepenguin]

I think this comment is absolutely spot on. The biggest difference between software development and other careers is that people don't care how you got to where you are. They only care if you can produce good work.

And there's a LOT to be said for bringing the knowledge you have, and making something useful with it.

In my opinion, if you decide to switch, the best thing you can do is start practicing. Whether you learn from online courses, school, friends, or books matters less than how much time you spend practicing. Preferably, put as much of your own work as you can in a public repository (somewhere like github.com) so that people can see that you get things done.