[sambobeckingham]

Are we in the same industry? 26 here, coding since 11, never got a degree. Decided to develop for a living, managed it within a couple of months - didn't even have a portfolio.

The industry is crying out for developers, theres no reason why you wouldn't be able to get a job. Yeah the industry is fast moving but businesses aren't. If they choose to use a framework, them its going to be in their legacy code base for a good few years.

Remember,you are not paid to develop, you are paid to make the business money. Would you rather hire a developer who wrote an amazing 200 LoC a day and earned you 10k or the developer who deleted 3 lines, sent a few emails and earned you 100k?

Apply for every interview, don't aim too high - you can get a junior position no problem.

[curun1r]

Same industry, but likely different locations. Despite being quite possibly the most remote-friendly job, availability of software development jobs is still frustratingly regional.

As annoying as this advice might be to someone who likes his/her current home and doesn't want to move, coming to one of the tech clusters and putting in two years where you specifically focus on growing your network will help open up opportunities, establish a reputation and often help you earn a salary higher than you'd get in your local market.

[crisp]

Wondering the same thing. Here in Finland and in this industry, I feel like I have more job than I could ever handle. I have been a programmer for four years so I cannot say I'm too skilled nor talented for that matter, but getting a full-time job or freelance projects is quite easy here.

My advice is the same: aim for a junior position first and work your way up from there. If there are no full-time jobs available, try to build a social network, attend to tech meetings in your area, try to find freelance projects and add them to your portfolio. I know, the first steps are hard, but after a while it will suck you in and then you don't have to worry about finding another job.

[markatkinson]

This sounds more like my situation. I managed to go from a glorified data capturing role in finance labeled as a "financial analyst" and realizing that I wanted nothing to do with finance. I then moved "diagonally" into a more technical roll, built up some tech skills and I have just landed a proper software development roll after about a 3 to 4 year journey. I am 29. My only advice is make sure you feed your passion, don't let it die. Also you can start by trying to get hired into a position that doesn't necessarily put you exactly I software development but puts you on the path. Caveat: This is all in South Africa, and as a person with semi decent tech skills and a few years of experience I actually feel like I wear the pants in most my work relationships.

[corndoge]

Agreed, and the last point is crucial. Even an internship can turn into a lucrative full time position, and some money is always better than none.