[wilsonrocks]

I moved to development from a career in maths teaching and trade unionism.

The advice given elsewhere to solve a problem in your current role is really important - but it might not need to be work related - a personal project that you have a clear vision for and users other than yourself will do.

Having stuff on github helped me with interviewers. I did not find, in the UK at least, that lack of a CS degree or development experience was a barrier - in fact, interviewers seemed interested in my story. However, where I live (the north) there is a developer shortage.