[mattgibson]

I'd recommend finding something that combines programming and whatever your prior career has been, so you can bridge the gap.

I moved from teaching to coding by first working on open source teaching software in my spare time, then using it as part of my teaching work, then getting a junior coding job at a university. I was a better teacher because of the software I was making, and I was a more attractive junior hire due to my domain knowledge.

Code at home --> Use project at old job --> Use domain knowledge plus project to land first coding job --> Coding career :)