[teekert]

Depends on what you switch from. I switched from biology/life sciences and it was quite natural to go into data analysis (from Excel to Pandas in Jupyter-lab as the data grows) and then via BioInformatics (using Bash to glue together FOSS NGS data analysis programs and later moving to Python/Snakemake) into software development (developed own Genomics related software).

It helped that I have (since I was 19 or so) run Linux in some form or another, on laptops and home servers, so in a way I merged my hobby into my work. Never learned programing though until I was 35 or so.

What field are you from?