[satysin]

> Outside of cult-like SV, you'll be fine.

This. I know several people who switched from some non-tech career to development in their late 30s/early 40s. All of them are still working as developers now around a decade later and all very happy they made the switch rather than writing themselves off as "too old".

Will it be harder than when you were 20? Well yeah. Just like any career change after around 25 or so is harder than fresh out of university. Doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it though. Not much in life worth doing is easy imho.

Decide what you're interested in, look at what you need to learn, learn it and build up a portfolio of your work. Perhaps get involved in some open source projects if there are any that catch your eye, or start your own open source project.

Once you have built up some confidence and a demonstration of your work apply for some positions. I highly advise you brush up on your soft skills as well as your tech skills if you are not used to "selling yourself".