| Several years into my aerospace engineering degree (age 21) I realized I had little interest in my chosen discipline (I'm 54 now). I was spending much of my free time on the computer and when I started to flounder someone I loved and respected pointed out the obvious, and I changed majors. Admittedly it would be harder for you. But I would point out that CS has the most value when paired with real knowledge in another discipline. At Texas A & M in the 80's, CS was one of the only disciplines to have a minor - I assume because they, too, realized it needed good pairing. I got my CS degree in 2 years by doubling up the required classes (and by already having sufficient electives). My first job further makes this point. I was fortunate to sneak into Steve Jobs NeXT Computer. I was surprised that CS majors were actually in the minority. The head of software at NeXT (and Apple before), Bud Tribble, was a former MD (his wiki is sparse, unfortunately - otherwise might have helped). My best friend in engineering was a biology major. A final source of inspiration might be the "Sunscreen Song (everybody's free)" with the lyrics, "The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't". I think there is time for you, and if you focus on embracing your gained education instead of replacing it, you could have a very interesting career. As for young engineers, they are overrated. I was terrible (though prolific) at 30. At NeXT I had several mentors in their 40s and 50s. For most of us proficiency has to be earned. I feel like I'm finally there (with maybe 5-10 years to spare). Ageism does exist though - I do think it's hard to change jobs at this age. Mostly because I think hiring managers are confused when interviewing people with more years and experience than themselves. Having said all that, I do feel like a long career focused on engineering has been a little dehumanizing. I sometimes wonder if I had satisfied my logical brain with something like a medical career, maybe I would feel a stronger connection to my fellow humans. But there again, maybe you can find a great balance by straddling the fence. In any case, good luck! |