[typhonic]

I am now 66 and continuing to work as an engineer in a field not too far removed from a programming career. I have had the same inclination as your father and I hope he is successful. Pre-pandemic I would attend meetups in town, specifically Python related. We often had in attendance recruiters from companies with open positions. I talked to them and often they openly invited me join, even though I would have been entry level. It appears to me that there are more programming jobs than there are programmers and that some companies will take the chance on my age group. There are also companies where programmers are valued not just for their programming experience, but also for other skills they bring to the table. So, even though I have not made the transition, I think it can be done.