ClaytonB's comments

There seems to be a much smaller spread between junior and senior positions in development than there is in other fields. My shift over from previous career to a junior level position in development has not been a hardship, and it will be on par within a year.

I'm one of the guys in that blog post. I feel incredibly lucky I got a job in this field at my age - my employer was very kind to hire someone in his mid 30s with no professional experience.

It worked out for me, and I'm 36. At 25 , you are just getting started in life. You're going to be just fine.

I absolutely feel that it is harder to learn a new career as you get older. You have much less time as an adult than a traditional college student, and my brain doesn't retain things as well as it did 18 years ago. Also, the repercussions for failing to successfully transition into a new career are much more severe for someone approaching 40 than someone in their early 20s.

There was significant risks associated with my decision, financial burdens (loans, credit card debt accumulation), and also some opportunity costs of not earning income for over a year. I quit my primary job, leaving me with no safety net. It was scary at my age to do this, but by taking on such huge financial risks I was more even motivated to succeed - to fail would have been devastating.