CrimeanTurtle2008 wrote:
is it somewhat too late to make that change?
Hell no!
At 28 you're just a puppy. I started programming at 20 - FORTRAN, I'm afraid - and used it in my career for years, adding languages and operating systems about as fast as they were invented. Somewhere along the line I no longer had the need or desire to program (and, admittedly, Windows was a lot of it because the ratio of presentation to functionality went suddenly from 20:80 to 90:10, and UI design bores me). Still, I've been trying to catch up lately. You never lose the bug once you're bitten.
Having one career in your life made sense when we could look forward to only about 45 years, according to my dad, and that made a lot of sense to me. Lifelong learning is the key to happiness, he taught me, and he proved it by living a long, happy life embracing several career paths. At my age (54) he had just completed his second Masters degree - in Landscape Architecture - having already been a mechanic, plant pathologist, real estate appraiser, creator of a new Masters degree program at Harvey Mudd college, and wood carver. He never found his age to be a barrier to entry in any field; in his retirement he was asked to write a comprehensive manual of climate-compatible plants for the state of Washington, and to design roadside viewpoints for their state highways.
I adopted his style, and have been a cook, dishwasher, waiter, real estate broker, stock broker, mechanic, electronics engineer, tax advisor, programmer, and power system engineer. In the past six months I've had to learn to design steel substation structures, and the concrete foundations to support them. If my performance reviews are any guide, I've been good at all of them; I've never had a salary raise less than twice the company average for the year.
If you want to program, program. If you love it, the jobs will find you (with a little work on your part, of course - they won't come knocking at your door). Any limits you might feel are entirely in your own mind, so lose them. Argue for your limitations, and you get to keep them; that's a tip that will serve you well to remember, whatever you decide to pursue in your life. You will experience failure, but there's absolutely no reason to let that stop you. Robert Heilbrunner once wrote that every young person should experience being fired. It teaches you two things; one, that your job is not your life, and you can go on without it, and two, that you can always find another job. This gives you the freedom to take risks without fear, to speak up when the boss is being an idiot, to stand up for what you know to be right.
You want to learn programming right now, so do it and don't let anyone scare you off of your chosen course. Certainly there will be challenges, but those will only make you stronger and smarter. If you love it, your day will come; if not, you'll be guided by experience into other pursuits. Just don't let fear be your guide, and don't worry about your age. You're just starting out in life, and it's an adventure. Have fun! :-D
BTW - You couldn't have chosen a better place to come for assistance. The people here are (generally) wise and helpful. Good choice.
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