It's never too late to start anything, today I woke up at 1pm and had breakfast cereal.

my dad started at 47. he is now 74 and still kicking butt making softwares.

I am 46 and just graduated (Dec2015), and am now studying for my CCNA because that's where my interests lie. It isn't for the money but for the challenge and love for the work. Every industry can be brutal, cold and hard, and has the potential to cause burnout. We older men and women possess the same tenacity, curiosity, and passion as any of our young counterparts. My only worry is that hiring managers might have age biases.

Just to offer a different viewpoint. I'm a 51 yr old IT guy. Not a type A at all. Very successful and worked 8-5. If you're putting in 16 hr days - ever - something is wrong. We've had floods, virus attacks, evening office moves etc, and I'd rarely put in extra time (in the event of working overtime we get equal time to take off as vacation - as it should be). Eli is talking as an owner - contractor. I've worked for large and small software. (300K+ employees down to as small as 25). Sept 11 was huge in our software company office. Everyone from the CEO down to the 2000 other employees over 5 countries was affected. No heartless stories from my end - and more than 80% of the people were IT, developers etc. Oddly, in my experience it's the developers (programmers) that keep bad hours. Because they have deadlines set by Marketing. For IT folks if you do it right you shouldn't have to work overtime. I'll fix it in the morning or when it's your turn has always been the general rule. It's different if you're a contractor - but in a helpdesk type environment there are always an endless amount of things to do. If you don't draw the line then you're crazy. You can't fix everything at once. If you work for a company like than then you're heading for an early grave. There are emergencies of course - but just because it's important doesn't mean it's an emergency. The last big out of the way project I did involved an important accounting system. We still kept 8 hour work days and worked on it for 6 months. Public company. Urgent. But not and emergency. I think that's the issue. If you have bosses that treat everything as an emergency you need to get out of that company fast.

I am 49 and will finish two back to back degrees at the end of April 2015. If you want it. Then go for it.

It doesn't matter if you are 47, as long as you love what you're doing. I felt like I wasted my 20's and 30's for working on jobs that It really doesn't interest me. At 35 I finally decided enough is enough, I resigned and help in our business. I was able to save and now I am going back to school, I have always been interested in IT. I am turning 40, and I will go for IT.

I'm 60 and want to begin freelance career in web design and app development.

All I am going to say is "you never know unless you try." I'm 40 now, and have been in the same industry for 20 years. In that time, I was getting paid decently... nothing stellar, but decent. In those 20 years, my industry has changed. Paying less money for new employees and requiring more work. Hiring one person to do the job that 3 did previously, just to save money. Things like that. I'm 100 percent miserable. There is nothing new, there is no challenge. I'm pigeon-holed because I have been doing this for so long. So what did I do? I moved out of my apartment, rented a room at half the price, quit my job and went back to school full time. Took another job that pays less than half, but is accommodating to my schedule for school. Yes, it's a gamble. But know one thing: No one knows what will happen in the future. I am right now trying something new because I am not going to wake up at 45 and be where I was at 35.... miserable, stuck in the middle of a degrading industry and watching my happiness with work get darker and darker. I'd rather get off my ass and take that chance.

If death and night shifts horrify you, you really don't want to go to the medical field. Pharmacist is probably the only medical job you can have as a day job and won't burn you out. I have worked as a chef and an IT tech in medical field and I was so damn glad I wasn't a doctor or a nurse. People think about saving a life being nice and all, it is, but are you ready to LOSE a life? Are you ready to watch a person die to your hands and then in two seconds continue your job as per usual? Are you ready to work in three, four shifts, washing dead bodies, turning paralyzed people in their beds and change their diapers?

My brother got his first IT job as a network engineer at 46. He loves it. Way easier than his last job.

wow, im shocked by this video. im 40 and trying to make the same change. Mostly because my current field is boring as heck...and i dont want to do it for 20 more years.

I’m very appreciative for the input. I am starting at 42. But I am being as realistic as possible with my expectations of all that entails. Thanks again.

I normally don't disagree with Eli, but I don't think going into the medical field is a great idea if you don't have a passion for it. I am what you call a late bloomer, I didn't go back to school until I was 40. I am currently 43 and will soon be working on my Master's degree in Communications. But, I will tell anyone that is considering any kind of career change...make sure you have a burning passion for what career you seek. But, just to tell someone choose medical is not great advise. It sounds good "be a nurse" and "it looks good on paper" but, I don't care what you get into, if you don't have a passion for it, you won't be successful at it.

I'm 47... and just sarted learning IT because I really like it, for making my own projects, or even for a job. But I wouldn't mind to be a carpenter, and having IT on the side as my own personal hobby. That's just me. But that would make me happy!!

In this crazy world you are never too young to die or too old to live; you are never too old to learn.

im 46 and started coding two years ago i've made two websites only reason i dont do this fulltime its because i cant sit down for long periods of time as my back is bad from many years of working in construction and im pissed this guy suggests doing constyruction work might be better then it , did you have to work 10 hours a day and wake up at midnight? poor baby! he is trying to dissuade people from working in IT but without a good argument he just sound like a winer. ALL jobs have challenges and require hard work if you want to get ahead, oh what am i gonna do? i have too much responsability? lol, i thought someone who has been succesful in IT would be smarter.

I'm 42 starting in the technology field and honestly I could care less about the money, I just want to do something that I've always to love to do...sure cash is a good incentive but I'm sick of working on jobs that I just don't want...I'd rather be happy and comfortable with myself than hating every morning I get up...and I don't mind the grind...

I actually came from the medical field to the tech field later in life. Trust me nursing is not easy. You can make some good money for sure, but you can get stuck in some tough situations too. Didn't leave work for three days cause the census was too high. I got into tech late in life and worked in a bunch of different places. Eli's assessment, in my experience, applies to city jobs (especially finance). That is not the same story in every place you work though. You do have to enjoy it and want to work hard and know your stuff, but as far I'd say his scenario is not the whole story. I'm coming from a software engineering/programming/development side though. Network guys do have a tough time especially if they are with a consulting company

No Eli, if you're looking for a career change you've got to do what you want to do and feel passionate about, whether its medical, technology, or law. Its not always about the money, I've had that and still hated waking up in the morning dreading the day, even though my paycheck was fat. There isn't a one size fits all solution to wanting to do something different as a career, its what each individual wants out of life.

I’m 36, I work full time in “supply chain” and I have decided to switch to a career in IT. Why did I decide this at 36? Because I wasted a lot of time on dead end jobs in my teens and 20’s. I love technology, and I want to work in a field where I’m always learning. I literally check boxes on paper 90% of my day, in a boiling hot tempered glass plant, in full Kevlar and leather gear. It’s hot, it’s dirty, it’s brainless, and it’s not challenging. It’s boring, repetitive and a complete dead end. I’ve been a construction worker, I’ve been in the food service industry, I’ve been a business owner, and I currently work in Inventory at an automated glass plant (as explained above). I didn’t start to understand that I had more potential than I ever realized until I was in my 30’s, running an at home internet based business. Market fell out, back to square one as of 2016. Been wading back into the job market which I’ve been out of since 2010, finding I’m good at more things than I ever knew. That’s why I’m going into IT, hopefully it doesn’t suck as bad as you make it seem in this video. I appreciate your input on this, as it helps to add a little more to the picture fill in some of the gaps. I personally would not go into the medical field, it’s not for me. My mom was a nurse, and talk about type A’s who could give two shits if you got hit by a bus. It’s even worse in medical. Thanks again, I appreciate your time.

I’m 46 and seriously considering going back to school for computers. I don’t really care which field, but I’m leaning toward specializing in medical systems. I’m in the public eye now, and won’t advance very much farther bc I’m not a Type A extrovert. Plus, my current job has few openings, I’m always on-call (even on vacation); I’ve moved a dozen times and across 4 states in 20 years. I’m also already facing ageism. I think I’d rather do something I’ve always had a knack for. I’ve also done a little homework, and IT jobs are forecasted to grow in my area much faster than the population. The education is also versatile, allowing work in several different fields, or even self-employment. Dude, you’re going to give people a life course on discouragement, but did you even google the topic?

I didn't even bother watching "At 29 Am I Too Old to Start in IT"

If you really want to start IT or whatever dream you have, you do not even ask other people.

2020 and watching your video's. Thanks for brutal honesty.

I'm 55 and still have stuff to learn in IT. Use your prior education to see where you are and see exactly where in IT you'd like to start.

Thank you so much for this video.

These are very good points to raise. I am in my mid 50's now and worked in IT for over 35 years (in the UK). If you want to earn strong money then it is a tough inductry and employers expect blood. It doesn't always have to be that way and some sectors don't expect as much. But if you want good pay then expect to work hard, often with unpaid overtime and being contacted 24/7.

What about 37 years old??can I start my way in IT?

I disagree that (free) online schools are bad. Firstly, they save a lot of time because you don't have to spend 1 hour to wake up, 1 hour to get there, 1 hour to have a break and 1 hour to get back. Secondly, you can learn as fast as you want. You don't have to divide your interest through time but do it right now when you are passionate. Thirdly, you can always stop or rewind lectures. If you have bad auditory memory, you can use subtitles. Personally, I think that lectures are just for entertainment value and don't teach you anything that you won't read later on yourself. I studied chemistry and spoken language is the worst if you have to make a sense of a visual problem, You need graphs, visualizations, formulas, not someone speaking to you like it is a literature class (except for answering concrete questions but even this is much, much better through some visual system). Some people l remember things much better when reading and it also takes less time. Some people can't communicate so much on daily basis, their ears will bleed after hearing someone talk for 2 hours. Almost nobody can concentrate 2*45 min that is required for academic lessons. Even for programming, I prefer textbooks, reading random code, solving problems, creating something on my own, and not watching videos. The same with every tutorial. Videos are the most passive form of education because you don't have to do anything, not even read. For entertainment it is fine but lectures and videos are not a real education compared what you could do with that time

I am your anti - christ. I am a nurse that is 43 years old who is making a career change into Web Dev via Thinkful.com. But I have an IT background, and you're right. Most IT guys are goal driven beyond everything. One of my main motivations for going into Web Dev/ Software Dev, is because most of the medical software coming out today is awful, and it's because there is no frontline representation on software design teams. I think I could make a better product.

Hm...I don't know, the medical field is tough. Really tough. Especially for an older person. My mother is a nurse and she tells me all the time she is physically exhausted because it's so much strain on the body. I'm also an academic advisor for nursing students and it's not for everyone. Nursing school is extremely difficult. I can tell right away when a student will not make it to graduation. Sometimes we see older candidates for nursing school but hardly ever. I think one has to really look at a career they find interesting, maybe take a few classes in it to see if they would enjoy as a full-time career.

Thank you for your video.

Dude, you don't want to go into nursing. It sucks.

I was working as an electrician on 9/11 remodeling tenant spaces in a high-rise building. Do you think we were allowed to go home? Nope! I've been in the trade for 15 years, going to night school for Software Development University of Cincinnati, and I barely make enough money to be out of poverty, this year I had an amazing 43 hours of vacation time. There is no comparison between having a degree and getting into the tech field and construction, as you suggested. From my real-world experience you are incorrect on some of your points here. I watch your videos all the time and I find this one to be negative, discouraging, and unlike what I thought your personality was. There is always value in education and striving for better in your life!

Thank you very much!

I get his point about the medical field. It is a growing industry as people get older, and certainly they will need people in the future. However, you also need to consider what time of person you are. I've been self-learning code for about a year and looking at a bootcamp after my job contract finishes. Of course, the job prospects are appealing, but the thing I like about code is I never know it all. It's about being challenged every day with a new problem. If you get amazing at JS, then you learn a new language and reset.

Not sure why you'd be dissuading anyone from pursuing their desired career path. If they have the motivation to do what's necessary then GO FOR IT! Age doesnt matter in the least. Your desire, motivation and perseverance does. No one can tell you that it can't be done.

He's right! It's sweatshop type of atmosphere.. Every project must be done yesterday! Lots of stress

That voice inflection! This video is enough motivation to pursue your own degree in IT. lol! js

Very well explained

Funny how he recommended the medical field as opposed to the IT field because the IT field can be "too brutal". Lol. I used to work in the medical field at a large big city county hospital....let me tell you straight up....the medical field is brutal and tough! I also worked at smaller facilities in the suburbs....brutal!! Rude coworkers, rude as hell doctors and on and on. You must have a tough skin to be in the medical field. But now I am transtitoning into IT (working on a bachelor and about to test for a cert this week).....and after being in the medical field, I can handle IT just fine. Not worried at all! Bring it on!

My wife, sister, and many of my peers are medics, RNs, PTs or other medical field. Hearing them talk about the short comings in their jobs, I’m not sure I’d want to do that at 47 either 😰. But to each their own. My friends who continued in IT and worked their way to a manager type position or government contract seem to be doing the best now.

Agree with you 100% on the online schools! Not turning on the computer and actually doing the course is not a problem for me, as I find coding fun and I enjoy coding. Since I started coding my Xbox has seen little to no action at all, making games is more fun than playing them and the achievements are real! The problem with online schools for me is the content, there's just not enough. When you don't understand something there's nobody to give you a more in depth explanation. The biggest problem for me though is you are basically the only student. In college you could chat with your classmates about the course. In my case, learning from books, on KZfaq and online courses and having no friends or family members that are interested in coding makes it difficult. I have nobody to talk to about it as they simply do not understand. That leads to the next problem, collaberation! If I was to land an IT job tomorrow, I'd struggle to fit into any team. I can work well as part of a team in many other jobs, but an IT team is on another scale. First of all, I have no experience working with other people's code. I suppose the best thing though is not having a team to do each specific thing. For example in Web design, somebody designs the website, then somebody does the HTML, CSS and JavaScript, then somebody does all the PHP, MySQL and sets up servers and everything. I have to do it all myself, the good thing is I have a wide range of skills, but the bad thing is not being an "expert" with any of them. Basically I know a little about a lot, rather than a lot about little.

This is helpful to what I posted before. I don't have the opportunity to be a technobrat like I want to be. Natural tech talent will have to back burner to personal pet care. I have thought it thru. Thanks Eli!

I recall having been at a private school on that day... I lived on a military installation at the time too. My parents were able to get me rushed home, but they couldn't leave base to take me to my school, but the school didn't care. They were issuing me a failed grade due to non-attendance those weeks. That's when I was dropped from established schooling to start home schooling.

I'm 54 and I'm starting my career. I will finish my degree in CIS at the end of 2016. I have a couple of certs, BUT I have been an employee in the IT department of my job for 10 years (20 with this employer total) and I've been fiddling with computers since I was 16.

My first time hearing Eli the Computer Guy, and I like him and what he has to say. Some of his points, however, seem to be debatable. Eli recommends going into the medical career paths for this guy aged 47 who asks if IT is recommendable at his age. Medical also requires previous experience even with professional certifications. Nurse, physician's assistant,, and medical assistant all have built-in, required clinical and internship hours, so experience is gained there, so he's right there. But for something like medical billing and coding, I earned the medical coding certificate, but without prior experience, and I did not get a single positive inquiry from the many medical offices and hiring agencies I applied to. Also, in regard to online schools, Eli may be a bit off there as well. There are chances to interact with the other students through the class portal, and students have to submit responses every week by Thursday at the latest, and part of that activity is to respond to at least two other students. So, while yes, there is no physical classroom and not a chance to speak verbally with the teacher or the students, there is nevertheless an opportunity to interact with students and teachers, and some teachers allow you to call them with really needy questions.

medical at 47? nurses work 12-18 hours a day, overnight shifts, and their bodies break down drastically.. i know alot of nurses with rods in their back due to always being on their feet.. that nursing game is brutal... and not really worth the breakdown of your body...

I will be 45 in next month and in the same boat with you. Edx and Eli The IT Guy are the great places to start.

Speaking of careers in general, I try to pay attention to people when I encounter them doing THEIR job. Some of the most satisfied-seeming people I've seen are actually things like a dental assistant. Across multiple dentist's offices, the people who clean my teeth and do the preliminary examination seem VERY satisfied. They smile a lot, they like talking about what they do, their body language and overall manner is great.

Eli - THANK YOU!!! Thanks for the candor. There are a lot of self-entitled ass-hats in the tech industry. Thanks for not being afraid to call it like you see it, and stating the simple truth.

how about 36? i am having panic attacks

I'm in my mid 40s and I work in IT and I sometimes worry if I could get another IT job in IT if I needed to change. Right now I don't, but it's been a thought in my head for a while.

OK Elli, I hear you. I am also 44 years old, and I love IT and computers. So, I am also seriously considering in doing a master's in IT and do some industry certifications. I have a degree in Commerce with a major in Accounting. But I really do not like accounting, because I find it really boring, basically, I studied the wrong degree. But I love IT for sure. Then again. sometimes I am quite hesitant about starting in IT at this age. Sometimes not sure whether to do a master's in IT or a master's in Finance, and stay in the financial industry. Any help and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Well....I am 41 and I am a nurse...doing this job is so hard and stressful and actually of that I want to change my career...cant do it anymore. So I am changing my career to IT system administrator...so is it really crazy for me to get this career/ job???? Where I live if you dont have a college degree you are not paid well...i tried to change different work no luck...because I have no knowledge or experience/ college. Is it really crazy to go back to school and get different experiences and good pay????

IT takes a special kind of person in order to get burnt out on it. People take their A+ and they're happy they know what a registry is and what POST beeps mean and how ethernet works and they get excited, which is all great. I'm only 34 and I already feel fairly burnt out by tech support / IT. It's honestly got very little to do with users, but the technology itself and the difficulty of handling the logistics of keeping the buggy-ass shit running. Making sure machines get Windows Updates, getting unintuitive overly complicated SCCM to do what you want as far as managing machines. Trying to deal with the amount of organization and management it takes to keep track of an inventory. Dealing with the odd requests you get from people who don't really understand what they're asking...doing your best to try to come up with a solution for them then seeing their faces when they see how complicated it'll be. Discovering a rogue system that was put in place 5 years ago and hasn't broken until today, and the guy who set it up didn't document any of it and is now gone. Dealing with a windows update suddenly making everyone's copy of Outlook run in safemode or crash every time it displays HTML code in an email message. It has its moments when you have users who are very appreciative of you, but overall it just feels never-ending and like things never really get better.

Hey I am 55 and just now starting my journey in IT. It depends on what position you wanting to do.

That’s funny because I am a nurse who likes technology. Since I am on the older side I decided to get a msn in nurse informatics. I agree with you about online schools, but I think is a viable option. It is not easier in large part because of the reasons you stated. There are advantages and disadvantages to both online and brick & mortar.

6 years later would you still recommend project management over IT?

I'm trying to get an answer to this question I was a cryptologic technician in 1993 in the United States Navy. I'm sure all that technology is now obsolete but I would like to at least be able to take an aptitude test for the more modern certifications such as Security Plus network + etc. I like your honesty so I would ask the question what would you recommend? I don't want to waste my time if I do not have the aptitude for the more modern-day IT positions.

Ok... So this video is 5 years old... if you're here it's because you think you can find a way out of your complex life through a tech field that doesn't involve a university degree. Eli knows how to code a computer be he clearly doesn't know how to program his mindset... He's the kind of engineer that doesn't know what "creativity" means and this is exactly what we need in technology now a days. DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS! BE COHERENT AND TAKE ACTION! Always DO rather than talk. I recommend some yoga and coding to anyone who feels lost in life. I hope you achieve all of your dreams and don't take NO for an answer.

at age 47, i wouldn't go medical eighter. I'm 26, and i'm making a careerswitch from medical to IT, mainly because medical is to hard to keep on doing till old age. Medical -> 25hour-days, 60hour-weeks (working overtime doesn't get you a better payvement) morning, evening, night shifts (that mess up your sleeping system), pushing wheelchairs around, lifting people, ... way to mess up your back, also medical (unless you become a doctor or specialist) is a non profit sector, so you will only get payed what they HAVE to pay you, not a dime more, (all the stuff i mentioned before included i coudn't even pay rent, not even for a small studio, in fact i was earning maybe half compared to my friends and family with regular 9 to 5 jobs. In the 5 years i've worked medical, there was a constant falling out of co-workers due to burn outs, back problems, knee problems, .... not judging, just sharing my knowledge from working medical. (i do however have to add that i don't live in america, and i can only give my exp with medical jobs over here)

I dont know why Eli assumes its all about money. Im 39 and Im considering a career change to IT. I know IT is hard work, I have people who work in the field. And I know its not easy money. But Im not really happy in my present caree and IT has always been an interest of mine, from a young age. I dont know how I got sidetracked. Im doing coding now as a hobby/side job. Eli is bordering on arrogant when he assumes that money is the driving motivation for the guy and when he tells him which line of work to get into. Everyone is different and has different interests in life and careerwise. I think the question was more about are employers going to hire anyone who is 47. People working hard in IT and it not being the shangri la people may think it is are valid points and a stern warning is appropriate but dont tell anyone which conclusion they should come to. Its not necessarily about money, its what you are passionate about.

A few years back I tried to launch an IT career in my mid-40s. I knew it was going to be a real challenge at that age, but I thought I could do it. I spent a lot of time and energy on it over a period of more than a year. I learned a lot, but ended up realizing it was not likely to work for me as a career. One thing that was not mentioned here is the age discrimination people will face in almost any field, but which is probably more intense in IT than in many others. (Think of Mark Zuckerberg's comment about younger people simply being more intelligent than older ones.) I have since transitioned into a totally different field in which I am self-employed. That is going well.

I'm 34 about to go in computer information systems & technology

You are the type of guy I need to give me advice.

I doubt you will find any successful person, in any career, that would say they are not in a "tough, demanding, brutal career".

I think I'm too old to start learning skills and get into a career at 25. If you think this sounds stupid it sounds equally so when I hear anyone else ask this question. It's always too late, and it's always never too late. It's sort of like when people say "am I better than _____ in _____". Yes and no; there is always someone better and someone worse. If you WANT to do it then do it. I think these questions stem from the idea that we don't really know if we WANT something, and you can only know if you want something if it's something you are already familiar with.

Eli. What about for older people who just want to work hard? A lot of older people might want to go into IT, knowing it will be a lot of hard work... dont know how practical it would be seeing as you need money for retirement and that shit. but, when i was at college i worked in a adult-learner IT center thing in my college and we taught people from the public (age 20s-60s) and the older people picked stuff up evnetually. The older people it took a while to get them round the basics and getting them comfortable with PCs and programs and terminology and stuff.... but Id say you could get most aged 30-50 year olds to a point where they can use technology comfortable on their own. And really, you just need to give them long-term experience with IT and how to use google properly. Now that programming is becoming a standard thing among young people, it is a lot easier to make personalised programs or software within organisations, companies, schools and all sorts. So, maybe this could create a dynamic in some places where you;ve got young programmers creating the software for the older people to use to get tasks and complete whatever needs to be done. Sorry, i ramble

I'm 24 and i just started learning IT. I've been using pc since I was 9 or 10 years old

Yes, people can be heartless. I don't think its just IT though, I think its honestly management. IT management or not, a lot of them have no feelings at all. I think its part of the requirement to become a manager you have to tear out your own heart and turn it in.

I’ve done the medical and there’s too much drama cause you’re dealing with people.. coworkers are worse then the patients

Well that was un motivating lol

Some people don’t find there passions until later in life. I’m 30 almost 31 and I have done construction work on and off for 12 years going back to my high school days. When I was 27 almost 28 years old. I started working as an installer of HVAC systems with my father. Currently I’m taking jobs as they come like construction jobs and so on. My skill set is mostly how not to pass out in 90+ degree weather and get the job done! There is nothing to demolishing work and installing HVAC systems. It is not difficult at all. I don’t hold any of the certificates or licenses, so I just watch when it’s time to charge the system since I don’t have an EPA license, but I do wire up the systems a lot. My point is I’m currently intrigued about getting into the IT field. I don’t believe you need a college degree to get into this field. My father taught me everything about installing HVAC systems and what I know is equivalent to about 2 years of college plus countless hours of certification exams! What’s strange is I learned all this in about 6 months of on the job experience. I Put that knowledge to the test few months ago against a student that has one year of job experience plus 2 years of college and he could not even explain tons of air correctly. I asked him how many tons of air would I need for this many square feet of living space. He started sweating!! Later that day I realized I got 3 years of on the job experience versus his 2 years in the classroom plus his 1 year experience. Who has more experience? Now onto the IT field. Strange enough and everyone that reads this. If you have ever took apart a computer or repaired multiple computer systems? You already have some experience in the IT field. You don’t need a college degree. Just put yourself out there and go for it. especially if your passionate about it.

I'm 41 and I'm thinking about going into this. Spent my 20's in the military and 30's working miscellaneous above minimum wage jobs that kind of got the bills paid. But not much else. Worked towards a bachelors in CJ that hasn't panned out because no-one will touch me due to no experience. Yes even the jobs that advertised as "no experience required, entry-level". I sometimes think no experience is just as bad as a felony conviction. I'd get into the medical field like my parents and my 100 or so cousins except I don't like hospitals and I simply cannot imagine myself in it. Also, aren't those types of jobs more physically demanding (generally speaking)? I know some aren't, like medical billing. IT strikes me as something that's in demand, practical, and pays decent enough. And I'm willing to learn new changes to the business. Hopefully I can succeed and it's not too late in life to finally figure things out. Gave my sons two bits of advice: you HAVE to figure out what you want to be the early in life otherwise you may struggle. And there is ZERO rush to get married, if ever.

I am 33 starting to get my finances license in NJ. am an IT and web developer and graphic designer, I love it but the competition is just stupid, companies hire any teen from high school lose their budget so by the time I meet them they have a bad experience. I will still try to grow in the field but this area is tight.

I laugh super hard at getting into medical. As a nurse at 34 I'm trying to get into tech. I'll work 70+ hours for 60k and that involved 12-14 hour days and being on call and short staffing. Nah fam, medical is a calling but its not always the most lucrative.

We never got a minute off on 9/11. During Hurricane Katrina (literally in the middle when everything that didn't float away was blown away) I was threatened with my job by not 1, not 2, but THREE different people if I could not get the New Orleans servers back up. I have worked in IT for 25 years now. I get treated worse than the guy who makes your Big Mac and forgot to hold the pickles The pay is laughable and stagnate. I agree, I would go into anything medical. I have 3 friends who have left IT to go into medical and they were 35, 39 and 41 when they did. That should tell you something.

wow I know I'm late to this party being it is now 2016 vs 2015. Eli, I have to agree about questioning ones reasons at his age for wanting to get into the industry. However, my gripe has to do with online schooling. I'm afraid I have to disagree. I am in fact a graduate of an online school where I earned my associates followed by a bachelor's degree in information technology with my focus on infosec. while you are right about the self dedication one has to make to attend classes the discussion is a bit different. now I cannot vouch for every university but I can for 2 different ones. in both of those schools each class has multiple weekly discussion in a forum setting discussing the topics of that week. the facilitator "professor" also participates in the discussions. So while it is not as it is in a live setting in real time, it is still put out and is part of your weekly participation grade. Also in my bachelor's program we also has to participate in team projects for the course. This was in addition to the regular participation. Each week was an addition to the previous week and focused on what was being discussed that week. The overall grade for each person was dependant upon the work put in by everyone in the team thus if someone didn't pull their weight the remainder of the team either picked up the slack or even if it wasn't possible the whole team lost points or failed due to it. Much along the lines of what you preach you simply do the work and get the job done. As it turns out I am a recent graduate with my graduation date being in November of 2015. So this I do believe still has some bit of relevance. I'm sorry this is so long but I felt that it should be mentioned.

What about ciso, cloud sales, or junior web app penetration tester?

El is so right. I've been in It from 1984, the first thing if you are going to be a tech of any sort you have to be really good at it and it's a mindset, I'm good a dealing with customers and love that side of things which is maybe unusual for a tech, but you really do have to have the slightly autism side of things if you want to be a real tech. also you need to be aware that often you have to be available 24 hours a day. I recently did 4 years of being on call 24 by 7 365 days of the year for 5 years getting calls 5 days our 2 to 3 timed a night. it really is not an easy way to earn a living.

As a past 47 year old wall street commodities trader who changed to the IT field yes the culture is all type A personality's. At first you will probably start out as a contractor short term assignments low pay and very interesting managers and co-workers. Just deal with it but as you gain experience both industry and certifications you will succeed.

My man just said there's no future in technology ...

The most common person that starts IT (IMO) late is someone that already has the mind for it from another technical profession, begins tinkering, then accidentally finds himself involved in it. My mechanic shocked me with how much he knew. It was pretty cool. You can try to get into it from scratch, but it would be pretty tough. You still have a good shot at being better then some of the people I've seen in IT who have been terrible at it their whole lives.

If you are really passionate about what you want to achieve, go for it.

Yeah I agree with Eli , I don't prefer online school

Same here, been in construction all my life, nao at 44 im 2 years into an IT degree, with a focus on software engineering, because im tired of being a pack mule.

First time I heard anyone advising people to go into healthcare

Eli, your argument is that it is too tough to work for a company. In another video, you said at 38 you can still work 16 hr days, so a slight discrepancy depending on how fit this guy is. Tho I will add that sitting for 16 hrs a day at a computer will kill you by 60 anyway. How do you feel about a 47 year old starting his own business or freelancing? Really depends what financial goals the person has too I suspect.

Lmao technology is brutal but being a nurse and changing adult diapers isn’t? ROLMAFO.

Pretty sure nurses, doctors, etc didn’t get any time off to be sad over 9/11...some of them were probably so busy they didn’t find out about it until after work

As long as you have no problems having colleagues or even managers old enough to be your children

Dude I'm turning 41 this July and learning web development

His beard pattern is awesome

You are absolutely correct! I was a 100K software engineer.. got out in 2016 to take care of my parents.. 2019, I am invisible!

Medical? I think it's not easy to go through med school and a phd starting at 47.... I Also you think doctors and nurses are all rainbows or sunshine? :P

I don't know why yo u consider "IT" as only a system support type of job. IT, to me, is an umbrella term for all computer related fields. Information technology as opposed to Telecommunication Technology (phones, TV etc) covers: Software Engineering, Database Admin, ERP development and Admin, Application Development, Web development. May be this guy just want to do something different in his life like you did with yours. Don't discourage people. Anyone can switch their careers to IT if that is what they want to do. There is a huge need of very good IT professionals.

Hmm, interesting video and great to hear your thoughts...somewhat. However, at 47 if you're eagerness and patience allows you to move forward in a direction that your are passionate about, I say go for it!!! Medical is not an easy field and it takes years to become a Nurse or Doctor etc., as it does with IT. I don't believe that people want to only get into IT for money. Usually, people switch careers because it's unfulfilled passion. Also, it's amazing how I look at this video now and say,...my have times changed. Seems online school is the way of life these days. The way you learn depends on your drive and online school does not require watching a video lecture.....it requires reading, lots of reading and research. As, I studied software engineer, the youth should learn coding as well financial mgmt (THAT WOULD BE GREAT.) Meanwhile, TECH is changing the world and everyone needs to be on board, in some shape form or fashion.

I have been in IT industry since mid 80's, I am completely fed up of it... I am looking for a change.. I am 51 years old, Not sure what I should be looking for? I have seen quite a few IT people start up or buy small cafés(coffee shops) or small bars/pubs. Any suggestions?

I'm not a geek can I still get into IT.