30-year-old non-CS major seeking honest advice on getting a developer job
Hi. I'm 30 and started learning programming as a non-CS major about 6 months ago. I've been focusing on Java and Spring, but people around me keep saying it's 'too late.' In the real world, does age matter a lot when hiring junior developers? If I work hard on my portfolio and GitHub, do I have a chance? I'd appreciate your honest advice.
7 answers
To be honest, age isn't completely ignored, but these days there are quite a few non-major new hires in their 30s. With 6 months of Spring experience, you have the basics, but it's important to include portfolio projects that show real service-like experience from planning to deployment. Keep making consistent commits on GitHub and try completing at least one side project. The best time to start is when you think it's too late.
I also started as a non-major at age 32 and got into an SI company within a year. I've been rejected because of my age, but in the end, they hire people who show skill and passion. Dig deeper into Spring Boot and JPA, and try adding features like login and payment integration, not just a simple CRUD bulletin board. There's plenty of potential.
If you're a non-CS major at 30, people around you might say 'it's too late.' But in the industry, I often see new hires in their early 30s. What really matters isn't age, but 'why you want to become a developer' and 'how prepared you are.' It's a plus if you can talk in interviews about how you overcame the disadvantage of being a non-CS major.
I also started at 29, and now I'm in my third year. Honestly, the first year was really tough, but once I added projects with actual user feedback to my portfolio, the level of interest changed. If you get into the habit of writing test code while studying Spring, it's a plus in interviews. Keep it up!
It's not too late at 30. Last year, a 34-year-old non-major newbie joined our team and is adapting well now. Just don't focus only on Spring—also brush up on basic CS knowledge (data structures, networking). This is often a weak point for non-majors in interviews, so it can help you stand out.
When hiring juniors in the field, we look more at 'growth potential' than age. Consistently posting on GitHub, contributing to open source, or running a tech blog leaves a good impression. If you're 30, there's actually an expectation that you'll work responsibly with your experience, so have confidence.
I started at 31 and now I'm in my second year. At first, I was really scared. But once I actually tried it, I found there were plenty of colleagues from non-CS backgrounds, and my age never felt like a barrier. Emphasize in your portfolio 'why you built it and what problem it solved.' Sometimes the design intent matters more than the tech stack.