Im 33, I live in Mexico and I want to switch careers as I just realized that programming is what I would like to do for the rest of my life.
I'm planning to:
-Study a 4 year bachelor's degree in computer science.
-Help/contribute for free with projects for local software companies.
-Learn/write code at least 15-20 hours every week while I get my degree.
-Perfect my english along the way.
-Do some personal software projects.
-Once I get my degree and have some money saved, apply to Harvard Extension School and get a
MLA in Information Technology with concentration in software development (online mostly, 2 summers in boston are mandatory though).
-Study really really hard to get good/better than average notes along the journey.
-Once I get my MLA, look for those US companies which hire software developers from Mexico
(staying here would mean getting paid like US$1500 a month for the rest of my life no matter how good I am compared to the US$6000 they usually offer in the US to good Mexican developers ).
-Get hired and move with my wife and little girl.
-Work really hard, be a good teammate, be responsible and get the job nicely done for my employer, and be loyal in order to be successful.
-Be a good citizen, be an asset to the country and not a liability.
-Offer a better future to my wife and daughter, while i'm doing what I love to do.
By the time Im really good and start searching for real paid work in the US as an experienced programmer (im mexican and I live in Mexico) I'll be 40... Is it difficult to be hired in the US software industry as a good programmer at that age?
Am I missing something?
Thanks a lot for the advice.
I'm planning to:
-Study a 4 year bachelor's degree in computer science.
-Help/contribute for free with projects for local software companies.
-Learn/write code at least 15-20 hours every week while I get my degree.
-Perfect my english along the way.
-Do some personal software projects.
-Once I get my degree and have some money saved, apply to Harvard Extension School and get a
MLA in Information Technology with concentration in software development (online mostly, 2 summers in boston are mandatory though).
-Study really really hard to get good/better than average notes along the journey.
-Once I get my MLA, look for those US companies which hire software developers from Mexico
(staying here would mean getting paid like US$1500 a month for the rest of my life no matter how good I am compared to the US$6000 they usually offer in the US to good Mexican developers ).
-Get hired and move with my wife and little girl.
-Work really hard, be a good teammate, be responsible and get the job nicely done for my employer, and be loyal in order to be successful.
-Be a good citizen, be an asset to the country and not a liability.
-Offer a better future to my wife and daughter, while i'm doing what I love to do.
By the time Im really good and start searching for real paid work in the US as an experienced programmer (im mexican and I live in Mexico) I'll be 40... Is it difficult to be hired in the US software industry as a good programmer at that age?
Am I missing something?
Thanks a lot for the advice.