What's it like switching careers into tech in your mid-30s in Singapore without a CS degree?

Question

I'm 34, currently in logistics, quite jaded. Thinking of doing a bootcamp or self-learning to break into tech. Is it realistic at my age here or am I dreaming, especially with all the layoffs news?

Auntie Rosnah Kampung · Accepted Answer

I made the jump at 36 from a marketing role into a data analyst position, no CS degree, self-taught SQL and Python over about 14 months while still working. The honest reality is the first door is the hardest, I sent out maybe 80 applications and got ghosted by most because I had no track record. What broke it open was building actual projects with real data and doing a contract role first to get the line on my resume, then the full-time offer came. It's realistic but not the fairytale the bootcamps sell, budget for a year of grinding and probably a pay cut initially before you climb back up.

Startup Founder Nadia · Answer

Real talk, the market now is nothing like the 2021 hiring frenzy. Companies got pickier and the entry-level roles are flooded with laid-off juniors. It's still doable but go in clear-eyed, the bootcamp-to-100k-in-6-months story is basically dead lah.

Tiger Mum Serene · Answer

Age was less of an issue than I feared, but you have to lean on your prior experience as an advantage not hide it. I moved into a product role and my years of domain knowledge in insurance made me more valuable than a fresh grad who could code but understood nothing about the business. Frame your career switch as adding tech to your domain, not starting from zero.

FinBro Darren · Answer

I'd say don't fully quit before you land something. I know a guy who resigned to study full-time, ran down his savings, then the market turned and he was stuck. Grind on the side while keeping your income, less romantic but far safer.

Uncle Lim Taxi · Answer

Consider a SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme or the TechSkills Accelerator conversion tracks, some come with actual employer placement rather than just a cert. The government-linked ones with hiring partners beat random paid bootcamps for career switchers our age.

What's it like switching careers into tech in your mid-30s in Singapore without a CS degree?

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