Career change at 32

By jahaa jahaa Points: 0 | Level: Starter | Status: [Member]
Posted on: 5/20/2010 2:31:48 PM | Views: 8425
I AM 32 AND CHEMISTRY HONS GRADUATE. I DID GRADUATION IN 2002. NOW I M DOING MS .NET PROGRAMMING. FROM C-DAC WHICH IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR NON-COMPUTER SCIENCE OR IT STREAM STUDENTS. I AM DOING THIS COURSE TO JOIN SOFTWARE INDUSTRIES.

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WILL BE MY CAREER AFTER DOING THIS COURSE FROM C-DAC?
CAN I JOIN SOFTWARE FIELD?
WITHOUT BCA/MCA OR BSC-IT/MSC-IT COMPANY WILL HIRE ME?
WILL I BE A SOFT WARE DEVELOPER?
CAN I GO FOR INTERVIEW IN ANY SOFTWARE COMPANY?
SEND ME YOUR ANSWER TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS IF POSSIBLE ................
parwez_aalam@yahoo.co.in

THANKS
Parwez Alam

Sainath's Advice on Sunday, May 30, 2010 :
Hi,

I have observed people from the Chemistry field migrate to IT over a period of time. While I do not know the exact reason - I assume it is possibly due to the better opportunities available. Usually, by design, as human beings we tend to embrace change only when the pain of the present status quo is greater than the pain of change. So in a way it is good that you have decided to go for this change.Let's analyze the whole situation:

Payoffs
  • Better opportunities for financial and career growth
  • Overall a better life

Costs
  • Please treat the C-DAC course only as a start. Whichever course you do, for becoming a software developer you will need to go through the grind of coding for long hours on production class projects. And practicing hard in your available free time.
  • Making the change at 32 is not a problem as this is not a field like sports involving physical strength. But you will need to really master the skills of programming over a period of time.
  • You will need to start off small - taking up programming jobs in small to medium size companies. And you will need to be patient, persistent and selectively deaf to people's comments.Inevitably, there will be people who will come and share their expert comments - but when you analyze their own lives you will seldom see them having achieved much. Be careful whom you place on your board of advisers - they should only be people who themselves are already at a point on the success journey where you would like to reach.
As someone has said "If you want to soar with the eagles, don't scratch with the chickens."

  • Listen to the advice of people who will build you up and bring out the best in you - not the so-called well meaning people who will just say "It won't work", "It's too late", "You're too old" which is a lot of garbage. Look around carefully, you will find so many people, even in the sports field who have defied the "too old" theory.

  • At 32, Linford Chritistie won the 100m Gold at the Olympics
  • At age 40, Merlene Ottey won the 100m bronze medal at the Olympics. She barely missed qualifying for the 2008 Olympics at age 48
  • At age 37, Lance Armstrong staged a successful comeback and came 3rd in probably the most grueling sports event, the Tour De France.
  • At age 37, Sachin continues to play the best cricket of his life.

A common factor among these people - their belief in themselves was greater than anyone's else's opinions about them. Secondly, they were willing to put themselves through the pain of training - it's no different in software.

"I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level."
   - Diana Nyad, swimmer

Take it 1 step at a time - Step 1: Complete the CDAC course. Step 2: Develop skills / specialization in an area where there is high demand and less supply Step 3: Get that 1st break
Step 4: Get a better break after ensuring that there is nothing more to learn in the current job.

All of this will take time, genuine effort and consistency. And expect the maximum resistance at the beginning. This is true of any human endeavor - it's like this, the maximum fuel is burnt when a spaceship is attempting take-off. Once it has reached a certain altitude in the atmosphere, relatively less energy is required. Similarly, the maximum effort, energy, patience will be required in the initial couple of years after which you will get habituated to the demands of the field.

Software companies will start considering your resume only after you have the relevant experience to prove your skills - so this will take some time. But trust me, if you are consistent and persist long enough, you will have enough options as you will have become a much tougher person by then.

All said and done, the decision is yours and yours alone, no one else can commit on your behalf.My only effort has been to clarify the challenges that lie ahead - the price to pay is huge as you can see, but the success is also there for the taking.

Regards,

Sainath Sherigar,
www.ugain.info




Jahaa said on Sunday, May 30, 2010


Thanks a lot, your advice is priceless for me.
Please answer once again.
Can I join software field without doing BCA/MCA/IT

Sainath's Advice on Sunday, May 30, 2010 :
I'll put it this way. I personally know B.com graduates who have made it to companies like Microsoft, Dell,Bank of America. It is possible but as I mentioned, it takes time and consistent effort. Decide once and for all, don't allow doubt to enter your mind midway (don't indulge in daily decision making - "will it happen?" kind of thinking) , just decide to make it happen somehow.

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