40 year old is too late to learn programming language?

Hello folks,

Just I am wondering if 40 year old is too late to learn any programming languages?

Comments

[Cécile Lebleu]

I might be too young to have a solid opinion on this, but from what I’ve seen around here, the general consensus is that it’s never “too old” to learn anything related to programming, and I agree.
Programming is personally my second career. I started learning seriously at 21-22. I had the same thoughts, “maybe it’s too late for me”, especially after reading about people who started in their teens or even before that. Some people started at 10 or 11 years old! That is unbelievable, but the code they make isn’t necessarily better than the code from people who started later in life. Just as there are kids playing around with JavaScript in their free time, there are people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, even beyond, who leave their careers as chefs, teachers, parents, anything, take on FreeCodeCamp and turn their lives around.

There are many posts discussing this, especially conversations related to impostor syndrome: the general feeling that you’re “too this” or “not enough that” to be as good as “them”, and the fear and anxiety that comes with it. But in reality, when you put in the time and effort, you become a programmer, simple, no matter the age or location or path that takes you there.

Programming is available to anyone who wants to learn it. Countless free resources (courses! books! videos! articles! documentation!) are just sitting there, waiting for people like you or me to learn them. So just start and see what you like, what’s in demand, and find your favorite spot in the community. (Just remember to take frequent breaks to care for your health and avoid burnout!)

Best of luck! 👍🏻