Member Avatar for MidLifer

I'm hoping some people here might be able to give me some advice on computer careers. I'm in my late 30's and considering a career change from architecture into IT. I honestly don't know a lot about the IT world, but from the research I've done I feel that possible avenues of interest for me might be DIS, systems analyst, infosec, health informatics or webmaster. My main reason for switching careers is that I'm looking for a profession that has high stability and job opportunities.

Here are my questions:

1) Are there certain areas of IT that are more stable than others? And is programming the only area facing a significant threat to overseas outsourcing?

2) Would entering the field in my early 40's be a major disadvantage? Is age discrimination a problem in IT?

3) What is the best route for education and training? I'm assuming I would need a bachelor's or masters, but is there a faster route that is still respected by employers, yet still pays very well?

4) What are the pro's and con's of IT careers?

Thanks in advance to those willing to take a few minutes and offer their advice.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by payalmittalmay

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A concise, practical guide for a mid-career move from architecture into IT that answers the four questions raised by and builds on points made by , , , and . The focus is on realistic, verifiable steps: which IT areas tend to hold value, how to overcome age-related hiring friction, fast but respected training routes, and a short action plan to start getting paid work.

Stable areas and outsourcing risk: roles tied to business risk, regulation, or physical infrastructure are generally steadier — cybersecurity, cloud and infrastructure (server administration/DevOps), site reliability, healthcare IT and government systems. Commodity tasks (basic helpdesk, simple templating or purely repetitive coding) are easier to offshore. Programming itself is not uniformly at risk: product-focused developers, full-stack/DevOps engineers, data engineers and roles that need domain knowledge or client-facing skills are harder to outsource. ’s server-admin suggestion fits the lower-risk side of this spectrum.

Age and education: age alone is not a disqualifier, but evidence of current hands-on skills matters. Translate architecture strengths (project management, specs, client liaison, spatial/data modeling) into IT language on a resume. A bachelor’s helps for some employers, but faster, respected paths include focused bootcamps, community-college programs, and vendor certs combined with demonstrable projects. Targeted certifications (entry networking, Linux, cloud fundamentals or security basics) plus a portfolio of real work will often open doors faster than another long degree.

Pros/cons and a simple 90-day plan: pros — good pay in niches, variety, transferability of soft skills; cons — constant learning, competitive entry-level market, occasional bias. Practical start:

  • 30 days: pick a track (infrastructure, web, infosec, health informatics), learn fundamentals (Linux, basic networking, Git).
  • 60 days: complete 1–2 hands-on projects or labs and publish them (GitHub); earn an entry cert or bootcamp capstone.
  • 90 days: network (LinkedIn, local meetups), apply for entry/contract roles, and leverage any architecture contacts for domain-specific IT openings (construction, BIM, facilities or healthcare IT).

Local demand and steady demonstration of competence are the decisive factors.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for skilly

the IT field is saturated, just like all the other careers, it has a lot to do with business and reputation and money and who you know

Member Avatar for TomH.PG

It would likely be very tough to break in to a programming role at 40+ without having many years experience prior.

Member Avatar for PepperAdmi

Server Administration will be a stream you can possibly look into just like us. :)

Member Avatar for Netcode

The IT sector to my best of knowledge is independent of age. All what is required of you is to get the job done and done well. I don't know your likes on computer based on areas whether programming or networking or hardware and etc. But i would advice you keep yourself inclined with what you feel you can do best in the IT world. If you feel you can do some repairs, then move on with it and get to the best you can.

The IT sector is also saturated but the fun thing is that its dynamic and things keep changing and improving. There's no end to technology so everyone is welcome on board. All that is required of you is to KNOW YOUR STUFF

Member Avatar for payalmittalmay

There is no matter about age if you want to make career in IT field.But as you told that you have no more idea about IT field then make a career in IT field is very typical because at first you need to learn about computer terminology and more about computer.IT field is very good field for making career.But you can make acareer in IT field by doing any 6 month computer course or you can also take advice from career coach.

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