When people hear that I started over in software engineering at 40, they usually have questions. “Wasn’t it too late?” “How did you learn to code?” “Did you go back to school for it?”
The short answer: it’s never too late, I taught myself, and no CS degree was required. I do have a BS in Business Administration and an MBA — both earned at night while I was still working real estate, and neither one taught me to write a line of code. But the journey was far from straightforward.
The Air Force Foundation
My professional journey started in 1994 when I enlisted in the United States Air Force. Serving in the Honor Guard and Security Forces taught me discipline, attention to detail, and the importance of showing up every single day. Those three years shaped my work ethic more than any job since.
Building a Real Estate Career
After the military, I spent about 15 years actively practicing real estate—first in San Antonio, then Georgetown, Texas. I earned my broker’s license in 2004, built client relationships, and learned the art of negotiation. (When you see 20+ years attached to my name elsewhere, that’s counting from the license in 2004. The 15 is the stretch I was actually selling.) It was a good career, but something was missing.
In my spare time, I found myself tinkering with computers, automating spreadsheets, and wondering how software actually worked. What started as curiosity became an obsession.
The Pivot
In 2019, I made a decision that terrified me: I was going to learn to code and change careers.
I started with Python—free courses, YouTube tutorials, documentation. Then I discovered the world of DevOps. Infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration—it felt like solving puzzles all day, and I loved it.
The real estate skills translated more than I expected:
- Client communication → Stakeholder management
- Contract negotiation → Technical discussions with vendors
- Market analysis → Understanding business requirements
- Self-motivation → Remote work discipline
Landing at Dell
After two years of intense self-study and personal projects, I landed a role at Dell Technologies. Today, I work as a Senior Software Engineer focusing on DevOps and Hashicorp Vault at enterprise scale.
Every day I work with:
- Go and Python for tooling
- Kubernetes and Docker for orchestration
- Jenkins and Ansible for CI/CD
- Hashicorp Vault for secrets management
Lessons for Career Changers
If you’re considering a similar path, here’s what I learned:
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Start building immediately. Tutorials are great, but real learning happens when you create things.
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Your past experience is an asset. Every industry teaches transferable skills. Don’t discount them.
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Embrace the discomfort. You’ll feel like an imposter. That’s normal. Keep going.
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Network authentically. LinkedIn, local meetups, online communities—connections matter.
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Be patient but persistent. It took me two years of consistent effort. There are no shortcuts.
Looking Forward
Years into this second career, I’m more energized about the work than ever. The tech industry rewards curiosity and continuous learning—exactly the mindset that got me here in the first place.
If you’re considering a career change into tech, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to share what worked for me.
