In search of some inspirational older coding trailblazers

16th March 2024

This article follows on from a previous post where I wrote about my reasons for learning HTML and CSS.

With the the decision to learn to build a website made, it was now time to move on and to do some research. Understanding what learning web development would entail would be crucial. I was asking myself questions such as: What would I need to learn in order to build a website? Where is the best place to learn this stuff and roughly how long would it take? Most importantly, was I capable of learning this stuff?

Before embarking on any new project, I usually turn all my attention into trying to understand more about the subject before I invest either my time or energy into it. I don't get involved in anything that I do not understand. Instead, I take some time to learn about it and understand the basics before I make any decisions - a kind of risk assessment. I want to know all the ins and outs but what I really want to know before I start investing my time is - what are my chances of success and achieving my goal?

Making the decision to embrace change or just deciding to venture into something new always has an element or risk attached to it. At my age and stage of life, I don't have the same luxuries of time and energy I had when I was younger. Instead, I have to be efficient and choose my battles wisely. I can't win everything and neither do I have the time and energy to take on every challenge. So I have to pick the ones I believe I have the most chance of being successful or at least get some kind of net gain from the experience of learning or doing it.

I needed to find some examples of older people who learned to code. I needed to know how they did it; the route they took and the roles they filled once they had learned enough. Another really important factor to consider was to find out whether I could realistically accomplish what they accomplished. Could I achieve what they achieved and what would the rewards for success be? Would it be possible for someone of my age to gain employment and make a living from coding?

After searching around online for a while, I soon discovered that there were not many examples of older trailblazers. As I mentioned on the LTCAF website, I found many sources that stated it was possible to learn at any age. This advice either came from younger programmers or older programmers around my age who had been in tech for decades.

In the months that followed, I did a lot of searching for inspiration and guidance. There were four stories that stood out to me that I can remember. I know this because I saved them on my browser and Youtube account.

Three of them were trailblazers and one was an article which stated that it was possible to learn HTML & CSS and make a living from some low hanging fruit with just those two skills.

I will begin with the oldest of the trailblazers and work my way backwards. Wakamiya Masako's story was the first story I encountered and she is not only the oldest person in this article, but her story is the least documented.

Currently, 84 years old, Masaka began coding at 81 and she didn't even use a laptop until she was 58. She learned enough to build an app and this served me up some good inspirations. She works with other senior citizens in her country of Japan and helps the older generation to engage with technology.

The short video I found of her was on a Youtube channel called, 'Great Big Story' and is titled, 'After Learning to Code at 81, She Made a Game for Fellow Seniors'.

At the time, I think I may have run Masaka's name through Google a few times to find out more about her but I can't remember if I found anything. But while searching for an image for this post, I found that Masaka appeared in many articles from many different media and news outlets from all around the world.

Wakamiya Masako's story didn't prove to be a catalyst for me to push on and start learning even though she's achieved a lot. But, what she did do was to set the bar high and give me that, 'if she can do it…' thought in my head.

At that time, I had no idea how difficult it was to build an app or even if Masaka had any help or knew a few short cuts. All I know is that she had built an app and was also educating others at the age of 84. That's pretty awesome and a hard act to follow in regards to achievements.

This next trailblazer had the greatest influence on me due to some background similarities. Craig Wadding's story was the one that stood out and it really gave me the impetus to pursue and push on with this challenge.

Craig was coming from a non-tech industry but had set a goal of learning web development in his spare time. He was taking the steps necessary to learn and succeed by building websites for friends and family.

This was what I needed to hear. Someone around my age coming from a non-tech background who actually had a strategy to learn web development and was practising and honing these skills by building sites for friends and family.

Craig told his story on Joshua Fluke's channel. The interview with Craig is titled, 'Learning' Code at 45, is it possible? - Developer Stories'.

Craig had the same questions I was currently trying to find answers to. He also found that there wasn't much information out there regarding older people learning to code.

During the interview, Craig had some advice for other learners and was right when he said, "if you want to make improvements in your life, then you have to take the first steps yourself." He went on to say that you need to figure out what it is you want to do and how you will do it by asking lots of questions.

When I heard this, it resonated with me because that is exactly what I was currently experiencing. I was pretty much experiencing his experiences, only a few years later.

Joshua Fluke's channel does have some follow up videos on Craig, so please go andcheck them out.

If Craig's story served as a guide on a possible route to learning web development - then my next influencer / trailblazer was proof of what could be achieved when you reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Ken was 45 when he got back into tech and he got his first job and now he is a lead developer. He is also the dad of the developer and Youtuber Kenny Gunderman's.

There are a couple of videos of Kenny interviewing his dad Ken, which have proved to be very popular. At the time, only the first video titled, 'How He Became a Developer at 45 | Old Programmer' was out and this was the one I watched.

Ken took the long route to becoming a developer. In the video, he explains that in the early 80s, he studied data processing but wanted to become a data scientist. Then life took him one way and later he returned to follow his heart and become a software developer.

Judging by all the comments on Craig and Ken's stories (which there are many), goes to prove that there are many older people (and people of all ages) thinking about learning to code as well as many who are going through the process of learning to code.

This has led nicely into my final influence which informed me about what other options could be on the horizon if I was successful in learning this stuff.

I read this next blog post after a Google search regarding the realistic possibility of gaining employment as an older person in web development.

I began this journey wanting to build a website for personal reasons but I will admit that I did start to dream a little. Maybe I could start to look over the horizon and see what's there; it wouldn't hurt, would it? I've always been a bit of a dreamer but perhaps it was time to settle down and begin a career.

Of course there was plenty of uncertainty with some big ifs and buts and a dose of trepidation on my part. All of this was related to whether I could actually learn this stuff and would I be able to reach the level required to find employment. The fear aspect was not the learning but of going into a tech working environment as an inexperienced older person coming from a non-tech background.

As I researched this challenge, I was always realistic about the possible outcome. Furthermore, I am fully aware of my age and limitations. I understand that life is tough and so is the world of employment. Employers do not and cannot afford to carry passengers and like most industries - the tech industry is results and performance based.

I discovered this blog post written by Cameron Chapman and published on the Skillcrush website which went someway to reassuring me and providing me with some alternative options to earn from coding.

This was super helpful for someone like me who may not poccess all the skills required to be employed as a developer. It pointed out alternative options to earn money through coding even if you are not the most knowledgeable or experienced. But, this comes with a few conditions and a word of warning attached.

The blog is titled, 'These Are The Jobs You Can Get With Just HTML And CSS'. It is encouraging but also realistic at the same time. There are opportunities out there to gain paid work and experience from some low hanging fruit by only knowing HTML & CSS. But, of course Cameron does state that it's better to know a little more.

She listed some roles where knowing HTML & CSS would be an advantage. These were not all developer jobs but rather roles where knowing HTML & CSS would be a useful and a complimantary skills. She also encouraged the practice of gaining experience by building simple sites for friends and family. It was definitely a good piece of advice and it was also something that Craig was doing.

It was super useful to know about other options if you only possess knowledge of HTML & CSS. Furthermore, it illustrated a kind of safety net; if I couldn't reach the dizzy heights of a full time developer then there may be other chances in a different industry.

These were the examples that I found before I set sail on the ocean of web development. They were all I needed and enough to convince me that I could do it and to go for it. How far I got and the time scale it would take to get there were different questions and ones that wouldn't be answered until I was deep into uncharted territory.

I'd like to say thanks and give props to the guys for telling their stories for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm grateful to them for documenting their experiences, so people like me to discover and learn from them. And secondly, they have highlighted the potential of older people and demonstrated that you can learn and grow at any age.

In addition to the learning, they have displayed the importance of initiative and what can be achieved with perseverance. I found this to be reassuring and make challenge of learning programming knowling achievable - it encouraged me to pursue my goal.

While the stories served me up some much needed inspiration, they didn't show me how they learned it or the sources they used. That lack of detail is what I was also looking for and something that I thought may aid my learning.

For that reason, I made the decision to document the beginning of my journey and my experiences regarding the process of learning of HTML & CSS. My intention was to fill in a few more of the details in the hope that it helps others and it is one of the reasons why I built the LTCAF website.

And, if you're reading this, then it may also be the reason you are considering learning web development yourself and are asking yourself the same questions we all did.

I hope this post helps in some way and I do hope that it has encouraged you to begin a journey of your own. You are never too old or too out of practice to learn something. I am writing about web development but remember - learning is learning. The skill of learning can be applied to anything. So just go for it. You never know where it may lead you. And, if you're like me, you would have found an awesome hobby to occupy your freetime.

Thanks for reading

LTCAF