
Ask HN: Advice to switch careers from aero eng to software programming remotely? - magnamerc
I have an aerospace engineering degree and I work as a structural engineer in the aviation industry, but I want to switch careers into software programming remotely. I have some programming experience (mainly C++ for computational fluid dynamics analysis) and I&#x27;m fairly knowledgeable with computers. Other languages I&#x27;ve dabbled briefly in are JavaScript and Python.<p>The biggest thing that attracts me to working remotely is the flexibility to live anywhere, and set my own working hours. I also very much enjoy working with software. I&#x27;m just at a total loss on how to even begin to switch careers at this point, and I&#x27;m not particularly fond of spending more money on schooling. Any advice would be very appreciated!
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lelabo_42
I don't know if you plan on going freelance remotely or having a standard
position, but I would recommend you to either:

1 - pick one language you like/fill strong with, play with it and train a bit
(like 2-4 weeks) and then go seeking new jobs with this language as your main
skills.

It will allow you to discover the job of developer and help you gain knowledge
on what you will have to learn (languages, frameworks, etc). You will also be
able to see what position you like: front-end, back-end, dev-ops, data, etc.

2 - pick one field you are strong with, search for what technologies you will
have to learn. Again, train with these for 2-4 weeks. Go seeking a new
contract.

For both, I will recommend to be humble and pick the first job as junior-
junior dev. Explain your situation. The first one may not be a remote
contract, as you are not trustworthy yet.

In one year (if you are good and serious about it, 2-3 years if you have more
troubles), you should have enough knowledge to be able to train with any
technologies and adapt quickly to new fields of application.

