
Three years for a Career Change. How to do it - JABedford
Hello all,<p>I find myself in a decent, above average paid job in the construction industry, but doing work that I don&#x27;t enjoy.<p>I have a background in web-design and used to create websites in HTML(mainly downloadable templates) and Wordpress for gaming teams as a young teenager for pocket money. I studied computer science at college, and fully intended to go into a career as a web or game developer. However, this never came to fruition, and whilst working my way up the career ladder, I have strayed ever further from what I originally wanted to do.<p>I have made the decision, to aim for a career change in the next three years to something I enjoy to do. I enjoy both the front and back end of development so to speak, so I want to try and cover as much as I can in this time. I have a strong, albeit fairly basic, knowledge of Python which I am expanding upon, and a good knowledge of HTML&#x2F;CSS, if it is a little rusty.<p>My questions are:<p>1) To gain experience over the next three years, I want to try to do some jobs that I can put down on a portfolio. Freelancing is obviously the best option, and something that I can try to fit around my current work schedule. Should I focus more specifically on Python freelancing, or creating websites for cash? Is there decent money to be made? Would it be possible to essentially work for a company as a &quot;part-time&quot; contract, doing smaller jobs than they would pay employees or is that not something that happens?<p>2) Is there any value in gaining qualifications specifically for this field? I notice udacity.com do a &quot;nanodegree&quot; in full-stack developing. Is this worth the money, or is it a waste of time?<p>Many thanks for any advice in advance.
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brudgers
In my opinion, the best option for changing careers is to get a job in the new
field. Freelancing is an option to the degree a person has a rollodex full of
potential qualified leads or the skill set necessary to build one quickly.

That said, there is nothing objectively wrong with doing something as a hobby.
Maybe it turns into a profession. Maybe it doesn't. If it is an enjoyable way
to spend non-working hours, go for it.

Good luck.

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JSeymourATL
Are there any studios based in your local market? It might be interesting to
reach out to them directly. Good read here on this subject -

 _From bedroom coders to 200-strong teams with multimillion-dollar budgets
there is a vast array of opportunities in the video game industry. We ask 15
insiders about the best ways in_ >
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/20/how-to-
ge...](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/20/how-to-get-into-the-
games-industry-an-insiders-guide)

