New Member, new coder, first question

Career change at 62?

[Fletchdad]

I am new here, and new to everything to do with this forum, so please bear with me if I stray blindly past obvious answers in my later naive questions… I also have no idea if this is the right sub-forum for this, if not, please advise. Thanks in advance.

I will tell a short story about who I am, and why I am here. Any constructive advice - and hard reality wake up calls - welcome.

I am 62 years old. Married, 2 kids (28 and 18). American, live now in Bavaria. I have worked professionally as a musician since I was 20. Had good, albeit, minor success. I was in the first German late night television show as one of my high points. Ran a recording studio for many years as a composer and producer of film music. Toured and on and on. I had a good run and I still play as one of two main jobs.

Second job: Around 2012, long story, I started tour guiding. I built this up as a side business but by 2018 I was considering no longer taking weddings or such gigs as a musician (I am not a fan of playing weddings… but that is another story) because I had so much work as a tour guide. Life was going pretty good.

2020… Both of my jobs no longer exist. No need to go into it, we all know. I am now no longer able to say “Be patient. Your jobs will be back”. No income since February. Patience, and money, have run out…

Now to my point. I am having to keep myself busy, and I needed a website for my band as well as my tour guiding business. (I can provide links but am not sure of link policy here, I am new.) I had time but no income, and websites are expensive, so I thought I will do it myself. As I was doing the websites, I got a bit informed about WordPress. Mainly I know my way around the Elementor pro page builder. I bought the pro version before I know what I was doing cause it sounded good… But I have a subscription for a year now. I use hello theme and El. Pro and have built some pages.

I wanted specific things, like a slider with changing text as a background on my landing page, and the slider stayed absolute when you scrolled down, and I could not do this… Looooong story. I started trying to find out how to do EXACTLY what I want, and not have to use a template. So in my research, I stumbled across coding. I started (very recently so I still know basically nothing) learning HTML, CSS and Java, since I was working with WP, even though I was REALLY working with Elementor page builder.

In my search for how to use code in a couple of CSS pasting in the Elementor editor, I stumbled across info about being in web development as a job…
And that led me here…

I cannot wait for my professions to bounce back. I thought by having 2 jobs I was safe…lol. I am looking for a career change. A bit daunting at my age. My resume? A talented, funny guy who knows loads of Bavarian history and is a mean guitar player with the best stories… Hmmmmm.

So now I am here. I am a hard worker, I have built a number of successful companies over my lifetime, and the main reason any of them eventually stopped was simple logistics of the business. For example, I ran a successful recording and production company, but we mainly lived off of jobs from smaller studios, industry films and such. Eventually, these types of films could start to use computer-generated music that did not need to be registered or had copyright infringement etc… When that work went away, with the changes in software and royalty-free music, so did a lot of studios, like mine. But we had a great run so all was good. My point is I can put my mind to something and do it, and, 62 or not, I believe I still can.

Tl;dr: starts kinda here…
So my naive question: I am thinking of learning all the basics, (like in the freecodecamp Responsive Web Design Certification which seems to be an extensive course in all the basics). And just start there. Can I realistically end up with an income at some point in the not-so-distant future? (Freelance, side income at first, sky's the limit after that....)

I realize if someone came to me and said “I know 5 songs. I can play a C major scale. Can I be working and earning money as a professional musician by next year?”, I would first have to pick myself up off the ground for laughing so hard. But everywhere you look on the net are schools and bootcamps and courses that claim you can be working in a year… I know it cant be easy, and certainly not that easy, but I am a fast learner and a hard worker. I am kinda smart as well. I may NEED a career change.

Is it smart for me to take the next 9 months or year to learn code as well as whatever else I need to know (graphic design, photo editing, of yea, I do that a bit already)? It would only make sense for me to do it if there is a realistic chance of being able to work. I dont really have a few spare years anymore…lol.

A musician is very hampered by being old. That is just a fact of the business. I am only still able to work as much as I do because of my past, but that is drying up, to be honest. My “big” years were all 25-30 years ago. So my future here post COVID will be tricky at best.

A tour guide needs to be physically fit and know – and love – history. I am still both of these, but the business has been eviscerated by COVID. The future of this business, for me, is also very questionable, especially in the near future.

I have the time right now, and I am good with software. I do all my own computer repairs, build them etc, and I take care of my software issues. But I am a hobby guy, so a real layman. But I am not daunted by challenges. So if I learn, and while I learn I take part in a forum like this, just how naive is it for me to think I could make this at least a decent side income at some not all too distant future, provided I am able to learn the “how to do” stuff? I realize this is so very general, as the job descriptions are so varied, but I have to start somewhere…

I am basically referring to website building, maybe wordpress sites but I am open to just about anything, at least to try. I am not looking to be hired by any company. I am thinking freelance website designer or similar, but am open to anything....

Thank you for taking the time, if you got this far. I deeply appreciate it.

[phranque]

welcome to WebmasterWorld [webmasterworld.com], Fletchdad!

[tangor]

@Fletchdad ... glad to have ya! I, too, am/was a pro musician for near sixty years (started early, age 10) ... but covid has made that impossible. Perhaps sanity will return but until then that's a dead gig for live performance.

My "web" stuff started back in the early 1980s, last century, and by 1996 was doing "biz" on the web. Lifting by the bootstraps and learning along the way. Still learning.

One can be a coder and work for others, where certification could be a plus.

One can have a product to market, and code just enough to make that happen.

One can be a creator of content for those who do coding but have no clue on how to create content.

One can be a manager of all of the above (mid-level) and earn a good living.

One can be an investor (if you still have funds to invest) and multiply that into larger investments and so on and so on and so on ...

One can always look at the closed door and sigh, or they can turn left, right or around and find another door to open.

For now there are ways for small biz to sill operate on the web even though the bigger fish are gobbling up all the air in the room at leaps and bounds. Find a niche, find the heart, find as much code as you need to get it started ... or even use a cookie cut CMS like WordPress which has few to no requirements and get started.

Wishing all the best!

[Fletchdad]

@tangor: Thanks for the greeting and kind words.

As I mentioned in my intro post, I am making websites for my band and for my tour guide company. I am using WordPress and a page builder (Elementor, I have a pro subscription for a year). I will post links at some point but I am not sure if, as a new member, I am allowed... Need to read those TOS. But anyway, that's what got me thinking about learning more. So I will almost certainly start there, and from that point, I guess I will do like I do in my life, which is try to catch the wave and see where it takes me.... Full-stack developer would be my long term goal at first, but you know the old saying about making plans....

What do/did you play? Can we exchange musician websites here? Not for commercial purposes, but just cause?

And I like your comment about the closed door and sighing. Very true.

Basically, I need to do something. there is a free online course, I am sure most people are aware of it as it comes up very top on a google search about learning to code. Freecodecamp. I am doing it. It is free and covers all the basics of most languages. It looks to be a very good source of seeing an overview of things. I have completed HTML and CSS courses, and it looks to be about 3 months to get through the whole thing. I think it normally would take longer but, well, I aint all that busy right now.... :-)

[tangor]

Read the TOS .... links, particularly those that might be self-promotional, even by accident, are well moderated. This is keeping a level playing field and makes good sense.

I play fifteen instruments, 8 really well, 2 at better than that ... I am also a music teacher (my other job which pays the rent) by appointment only.

If the doors don't open easily, keep rattling the knobs. Sooner or later something will open and then charge through and see what you can do!

Learn what you need, but more importantly you need to learn WHAT you need. Sometimes those are not the same goals.

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

[Fletchdad]

Thanks tangor. I am mainly a guitarist/singer/songwriter (quirky voice, but that makes it mine I guess) and have fairly nailed the standard rock/pop guitar styles, but I am proficient in most modern guitar styles. I play sax and mandolin and bass, but the guitar/vocals are my main gig. I have also been the frontman/entertainer (or co entertainer) spot in most situations. My ability to grasp HD recording (when it first came out) also gives me hope. I had never worked with computers other than email/web browsing but I caught on how to work with different DAWs pretty easily.

Yea, I wont post links. But, as time goes on and I learn my way around, I will eventually have links I will WANT to post, as my intention (for now anyway) is to move towards WordPress/freelance website design. I will want critique from members here on my sites, as I will be doing my own at first, to learn and have sites for a portfolio. I will do my own website, my bands website and one for my tour business. These will obviously be my commercial sites (not my personal one, that will be more blog/my own playground) but they will also be my "showroom" at first.

I feel pretty good about this new endeavor right now, as I am doing the freecodecamp (it gets pretty good reviews about its curriculum everywhere I have seen so far) and I am finding HTML and CSS (the first 2 sections of about 50...) easy to grasp so that is good. I am good at technical stuff, but I am also quite creative... Sadly it seems this creativity is most prevalent in music and writing, but not so much in graphic design, so that will be probably my weakest area.

Your words make sense, and I appreciate your input.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!

[tangor]

That site and [w3schools.com...] as another resource are great places to start.

When you want critques to your sites, join the pay side (PRO) of Webmasterworld ... things can be done there that are not available on the public FREE side.

While the world is locked down, expand your mind however your can, and know that all internet sites are social distanced, and geographically, and time and perhaps history, too! :)

WORK IT!

Not a fan of WP, though I do manage a few client sites that find it useful at their level of "in house". A gazillion sites using it can't be all that wrong (another smile, nudge nudge wink wink, nod nod say no more bit of humor).

WP works. Only thing I can recommend is keep it as lean as possible, avoid plugins UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY and KEEP IT UPDATED because of security considerations. Spend some time in the nuts and bolts before embarking on themes (the pretty side) because each update can erase all that in a flash. Read the WP forums here for more info.

In a way a bit envious your new explorations for a path untraveled ... been thumping along this since 1996 and the "edge" and "glow" and "Hey, Ma! Look What I Can Do!" has worn off. But what I have discovered this game is better than any game out there and the landscape keeps getting LARGER, not smaller.

Above all, have fun.

Be here after the New Year!

[Key_Master]

I'm good friends with a band member who used to tour the US many times a year. Thanks to Covid, the band is no longer touring or even getting together for practice sessions. Thankfully he doesn't rely financially on touring but I certainly feel for the ones who do. A lot of the local bands I follow almost seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. And I live in a state with relatively lax Covid restrictions.

As far as site development goes, it's a tough business model with a very deep learning curve and lots of competition. Not to mention a lot of picky, uncompromising customers who want the perfect site at rock bottom prices- tomorrow. Personally, I would steer clear of it. With your music experience, maybe it would be more worthwhile to work on a music app or a personal site geared towards musicians. In any case, it's always rewarding to learn new skills so best of luck to you in your endeavors.

[graeme_p]

I changed career (albeit younger than you). It was a good decision. It took time though.

So in my research, I stumbled across coding. I started (very recently so I still know basically nothing) learning HTML, CSS and Java, since I was working with WP, even though I was REALLY working with Elementor page builder.

Two nitpicks. Coding can mean a lot of things. Also, I think you mean Javascript, not Java - they are entirely different things (the similar names were a marketing gimmick).

As @Key_Master says its a tough business. However, if you are good at getting new business you might be able to make it work. Can you, for example, get local businesses to give you work rather than look for someone offshore who will do it cheap? Do you hAve contacts in bigger businesses: it is amazing how much some people can get corporate clients to pay them.

Some people make a living out of "doing websites" without being able to code at all - just using page builders and plugins. That might be a starting point and let you test the water. You may also be able to find a narrow market you can serve a particular type of business, for example. You may be able to find a narrower technology (e.g. custom Shopify themes - although that particular example is a bit crowded now) you can specialise in. Wordpress (which I also dislike) is a big market, but very competitive.

Also, can you develop your own sites using your existing skills and knowledge from being a tour guide or being a musician? The big advantage you will have there is understanding the market already.

But everywhere you look on the net are schools and bootcamps and courses that claim you can be working in a year… I know it cant be easy, and certainly not that easy, but I am a fast learner and a hard worker.

Its not that easy, but its possible. You will not learn all the skills of a full stack developer in an year. I have been doing this (one way or another) part time for nearly 20 years, full time for about 15, and been focused on backend stuff for the last few years and I am still learning (and while I have been focused on backend my front end skills have gone out of date).

On the other hand, you can learn skills that let you get a job done in much less than an year if you can put the time in (and you have a talent for it).

As far as resources go, MDN is my favourite: [developer.mozilla.org...]

Eventually, these types of films could start to use computer-generated music that did not need to be registered or had copyright infringement etc…

Wow. I had no idea that computer generated music had such a big impact. It makes me wonder about what else might go the same way.

[Fletchdad]

@tangor, @Key_Master, @graeme_p

I am looking for help, and made a post. Maybe one (or all) of you know something that can help?

Thanks in advance.
Post here: [webmasterworld.com...]