If you're over the age of 20, you might think you're too old to learn how to code. But 56 year old VM Vaughn's here to tell you that's not true. In this podcast, he shares his epic beat-down of his critical inner self and lays out his path towards an exciting second career. Written by VM Vaughn: https://twitter.com/vmvaughn Read by Abbey Rennemeyer: https://twitter.com/abbeyrenn Original article: https://fcc.im/2oJnBY1 Learn to code for free at: https://www.freecodecamp.org Intro music by Vangough: https://fcc.im/2APOG02 Transcript:  I’m 56 years old and learning to code. Why? Because I love it. And I’ve got a knack for it. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s hard. And that’s OK. I love losing myself in an algorithm challenge. I love squeezing in a few extra minutes testing just one more thing. I love thinking “maybe I’ve got it this time.” And getting to “Yes! It finally works!” But here’s the thing. I’ve never been one for hobbies. I don’t like activities that don’t pay. I can’t keep on doing something simply for the fun of it. What I work on during my off time has to have some economic upside for me. OK, coding pays. It can pay big. So what’s the problem? Well, before I could fully embrace myself as a 56-year-old programming rookie, I had to deal with my Critical Inner Self (let’s call him CIS for short). Learning all this stuff is hard enough without my CIS whispering in my ear the whole time. If I can give my CIS an epic beat-down, then I should be able to handle anyone who appears to work on his behalf. And these agents of CIS often appear out of no where, asking critical questions. CIS: Why are you doing this at your age? Me: What you really mean is how much longer will I live. And do I really have enough time left to make money programming. Let’s break that down. I’m an American. My life expectancy is 78.8 years. So that means I’ve got a better than average chance of living another 22.8 years. That may not seem like a lot when you’re 20, but I’m 56 and dancing in the street over here. (And because I’m 56, I’ve got better odds of making it to 78 than a 20 year old. But that’s beside the point.) Now, let’s say I’m a snail and it takes me 4 years to finish Free Code Camp’s 1-year curriculum to become a fledgling full stack developer. That puts me at 60 years old looking for a job as a junior developer. Let’s say it takes me another 2 years to land a job because of my age, and let’s assume that 70 is the limit for how long an employer wants me hanging around. That’s 8 years to practice my craft. That’s plenty of runway to get pretty good. And because I’ve been around the block and know the grass ain’t always greener on the other side, I’m much more likely to stay with that employer who hired me first. What 20-year-old stays with their first developer job that long? CIS: But who’s going to pay you the kind of money that you already make now? Me: You could ask me that even if I didn’t learn to program. But I know what you’re getting at. Chances are an entry level developer job will pay me less than I’m making now. Well here’s a thought for you. My paycheck is less today than it was five years ago. And that’s with 5 more years of experience. There’s no guarantee that the job I have now will last. And when it doesn’t, I’ll have to find a new job anyway. At my age, I very well may have to accept entry level wages doing something… anything. I’d rather have the skills and portfolio to go for an entry level position that can lead to much greater earnings — or at least the ability to beat the bushes and pick up some freelance work. CIS: But all the big tech companies want to hire young kids right out of college. Me: That’s easy. I don’t want to move to Silicon Valley and I’m not looking to work for a big tech company. You’ve read the same stats as me. By 2020 there will be 1,000,000 more programming jobs than people trained to fill them. Not all of those openings will be at the “big 4” — Google, Facebook, Amazon, or Microsoft. In fac