I don't know but since no one answered I'll share some of what I've gleaned since starting to pay attention.

You'll probably be able to find a well paying job no matter which path you choose - the lines are quite blurry regardless - it's a field where you'll always be learning and transitioning to some degree - just explore what you like.

Web dev is easier to get started in and you can find a job more quickly if starting from scratch.

From what I gather it doesn't matter which of those you start with as they're both relatively simple and far from the processor digestion.

Having scratched the surface of both (moreso Ruby) they're both easy to learn as well as utilize for quick web production. For mastering you'd want to assess your future goals.

In terms of learning how to think like a programmer and how to engineer code either would do and more experienced developers have told me Python is more likely to stick around vs Ruby (as it's already applied to a greater variety of use cases with significant volume and more deeply embedded ie Linux).

tyvm. This all sounds very logical and realistic. I appreciate your input.

Blag a tester job while learning to code. As soon as you have some experience you'll be running, times are really good. My last outfit recruited a guy straight into a QA role with no experience, he'd been a primary school english teacher before.

This is pretty much the bottom line. If you have no intrinisic interest in coding, problem solving, web development, I wouldn't bother.

You do need SOME sort of baseline. Since you've completed a M.S. in Math, you have a good foundation to build on your s/w skills. If you have the time and money, you should consider enrolling in a boot camp because they are really laser focused on building your foundation. Some b.c.'s have an upfront fee which may be cost prohibitive. Others take a portion of your salary.

Arguments can be made that you can DIY and save on costs (~$10-$18k). Likewise some may suggest you complete a MA (another one) if you're serious. I think time wise, money wise, location wise, it may be something to look into. Full disclosure - I'm a bc graduate.

SV and SF is just ridiculous right now with respect to start ups and the amount of funding going on.

You have no formal training - CS, EECS, Engineering degree. You have no prior experience work and otherwise. In no order you need to do the following:

Build a portfolio of projects. This is crucial to demonstrate and document what you can do, demonstrate you can follow good coding practices, show passion and commitment, and pass an HR resume screen. 'OK, you have no technical experience, tell me something about the projects you've worked on.' Or 'Wow! This is a really awesome web app with bells and whistles (CSS/Bootstrap) and it just looks cool.'

Identify the skills you want to learn and learn it. Ruby on Rails, JS, C, jQuery, Angular, Backbone, Ember, Java? etc. Also learn about data structures, algoritms, and breaking down problems.

Since you already have friends in senior positions in SV you already have a leg up with respect to internal referrals. Now you just have to start doing something.

Good Luck!

You will not pass resume screen for a s/w position with a recruiter or HR without prior experience or at least something to show you might be able to do the job. Barring that, Monster, Dice, Indeed, etc. are all places you can post your resume and get spammed. Alternative marketplaces include hired.com, toptal, SF specific ones.

I think startups < 50 would be hiring for more senior positions because they can't take on juniors until they reach the right point. Agree with other poster about joining in the support team, learn on your own, then switch as another option.

to add a little more, guys often get brought in as testers, if they show promise (or even just ask) and are coding their own stuff up it doesn't take long before we let them shadow code review sessions - now you're crossing the bridge between how a website says to code and the much higher stands required in the industry. They meet loads of guys in the company, and in others, and you're getting paid well for the work (I'm not allowed to say what but he doubled his salary by getting the job). You'll learn how to use version control systems etc, peer review process, the usual day-to-day workflow, see how problems are solved by professionals. This really is what people look for in the software I write, coding is really quite easy, they need to know you can work as a bigger team. You'll learn about the formal development processes and terminology.

That said it's not an easy ride, you need to show aptitude and work hard doing something probably a little bit beneath you for a while. Probably like most careers these days although wouldn't know tbh. The most driven people do best on the whole, people who enjoy it and have a strong attitude.

Times are really really good. My current outfit is looking for 6+ senior people, they simply can't find them so are flying people in from around the world (russia to UK most recently) just to interview them, offering big money in a great environment and still getting scooped by other firms. That's a job in central London, paying well and very flexible with working hours/working from home etc, with cool offices with good views and a really nice team. I'm a consultant and offered more money almost every day to hand notice and move by other firms needing staff, the market is very healthy.

As careers go, part of it must be done in the office but loads can be done remotely just with a laptop (i.e. fly out of miserable uk winter to a beach in thailand and play poker in a shaded hammock for half the day before doing half a day's work).

Good luck.

Hi cannon, sorry to OP if I'm hijacking this thread, kind of in a similar situation to OP except I've made my decision to move on from poker and the Supernova Elite grind. At the moment I'm taking the MIT CS (Python) course and will be starting the Odin Project soon - haven't experienced enough yet to make a firm decision whether to go the web or software dev route. I have a Masters degree in Physics and 4 years experience in various IT hardware/os/network support roles prior to poker, so it's not entirely new to me.

Your case in point, that your previous company hired a teacher with no previous experience gives me a lot of encouragement. Can you please expand a bit more on how he managed get the QA role? So far for me I've only applied for a couple of roles (with no success), but its still early days.

Thanks

local one in omaha, PM if you want more info.

Is the picture you're painting primarily applied to software engineering, web dev or either?

Sick!! Huge career perk for sure. What field are you in?

No apologies necessary MB. I was curious about the QA entry level opportunities myself. I've had no luck going that route, in the SV. I rarely even see entry level QA jobs here.

Btw, what was your primary motivation for leaving poker? Burnout and feelings of lack of life accomplishment(s) were my big two.