But, somewhere, it's just eating me up that I could've been in this position at 20, had I looked for my passion then. Am otherwise quite an optimistic person, but since I haven't "made it yet" it really hits at times.
Do most people go through this, or am I starting over too late?"
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Felix Oginni:
"When I was 21 I used to have this regret. I used to wish I learnt to code at 16, gone to Stanford and joined a startup really early... But at that time, I didn't even know enough to have the Stanford dream.
Then someone asked me how I would feel if I was 28 and I still didn't know how to code? Which is what would happen if I didn't start learning now.
This is true for a 21 year old as it is for a 49 year old, because every year you waste doing nothing to close your skill gap because you think you are too old is just one more year of regret, wishing you had started last year...
Go for it, start now and give it all you've got. Your experience as a doctor is more of an advantage than a waste of time."
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Jason Joven:
"Absolutely. You're too late.
(pause for effect)
DEAD END.
Doesn't leave you with any options, does it?
Brother, I'm just as guilty as you in that in my 20s, I had myself on some kind of non-existent "success clock". Maybe that's a reflection of the youth-obsessed culture we live in through American media. Whatever its causes, it doesn't exist. Unless you wanted to make the "Top 20 Under 20" list in Entrepreneur magazine. Or if you wanted to play football in high school. Or if you wanted to eat more broccoli in kindergarten. Then, yes, you're actually too late.
There is romance in the journey of life. Make glorious mistakes while the world watches, and let haters judge you. You've found something that energizes you...many people never do. Be happy for the child prodigies that came out of their mothers' vaginas screaming, "I'm gonna be a ______!!!"...but never be jealous, it's disrespectful to your journey. You can argue they missed out on the wonder of an open adventure.
Keep earning your stripes, show your battle scars with pride. You finished medical school, man, that's huge. Be proud. And now you've found something that makes you feel alive. You are now Anderson Silva when he first picked up MMA gloves. You are now Steve Jobs when he put together his first computer motherboard. How exciting.
So answer your own question.
Is it too late?
AW HELL NO."
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Selim Jamil:
"I may be going against the grain here and saying that "passion" is overrated - I am passionate about acting but I am currently not getting paid for this passion. I can't afford to stop working while I wait for this passion to allow me to earn a living.
One person I really admire is Ken Jeong, from "the hangover" series. He is a medical doctor and developed a stand up career when he was off duty. It took more than ten years but now he makes his money from acting.
If someone is willing to pay you for coding then go ahead, but if you already have a skill that will earn you money keep that in mind.
One thing to add to this - I presume you have a ton of debt from medical school - this is not something that you can just ignore as you explore your passion. It's great that you found something you really care about but unless you have a comparable level of experience in this field you probably will not have the same kind of earning potential in any web field that you would have as a medical doctor.
Have you finished your residency? If you have there is nothing to stop you from taking some ER shifts to support yourself while you pursue your passion.
Unless you're independently wealthy you will be able to make mucho the money with your medical expertise or several years then you can with your computer skill set. At some point the balance will tip but right now you have debts that won't just go away."
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Oliver Adria:
"At 21 I wanted to become a robot scientist, so I studied engineering and worked as a student programmer at a robotics institute.
At 23 I wanted to do something in business and make a difference there, so I started programming for a consultancy.
At 25 I wanted to do something meaningful, so I started working as a researcher for a sustainability consultancy.
At 27 I thought "I don't just want to work with clients, but want to speak up my mind", so I started a sustainability blog.
At 29, more and more people asked if I know something about jobs in the sustainability area, apparently I wasn't the only one looking for work with a "meaning" and a positive impact. So I spun off a jobs website from the sustainability blog.
At 31, I'm now self-employed after 10 years of working as an employee, I'm now developing and programming a jobs website in the environmental and social sector and advising people how to get jobs and clients on how to get good people and I just hired my first 2 part-time team members.
Without all the previous experiences, I wouldn't have had the skill set or the network to do what I do now. If I had started my current work 10 years ago, I would've been ahead of the pack, sure - but hey, more reason for me to keep creating and developing :-).
'I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.' - Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul"
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Money doesn't buy happiness but it buys freedom, eh? Hmm.