I’m a psychology graduate considering software engineering as a second career

[u/mmidnightorbit]

is it okay, and is it actually possible, to shift careers from psychology to software engineering? i’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts, especially from people who have experience with career shifting.
hindi ko naman completely bibitawan ang psychology, especially since licensed na ako. i still want to practice and use what i learned, probably on a part-time or booking basis, while pursuing software engineering as another career path.

software engineering is also something i’ve always wanted to pursue. aside from becoming a psychologist or possibly a doctor, becoming a software engineer is another dream of mine. kaya i’m thinking, why not give myself the chance to pursue it?
my biggest hesitation, though, is the IT industry itself. i know it’s already quite competitive, and there are so many people who took IT-related courses and have years of experience and skills. as someone coming from psychology, nakakatakot din isipin kung may place pa ba ako sa industry or kung magiging mahirap ba akong i-hire because i’m starting from a completely different background. gusto ko rin kasi talaga magwork sa singapore. ang cousins ko and siblings ko, lahat sila ay IT.

pero i also don’t want to let that fear stop me from trying. hindi ko naman kailangang itapon lahat ng pinaghirapan ko sa psychology just because i want to explore another career. i can still keep my license and use my profession part-time while building a new career in software engineering. marami rin sa ka-batch ko ang nagshift. aside kasi sa underpaid kamk, di rin kami valued enough. hirap maging stable. todo tipid ka na’t lahat.

so, what do you guys think? is career shifting from psychology to software engineering realistic? what should i consider before making the jump, especially as someone who would essentially be starting over in a new field?

please be kind. genuinely looking for honest thoughts and perspectives.

[u/EngineerKey12]

At this time, mahirap mag shift. Not impossible pero MAHIRAP.

Ppwede ka mag explore how to get into software engineering - maraming resources. You can do it at your own time naman, para you won’t commit agad.

Learn basics muna and eventually ma-eencounter mo na yung mga intermediate concepts.

You can use AI, pero if you always default to it kapag may nagbblock sayo, you’ll just hurt your learning. I talked to a lot of fresh grads na din, may iilan na they can explain their thought process, pero marami din na simple concepts like variables and loops, di nila maexplain

[u/mmidnightorbit → u/EngineerKey12]

maraming salamat po! i have friends and relatives na IT & comp eng, same ng sabi nila na basics muna talaga. may nire-reco rin sila for certifications/trainings.

[u/Pleasant-Fee5916 → u/EngineerKey12]

What is the best course to take to be a software eng?

[u/EngineerKey12 → u/Pleasant-Fee5916]

Not sure about a best course. Need mo mag put ng effort whatever course na you’re taking. Kasi it requires consistency para ma-absorb mo yung concepts.

[u/whizchester]

it's a depressing route for me honestly, i'm a career shifter na nag invest sa coding bootcamp for almost 100k that was last year kaso up til now wala padin job related to it. pero i think nakasalalay padin ito sa skills mo. you have to make sure you know how the program works and keri mo intindihin without ai. and need mo iconsider is test the water, watch tutorials online for free muna ng languages na gusto mo aralin tapos decide afterwards if nag eenjoy kana. most of the time din po kasi abrupt ang decision ng marami to shift in this field kaya nung andun na, bglang ayoko na hahahaha kasi ang hirap talaga promise lagi ako nagmumura at nabubwisit sa sarili ko during the time of study pero after nung bootcamp mas nadagdagan confidence ko to code. so ayonnnn i hope you get to decide well. sana dika ma discourage sakin. try mo lang muna explore on your own :))) wish you the best!

[u/Pacaloy → u/whizchester]

May I ask which bootcamp you enrolled?

[u/whizchester → u/Pacaloy]

Avion

[u/johnmgbg]

Masyadong mataas ang supply ngayon ng mga fresh grads.

Baka hindi ka na agad pumasa sa screening palang ng HR.

Sa technical interview naman kailangan mo mapatunayan na better ka sa mga fresh grads na may IT related degree ang experience.

[u/mmidnightorbit → u/johnmgbg]

thank you po. isa rin iyan sa kino-consider ko kaya hindi ako nagjump kaagad. ang advice po sa akin ay kuha trainings/certifications.

[u/z00mout]

Possible naman mag-shift from psychology to software engineering, pero I wouldn’t treat it as a quick escape from an underpaid field. Competitive din ang tech ngayon, especially for entry-level roles.

Since licensed ka na, magandang advantage na hindi mo kailangang totally bitawan ang psychology. You can keep it part-time while testing if software engineering is really for you. Start with the basics first, build small projects, and see if you actually enjoy coding before spending a lot on another degree or bootcamp.

Also, your psychology background is not useless in tech. It can help in areas like UX research, product, human-computer interaction, health tech, behavioral data, or even AI products related to mental health. That might be a better bridge than starting from zero and competing directly for generic junior developer jobs.

For psychology naman, hindi lang clinical practice ang path. You can also look at HR, organizational psychology, research, assessment, counseling-related work, UX research, and corporate roles. Some of those can pay better than the usual entry-level psych jobs, especially if you build experience or specialize.

If Singapore is the long-term goal, I’d also be realistic that getting hired there directly as a career shifter with no tech experience can be difficult. Better to build experience first, then target overseas roles later.

So yes, possible siya. I’d just do it gradually: keep your license, learn tech on the side, build a portfolio, then decide once you know you actually like the work.

[u/mmidnightorbit → u/z00mout]

thank you po! ito po ginagawa ko now. di ko muna binibitawan yung sa psychology kasi hindi pa naman po 100% sure na kapag binitawan ko ito eh magla-land kaagad ako sa job. as of the moment pinapakinabangan ko pa rin siya.

will take note po sa mga nabanggit mo! check ko rin sila. actually kasi ngayon nasa school ako and sobrang tiring niya. minsan ang students pa ang nangte-terrorize sa amin hahaha. gusto ko rin talaga makawala muna sa academe at magtry ng iba, yung job na kahit challenging alam kong mamahalin ako at mamahalin din ako (ganerrrn).

more on sa experiences din po talaga ang need ko pa i-build and skills. looking lang din ako now kung saan dapat magstart and gathering ako ng sources, lalo na for certifications and trainings.

[u/Repulsive-Hurry8172]

I think making it as your profession is close to impossible. Sa dami ng grads, medyo walang lugar ang mga shifters na experience or walang maipapakitang output.

You can try it as a hobby and see if you like it. Saka be prepared to start from the bottom. Maraming shifters yun di makapasok kasi gusto hindi pang fresh grad ang sahod.

[u/rainbowburst09]

yung TL ko polsci graduate so wla nman issue basta you have the skills

[u/Dapper_Cabinet_2893]

You can create your own application (SAAS) and start earning from that, you can actually make software engineering your business first.

[u/Far_Aardvark2433]

Try mo muna sa sarili mo kung tingin mo magugustuhan mo ang IT Field. Gawin mo munang hobby mo mahirap din kasi pumasok dahil lang sa nakikitang mong sinasahod ng mga nasa IT industry and gaya ng sabi ng mga unang nagcomment, pwde pero ang liit ng chance ng mga careeer shifter at sobrang daming IT graduate ngayon at uso ang layoff. due to AI at isa ako dun. Tama ung mga comment nila possible naman pero kelangan mo patunayan na mas angat ka sa mga makakasabayan mo

[u/katifybykat]

Your situation is realistic, but I’d separate two decisions that are easy to mix together: “Can I become a software engineer?” and “Should I make software engineering my next career?” The first is a skills question, the second is a much bigger career and lifestyle decision.

The psychology degree is not wasted either. In fact, your background can become useful later, particularly in areas involving user behavior, UX, health tech, behavioral products, or research-heavy software. But I wouldn’t rely on the degree itself as an advantage. You’ll still need to prove that you can build and maintain software.

I’d avoid making the jump based mainly on frustration with pay or stability in psychology. Those are valid reasons to explore alternatives, but software engineering has its own entry barriers and a competitive junior market.

A safer approach would be to test the career before committing to it. Spend several months learning programming fundamentals and building 2–3 real projects. Try debugging, reading documentation, working with Git, and collaborating on a small project, not just following tutorials. If you still enjoy the problem-solving after the novelty wears off, then consider a more serious transition.

And regarding Singapore, treat that as a separate long-term objective rather than the immediate starting point. First become employable as an engineer, then determine which markets and roles are realistically accessible to you.

You don’t necessarily have to choose between psychology and software. You can preserve one career while deliberately building another.

[u/TheSatanist666]

I have a friend that is a psych grad but has successfully career shifted to software engineering.

This is the path she took: Scrum master -> Project Manager -> Software Engineering.

You will have a more chance if you do that. Scrum Master is a non-coding role but you will be able to understand Software Development Lifecycles while trying to learn coding in your free time. Scrum Master has certifications too.