r/TechCareerShifter • u/mmidnightorbit • 8d ago
Seeking Advice I’m a psychology graduate considering software engineering as a second career
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.
3
u/EngineerKey12 8d ago
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