This field is completely saturated. A lot of people go to school for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on graphic design. In addition to that, there are a lot of very talented people without BA’s that work independently as well. I’m not saying you can’t do it, but do your market research.
You’re not going to find companies that want to hire people to modify or tweak code. You either know and understand the fundamentals, or you don’t. Sometimes you can find a company that’s looking for the “Jack of all trades” but it’s not the norm for most tech companies.
If software interests you, what type of programming do you want to perform, application or embedded? Application programmers typically write code with a graphical user interface (GUI) that involves a user doing something. Embedded programmers write code that runs headless, or without a user interface such as micro controllers or FPGA’s. If you want to be proficient with both, learn C. Python may be the most popular application programming language, but C is truly portable, which means it is machine (hardware) independent and doesn’t require an interpreter. Most of the employers I’ve worked for look for C experience first, then everything else for this reason.
The best advice I can give you is to find a company that is willing to take a chance on you with your limited technical skill set and your ambitious attitude. Start flooding tech companies with your resume, and when you interview with them, be adamant about your desire to go back to school and earn a degree. Better yet, enroll now if possible. It shows ambition. Most employers will reimburse tuition costs if you maintain a C average or above. Companies like to do that because they’re investing in you. Also, it’s pro-rated, which means you’re committing to several years of employment with them or you have to pay a portion of the money back (it varies, but it’s usually 3 years). Even if you earn your degree and decide you don’t want to stay with the company that basically paid for it, you can usually negotiate that with another employer, and often times they compensate you for what you owe, but now you owe them for the same period. Successful companies that are in it for the long haul are looking for talent that is going to go the long haul with them. Training is expensive. When a company invests time and money in an employee and that employee leaves, it’s a tremendous expense on the employer to rehire and train someone for that same position.
I would also add that your geographical location plays a huge roll in demand for technical resources. If you live in a metropolitan area, the competition will be fierce in times of a rough economy but work to your advantage in a thriving economy. If you live in a suburban or urban area where young people do not want to live, demand can be very high for technical resources, regardless.
Use Indeed, Monster or whatever the job search engines are today (I’ve been with the same company 20 years) and do some market research to find out what’s available, in demand and the requirements necessary.
