Let's face it: almost everyone hates their job. You know that life is too short to be doing something that makes you miserable, but the though of changing careers this late in the game might scare you. No one will make a bet on you, and you have no pre-existing credentials.

Here is a list of the programs, resources, and tools to help you land that dream job, regardless of where you're at now.

It is never too late.

How To Use This Guide

While most of this document is self-explanatory, to save on screen space there are a handful of emojis and short-hands I decided to use as column keys:

• 💵 = Cost
• 🕐 = Duration
• 📅 = Time Commitment / Part-Time (PT) or Full-Time (FT) or Both (B)
• 👩‍💻 = Online / Remote-Friendly
• 🤝 = Includes career-coaching and/or job placement

What would you like to be?

• Engineering
  • 📱 iOS Engineer
  • 🤖 Android Engineer
  • 🌐 Web Developer
  • 🖥️ DevOps Engineer
  • 🧠 Machine Learning Engineer
  • 📈 Data Scientist
• Design
  • 🎨 UI/UX Designer
  • 🚀 Motion Designer
  • 🟠 3D Designer
• Business
  • 🌎 Digital Marketer
  • 👩‍💼 Entrepreneur
  • 📦 Product Manager

Important: Before diving into any of the following sections, it may be beneficial to educate yourself on the barebones concepts of programming in case you have never programmed before. Generalist programming, and more specifically object-oriented programming (OOP), consists of a variety of concepts and paradigms that may be extremely foreign to those not in technical fields.

Some free courses and resources you can check out are:

• Coursera: Code Yourself!
• Dash by General Assembly
• Design Patterns for Humans
• Harvard CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
• Khan Academy: Intro to Programming
• Udacity: What is Programming?
• UToronto: Learn to Program

iOS engineers write mobile applications for Apple products, including iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. The software written by iOS developers may be used on a variety of operating systems, such as iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and now even macOS!

Typically, iOS engineers:

• Code in either Swift or Objective-C, or some combination of the two
• Build user interfaces using XCode storyboards, the Apple UIKit library, or (more recently) SwiftUI views
• Ship new app builds to App Store Connect via tools such as Fastlane or XCode

According to Glassdoor, the base salary for an iOS engineer is ~$95,000/yr.

Android engineers write mobile applications for the Android operating system, which runs on a plethora of mobile devices worldwide (including Pixel, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Galaxy phones). Android makes up roughly 90% of the global mobile computing market, which makes it an incredibly lucrative field.

Typically, Android engineers:

• Code in either Java or Kotlin, or some combination of the two
• Build user interfaces using XML or Compose
• Ship new app builds to the Play Store via tools such as Fastlane or Android Studio

According to Glassdoor, the base salary for an Android engineer is ~$95,000/yr.

A full-stack web developer is a web developer or engineer who works with both the front and back ends of a website or application—meaning they can tackle projects that involve databases, building user-facing websites, or even work with clients during the planning phase of projects.

Full-stack web developers:

• Code in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and one or more back end languages.
• Specialize in a particular back end programming language, like Ruby or PHP or Python, although some, especially if they’ve been working as a developer for a while, work with more than one.
• Build web solutions end-to-end. Startups often lust after full-stack engineers, as they can often carry the majority of the implementation for modern web platforms.

DevOps engineers combine an understanding of both engineering and coding to create and develop systems within a company. From creating and implementing systems software to analyzing data to improve existing ones, a DevOps Engineer increases productivity in the workplace. DevOps engineers work to balance the various aspects of a project, most of them complex issues such as programming and network building.

Typically, DevOps engineers:

• Build in-house tooling to help streamline development and deployment
• Scale systems infrastructure via cloud network solutions such as Kubernetes, Azure, and GKE
• Manage cloud assets and code deploys

According to Glassdoor, the base salary of a DevOps engineer is ~$100,000/yr.

Machine learning engineers combine an in-depth knowledge of mathematics, statistics, and engineering to implement programs that allow computers to learn completely autonomously or with little user input. An extremely young field, machine learning engineers are responsibile for some of the latest trends in tech, including self-driving vehicles, voice assistants, recommendation systems, and more.

Typically, machine learning engineers:

• Use an expert understanding of mathematics and code to deliver the most optimal systems
• Code using an array of cutting-edge frameworks such as PyTorch and Tensorflow
• Deploy machine learning models in production using highly optimized pipelines

According to Indeed, the base salary of a machine learning engineer is ~$145,000/yr.

Data scientists collect, analyze, and interpret large data sets in order to develop data-driven solutions to tackle difficult business challenges.

Typically, data scientists:

• Analyze large sets of public data, or infer data from user patterns and behavior.
• Extract useful information from this data to drive decision-making or fuel in-house machine learning efforts.
• Collaborate with other engineers to obtain the data they need to work effectively.

According to Glassdoor, data scientists make a base salary of ~$115,000/yr.

UI (user interface) designers are responsible for presenting a product's development in a way that is attractive and convenient for users, while UX (user experience) designers are responsible for enhancing customer satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure associated with a product in a way that is attractive and convenient for users. Often used interchangable, UI design and UX design are two separate but very closely related fields. I've grouped the two under this single section for this exact reason. Typically, most designers rely on user interfaces to improve the user experience, so the two fields often go hand-in-hand.

Typically, UX/UI designers:

• Iterate over numerous designs and wireframes before landing on an ideal design that most strongly resonates with users.
• Prototype their designs to illustrate the intended interactions using tools such as Figma, Invision, SwiftUI or React.
• Collaborate with engineers and PMs to weigh product requirements and technical limitations to produce the most workable design.

According to Glassdoor, the base pay for a UX/UI designer is ~$100,000/yr.

Motion designers create artwork for the web, television, or film. They use visual effects, animation and other cinematic techniques to bring life to their creations.

Today, motion designers create live video content, graphics, and animation for handheld electronic devices, web programs, video games, and for smartphones and mobile platforms, including apps.

Typically, a motion designer will:

• Use modern animation software, such as After Effects and Blender, to produce high-quality animations.
• Collaborate with other teams and clients to determine product requirements and technical limitations.
• Assist in the creation and brainstorming of animation storyboards and layout.

According to Celarity, the average base salary for a motion designer is ~$75,000/yr.

3D designers create still and moving images using computers, as well as 3D models of products, and manage multiple projects while adhering to deadlines.

Typically, a 3D designer will:

• Use modern modeling software such as Blender, Maya, Cinema4D, or 3Ds Max to produce high-quality 3D renderings of products, icons, and more.
• Manage cameras, lighting, and shadows in a three-dimensional space.
• Export designs in a format easily integratable into software products, such as OBJ or USDZ.

According to Glassdoor, the average base pay for a 3D designer is ~$75,000/yr.

A product manager is a professional role that is responsible for the development of products for an organization, known as the practice of product management.

Product managers:

• Own the business strategy behind a product (both physical and digital products).
• Specify the product's functional requirements, and generally manage the launch of features.
• Coordinate work done by many other functions (like software engineers, data scientists, and product designers) and are ultimately responsible for the business success of the product.

According to Glassdoor, the base salary of a product manager is ~$100,000/yr

^{* Converted from Nigerian Niara (NGN). May change due to conversion rate.}