This is my general advice to the anonymous masses--and is written in broad strokes. There is, of course, a lot more nuance depending on a number of factors like the economy, socioeconomic status, and--of course--luck.
I've previously written this back when I was just starting out as a Developer myself: Please Maybe Learn to Code
This is for the individual that believes Software Engineering is the road to easy money. While it does pay incredibly well and can transform your financial life, it is certainly not an easy path--and it never will be.
The reason is capitalism. Jobs are hard and therefore someone wants to pay someone else to do it for them. If coding were easy, everyone would do it themselves, rather than hiring others.
Regardless, I think many people can make a succesful leap into software development, even non-traditionally, even in It's something I think most people should strongly consider, especially if they haven't found fulfillment or stability in their current career. Tech is a fantastic career choice. It pays very well, it's secure, and is available virtually anyone willing to put in the time and effort.
But tech isn't perfect, despite the fact that many Coding Bootcamps' landing pages have overly-romanticized that fact. Among many things, some difficulty in Tech includes:
Burnout
Burnout is one of the biggest risks in the industry. You can do a lot of things as a programmer, but there will always seem to be a growing backlog. On top of this, the need to keep up while building features and solving bugs can leave you strangely tired from the brain fatigue. The industry also has ups and downs, and during the downs, programmers are the first to feel immense pressure to hold everything together.
When an app has an Incident (such as crashes and becomes unavailable), the company you work for starts bleeding money by the second. You may be part of the Incident Response where you need to think fast and frantically try to fix things without making it work. It's a lot of pressure!
The Need To Keep Up
Learning never ends with tech. This is mostly great as it keeps the work from getting too boring, but it means you never really can kick back and completely relax. Technology changes and you'll often need to spend some hours outside of work to brush up on new concepts. This constant need to keep learning also contributes to burnout.
So eliminate the thoughts that once you learn to code and get into the industry, it'll be smooth sailing.
The Interviewing Game
The sheer amount of applications you'll submit before getting that first phone call is not fun for anybody. And once you get through the initial phase, there's plenty of technical interview rounds you'll find yourself rejected from, including some where you were so sure you solved the problem well. Interviewing is a numbers game, and while your in it, it can feel unending.
Biases
Unfortunately, there are still some biases in the industry, particularly around age as well as gender. If you are older (50+) you may have to work particularly hard at combating some of these biases. You may find less opportunities are available. Particularly with start-ups, you might also find yourself decades older than all of your co-workers, which could be uncomfortable for some.
Despite this... it's worth it.
Attending a bootcamp and breaking into tech was nothing short but life changing for me. With practice, patience, and persistence, you'll soon see results that compound. Because everyone relies on tech, you'll be able to make an impact in just about any industry, and get paid handsomely for doing so. You'll also have the ability to build anything you could personally imagine, including your own company.
It takes a lot of discipline, but pays off if you have the drive and the trust. Good luck!