rohitdoshi

i am 39 and have worked as a software developer and a lecturer at a community college and through persistance and a great deal of luck got a job with an iBank.  I didn’t even know long from short so I took the CFA up initially to get enough knowledge to understand the conversations around me (Level 1 was great for this) and continued through L3 because (a) I wanted some credentials in case I got fired and needed to find another job in the field and (b) because a friend told me how he was reviewing a resume with a job candidate who had only their L1 result on their resume and they passed 5 yrs ago and he said “Wow, you are REALLY good at starting things…” and I never wanted to be in that boat.
On the IT front, I think we all probably got into it around the same time - the boom, back when IT was really hot and sought after and special.  Now, the industry has become really commoditized and salaries have reflected it.  Unless you are an uber geek (much respect, mon!) then the field isn’t that compelling anymore.