As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve started the journey of a career change. After two failed attempts, I’ve finally landed a job as a fullstack developer at a really great company in the Poitiers area. The leave request was sent out yesterday, all my colleagues are now aware, and I find myself facing a new challenge in the form of a fresh start. And honestly — it’s pretty unsettling right now.

I’m caught between two worlds: I’m over 40, I know myself well, I have extensive professional experience and recognized skills — and yet, here I am, a beginner again, stepping into a completely different world from the one I knew in public education.Of course, I knew there were big differences between the public and private sectors before making the leap, but those differences hit differently when you’re signing at the bottom of an employment contract. This time, those differences feel personal. I’m used to being accountable to students — now I’ll be accountable to a boss. I’m used to working my own way — now I’ll need to fit into a company workflow. I’m used to setting my own pace — now I’ll need to meet deadlines. I’ll ultimately have less control over my days than I used to, even if a developer’s job still allows a good deal of autonomy. But beyond the actual work I’ll be doing day-to-day, what really stands out is how this shift might shake up my entire routine — and its impact on my family, our lifestyle, and habits we’ve built over the last 20 years. That’s the real unknown. I’m not afraid of this new future at all. Sure, there’s a little knot in my stomach now and then, but it’s more like stage fright — the nervous energy that comes with excitement — than anxiety rooted in regret. I wanted this change. I made it happen. Now it’s time to take that step — not into the void, but into the unknown. So good.

"It’s about time!", my friends will probably say.

If I stayed a teacher in the French National Education system for so long, it’s because I never really listened to them.

Since the goal of this post isn’t to share my 19 years of fascinating wanderings, I’ll just say that I chose teaching more out of pragmatism than passion. That, in itself, was a mistake.

So the time has come to leave teaching and turn to full-time software development. For now, nothing is set. I’m still in my job, grading papers, running classes…​ My colleagues, my superiors, and my students know nothing about my decision. Their time will come.

I intend to come here regularly to reflect, to share my thoughts on this transformation—​both to help me formalize my own evolution and to give a hand to others who may be in a similar situation.

Here is the very first interim assessment of my process, in the form of observations that are also a bit of advice: