Advice needed for career switch to IT

[dandylion]

Hi all,

I am a mech eng diploma and deg holder from NTU and working as a mech eng in a semi-con MNC for about 1 year. Job scopes are - R&D mechanical design (2D drawing, 3D modeling), mechanical testing and troubleshooting, etc.

I am looking to career-switch to IT which I am still unsure which specific field like cybersecurity or software engineer yet. My main motivation for switching careers is due to low salary I am drawing and I do not see future prospects in the field I am in now. I have no particular passion for any field but willing to learn new things such as programming etc. I have no programming background but will have to start from scratch.

Additional background info: age 27(M) this year, currently not married but have BTO in 2026. Come from a low-income family which I am still supporting with my monthly salary. Therefore, I would still need to keep a FT job to sustain myself.


Thus, the advice I would like to ask are:
1) Have anyone managed to switch from an unrelated industry to IT (cybersecurity, software engineer etc)
2) Where can I start to ensure that I am "enough" to be employed? Do you need deg/masters or can you just take on boot camp courses to show you are competent enough?


Below are the courses I researched that I am not sure which would help more. You can pm me via discord as well, IGN: Dandylion#3574


https://www.imda.gov.sg/imtalent/pr...ampaign=jobsgohere#EligiblePartnersandCourses
https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/applied-learning/skillsfuture-work-study-degree/computing_science
https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/programmes/pg/mcomp-gen/
https://conversion.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/portal/programlisting.aspx?source=PCP

https://generalassemb.ly/education/...mpaign=immersive-remote&ga_variation=sei-tile

Thank you for your time in reading this lengthy thread.

 

[Acre45]

You comfortable to share how much you are earning ?

If you want to switch fields and to earn a decent pay, degree definitely.

Online/conversion courses wouldn't be enough to warrant a high paying job.

 

[McFadden]

Hi all,

I am a mech eng diploma and deg holder from NTU and working as a mech eng in a semi-con MNC for about 1 year. Job scopes are - R&D mechanical design (2D drawing, 3D modeling), mechanical testing and troubleshooting, etc.

I am looking to career-switch to IT which I am still unsure which specific field like cybersecurity or software engineer yet. My main motivation for switching careers is due to low salary I am drawing and I do not see future prospects in the field I am in now. I have no particular passion for any field but willing to learn new things such as programming etc. I have no programming background but will have to start from scratch.

Additional background info: age 27(M) this year, currently not married but have BTO in 2026. Come from a low-income family which I am still supporting with my monthly salary. Therefore, I would still need to keep a FT job to sustain myself.


Thus, the advice I would like to ask are:
1) Have anyone managed to switch from an unrelated industry to IT (cybersecurity, software engineer etc)
2) Where can I start to ensure that I am "enough" to be employed? Do you need deg/masters or can you just take on boot camp courses to show you are competent enough?


Below are the courses I researched that I am not sure which would help more. You can pm me via discord as well, IGN: Dandylion#3574


https://www.imda.gov.sg/imtalent/pr...ampaign=jobsgohere#EligiblePartnersandCourses
https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/applied-learning/skillsfuture-work-study-degree/computing_science
https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/programmes/pg/mcomp-gen/
https://conversion.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/portal/programlisting.aspx?source=PCP

https://generalassemb.ly/education/...mpaign=immersive-remote&ga_variation=sei-tile

Thank you for your time in reading this lengthy thread.

How you going to pay for bto if you change job?I also think of changing job and buying house at the same time

 

[patryn33]

I feel you are leaning on PT degree.
You don’t a higher degree to get a it job
Cyber security you will need those certificates.

 

[dandylion]

You comfortable to share how much you are earning ?

If you want to switch fields and to earn a decent pay, degree definitely.

Online/conversion courses wouldn't be enough to warrant a high paying job.

sorry, i am not uncomfortable sharing >.<. would a deg be much better than masters (NUS MComp)?

 

[dandylion]

I feel you are leaning on PT degree.
You don’t a higher degree to get a it job
Cyber security you will need those certificates. Yo

do you mean i would not need a masters to get a IT job?

 

[patryn33]

do you mean i would not need a masters to get a IT job?

Certainly however a path doing a Bach maybe longer than masters

there diff kinds of IT jobs too.
Some code, others just do PM job.
Coders make more but some ppl just have a hard time coding.

search around on requirements on diff jobs.

 

[Acre45]

do you mean i would not need a masters to get a IT job?

Maybe you should look around at which IT job you intend to partake and plan out which Degree/Masters (If eligible) to take on.

Usually a Degree will be enough to get a IT job

 

[MoxLotus]

As a software engineer myself, I can tell you that if you are just switching for the sake of pay, you won't be getting the high paying jobs. you will end up with the rest drawing 4-5k/mth only. Only those who are truly passionate and is good with IT can command a 5 figure monthly salary.

But it is definitely possible to switch to IT, be prepared to spend many hours everyday doing leetcode problems. On top of that, you will need to learn all the Core CS concepts. e.g. operating systems, networks. And you will still need to learn the latest technology trends. Are you prepared for these?

Lastly, I have a personal contact that graduated from NUS mech engineering with 3rd class honours (2019 batch) and currently working in Bytedance as a software engineer(7.5k/mth). I hope this guy can be an inspiration for you in the event that you wanna go down this path.

 

[dandylion]

As a software engineer myself, I can tell you that if you are just switching for the sake of pay, you won't be getting the high paying jobs. you will end up with the rest drawing 4-5k/mth only. Only those who are truly passionate and is good with IT can command a 5 figure monthly salary.

But it is definitely possible to switch to IT, be prepared to spend many hours everyday doing leetcode problems. On top of that, you will need to learn all the Core CS concepts. e.g. operating systems, networks. And you will still need to learn the latest technology trends. Are you prepared for these?

Lastly, I have a personal contact that graduated from NUS mech engineering with 3rd class honours (2019 batch) and currently working in Bytedance as a software engineer(7.5k/mth). I hope this guy can be an inspiration for you in the event that you wanna go down this path.

Hello, thank you for your reply and advice! May i know how did your friend manage to land a software engineering job with a mech eng degree? any courses he took that were recognized he is qualified?

 

[MoxLotus]

He found a job in a local start up as a software engineer at first while practicing interview questions on leetcode.