Definitely go for it.  The code is the truth.

There's time yet... I hope so anyway I am 44 and thinking time for same lol

It's never too late to learn a new skill!  Happy to see you're getting into programming; could open up lots of new opportunities if you get good at it.  

I would recommend learning Java to start with.  That language is the one most commonly used in the finance world right now.  Java's syntax is similar to other highly useful languages such as C#, C++, and Scala, so once you become proficient in Java, learning the other major languages is easier.  But whether you start with Java or not, pick one language and focus on it until you become proficient.  Then pick another one.  Don't try to learn multiple languages at once; that's like trying to run before you can walk.  For Java, you can download the free IntelliJ code editor.  It's the one I use at work, not too hard to figure out and quite versatile in its feature set.  Some people might recommend Eclipse, but I find IntelliJ a bit easier to use.

I can't recommend any online courses from personal experience as I'm self taught and had on-the-job training, but found this which looks interesting:  https://www.udemy.com/java-tutorial/

There's also the official tutorials from Oracle: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/

And there are plenty of good video tutorials on IntelliJ: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DDHEYPzXm94

Keep up the great work.

@kafkanarchy84 how is your journey going? I'm 34, in Tokyo and taking on a similar challenge :)

Hey, you're not alone. At 32, I'm interested in getting into coding as well. Go for it!

I feel coding is the language of the future. If you can't speak it, you'll be like a deaf person or a <a href="https://steemit.com/relationships/@lukestokes/if-you-re-not-tech-savvy-you-re-a-muggle">muggle among wizards</a>. I see some suggestions have already been given here like Code Academy. Here are a few more:
* Harvard classes like <a href="https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x?source=aw&awc=6798_1473786128_f9e7770435147ed3ff3c31651368d8a5&utm_source=aw&utm_medium=affiliate_partner&utm_content=text-link&utm_term=78888_Skimlinks">cs50x</a>
* <a href="https://bento.io/grid">Bento</a>
*  <a href="https://www.pluralsight.com/">Pluralsight</a>
* <a href="https://www.codeavengers.com/">Code Avengers</a>
* <a href="https://www.udemy.com">Udemy</a>

If you're just wanting to get the very, very basics in terms of `if` tests, `for` loops, etc, you might want to start with Scratch. <a href="https://gamesbydevon.wordpress.com/">I built some games with my son</a> and had a blast with it. The first game we made was a <a href="https://gamesbydevon.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/race-car-game-with-bombs/">race car game</a>.

Okay, and now for the tough love. Branching out on a new career is something you should do from a position of strength, IMO. You should have a solid job, savings, and life in general in a pretty stable place. Those who are successful take calculated risks, not crazy ones. If I were in your position, I'd get a stable job first, pay down debt, and get some savings together. From there, I'd start working nights and weekends to learn something new. I'd start building basic HTML web pages for friends for free. From there I might branch out to doing more complex things like a simple database driven website. Eventually, start charging for your work and look into a local program like this one we have in Nashville: http://nashvillesoftwareschool.com/ Even if you end up getting into a more backend language like python, knowing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will always be helpful.

Good luck, Graham. Let me know if I can help in any way. Also, you may enjoy this keynote I gave about <a href="https://steemit.com/entrepreneurship/@lukestokes/turning-your-code-into-a-company">turning your code into a company</a>.

I also messed with code when I was younger, even took an advanced placement computer science course in high school, but I never really focused on it as I grew. Lately I've been looking at getting back into it as well. I started taking an HTML/CSS course at codecademy just to brush up on that and I'm hoping to move on to Python eventually. I'd love to get to a place where I can do some freelance work to help or even cover the bills.

so far i know only of this https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency.

https://www.thefirehoseproject.com

My son completed their course and has nothing but great things to say about the course and his experience with them.

Good for you, it's never too late to start programming :)