If you are aiming to become an SE from scratch, I recommend starting with certification study

Today, I had the opportunity to speak with someone who is aiming to become an SE from scratch.

What should I start with? Can I change jobs? Can I really do this?
Rather than being worried about one specific thing, they seemed to have a vague anxiety about entering the SE industry.

When aiming to become an SE from scratch, methods like attending a programming school or building a portfolio are often mentioned.

Both are helpful for learning.

However, if I were in your shoes now, I would first recommend studying for certifications.

If you attend a school, you can study according to a set curriculum.
However, from the hiring side, it is difficult to understand what and how much you have understood at the school, so it is hard to judge what that person is capable of.

A portfolio can also be an appeal, but nowadays, even with little experience, you can create something that works to some extent by using generative AI.
Therefore, unless you can explain not only by showing the work, but also why you chose that structure, where you struggled, and how you fixed it, your actual ability will not be conveyed.

If you are going to build something, I think the ideal approach is to release it as a personal project and take it to the point where someone actually uses it.
Think for yourself, build it, have it used, get feedback, and fix it. If you can experience this much, you can talk about not just the finished product, but the fact that you took initiative yourself during your job search.

And what I would most recommend to those with no experience is certifications.

In certification exams, you cannot solve problems while asking generative AI for the answers.
You must pass using only the knowledge you have memorized and your own ability to think. Getting a certification does not mean you can become an SE just like that.
However, it allows someone with no experience to show that they are studying IT in the form of passing an exam, rather than just saying it in words.

If you are wondering where to start, I think starting with the IT Passport is fine.
However, if you are aiming to be an SE, I want you to eventually make the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination your goal.

Advances in AI, age, having no experience. If you start thinking about it, there are endless factors that can make you feel anxious.

Even so, if you do nothing, the situation will not change. If you have decided you want to become an SE, start moving while you still have that passion.

As a first step, I think studying for certifications is an easy way to start and a method that leaves behind tangible results.