What's the best way to pursue a change in career without a ton of extra time and financial options?

Gary,

First of all, great to see someone who knows what they want and is willing to work hard to get it. :)

A big factor in a career change like the one you mention is existing financial commitments. If you have family and/or debts that must be attended to then sometimes the financial challenge is much bigger than the technical one.

So, let's assume for a moment that income is not a burden for you, only capital cost. That means you can afford to enter a career at junior levels and work your way up to the better paying senior levels over time.

If that is the case then your greatest challenge is going to be your local market. While telecommuting is an option for some positions you must assume that the junior positions you will be looking for won't have that option. So that means the job you are looking for is likely to require you to physically attend an office.

That being the case, identify the local demand that falls within the skillsets within your reach. You are looking for that overlap of demand and skillset that you can slot right into.

A good place to start is your current connections. While most of your professional associates are not likely to be hiring managers for junior tech roles, they may know people who know people who are hiring. Also, they may well know of resources such as job listing websites that will help you identify those opportunities that are within your physical and technical reach.

Once you have identified those opportunities, target your learning for them. TeamTreehouse has a crazy amount of content on it so it is unlikely that you will find it lacking in content that will get you started on any skill development you require. I find quite the opposite infact where there is so much content that it is difficult to stay motivated on a single skillset. That's where tracks help. Find a track that includes courses that help you with the skillsets you have identified are needed in your market and complete the track. Then you can build on that with further workshops and spend a lot of time in the forums.

That is where the true power of online learning is. I find that the more I read people's questions and answers on the forums the more I am understanding what was taught to me in the content. Nothing makes you understand better than working to solve someone elses problems. And THAT is exactly what you will be doing in a real world career. :)

So, you are off to a great start. Finding the right online learning platform is a massive challenge. Now that I have found TeamTreehouse I have accomplished far more in the past weeks than I have in years using other resources and platforms online.

And remember, tailor your learning to skills that are in demand for your local market. That will ensure your valuable time is spent learning skills that will help you achieve that mid 2016 goal! :D

Good luck!

Nathan.