I'm considering web development, database administration, and software development/programming. How can I tell which area would be right for me?

I suggest you read about each section of focus at a high level and see which one you learn the fastest and enjoy most. Once you select the focus, find a mentor as you will need support first couple years doing the job.

You don't need a bachelor in CS to do these job. A college degree will do. You can study for some certifications to get thing started and your foot in the door. To give you an idea, I've trained a construction worker to become an unix admin, mentored a history and a biologist major as an analyst, and a journalist as a tester. None of them has a CS degree. Few classes or certifications started their career in IT. I know few top software developers have no college degree. Continuous learning through reading and applying is the key.

These 3 areas are indeed very different from each other, and they each require different sets of skills and natural ability. I can try to categorize them a bit for you, at a high level, so you can think about where you best fit. First and foremost, I think you should base your decision on the activities that make you the most happy. What are you passionate about? What are you good at naturally? What makes you feel excited when you think about solving a problem?

First you need a computer connected to the Internet. If you don't have one, I buy my computers from https://discountcomputerdepot.com/. They offer a one year guarantee (and they really mean it) excellent service. They are an authorized recondition dealer. This is not a sales pitch it is just where I buy my computers for the best price and service. Currently, we have seven computers in our house used for working from home, creating programs, enjoying the Internet and answering CareerVillage.com questions.

Another way to save money is to download and use open source software that can be loaded from the Internet onto Microsoft O/S or Linux O/S and they are free.

During my career as a Release Engineer, I programmed (many different languages), database programmed (Oracle, SQL and MySQL) and created web pages. Also, I worked with the groups that specialize in these tasks on a daily basis by suggesting changes, improvements and testing their results before and after adding to the Production release.

When I was worked in Boston I joined a number of computer meetup groups and there is no better way to learn about these computer science areas than talking to the people that work at it on a daily basis.

This link lists the meetup groups within 25 miles of your home Fairfax Virginia.

https://www.meetup.com/topics/computer-programming/us/va/fairfax/events/

Next learning a programming language:

There are three programming languages you should start with: 1) JavaScript 2) Python 3)SQL, and there is no better place to learn them for free--W3SCHOOLS.com. There a number of others but this is the one I like and learn from the best. Also, you should buy some text books that you can read and markup with important information. A book that I bought to learn about creating a web site and learning about open source programming is: WordPress All-in-One for dummies. I also have JavaScript , Python and SQL (MySQL) books.

All three of the professions you are considering are changing and improving every day. So you need to continue learning every day. I have learned computer science for over 40 years and I am still learning every day.

I hope this information has helped you learn more about computer science!!

My personal experience taught me that you should do something that you like/enjoy doing for 10+ hours a day. If you land a job on software discipline you will be working hard.

Anyway, here are my personal tips. Big companies are starting to waive the "required" bachelor's in CS; however, is all about discipline and personality. People, hire based on biased opinions and if they like (or can work with,) the candidate.

There are really good online courses on CS fundamentals which are cheaper than bachelor's. The key here would be making a routine and showing your work online on any code versioning tool.

I'd like to add that software engineers never stop learning - we are constantly researching, reading and sharing knowledge. Even to this day, StackOverflow is my place to go-to for answers.

Lastly, about the CS discipline, that is really though question for anyone to answer for you. Check the job descriptions for each role. Ask to actual people who work on these roles, how their day to day is... Bottom line is that once you have basic CS knowledge you can do whatever role. That's the beauty of this, you can overcome the gap any time. I went from C++ to java to typescript. Honestly, I miss C++ but that's why I make side projects. Is up to you.

Feel free to connect with me and asking questions. I wish you best of luck on your new journey.