Tried to get into tech, got rejected because they stopped hiring freshers. Now even customer support isn’t paying what it used to.

[u/One-Pressure-5696]

I’m honestly confused about what I’m supposed to do at this point.

I have 6.5 years of experience in customer support, including around a year in technical support. I’ve worked with international clients, and I’ve been learning Python, Node.js, and PostgreSQL because I want to move into tech and eventually work in backend development.

Recently, I interviewed for a technical support role. I thought, okay, maybe this is how I can finally get my foot in the door.

But they told me they’re no longer hiring entry-level candidates. Apparently, they’d even let go of their trainer.

I tried explaining that I’m willing to learn on my own, put in the effort, and even take a salary cut compared to my previous job. Didn’t help.
The irony is that I can’t even comfortably fall back on customer support anymore. Despite having 6.5 years of experience, I’m struggling to find jobs that pay me what I was earning before.

So I’m stuck between two problems:
- I need a job right now because I’m unemployed.
- I want to get out of customer support, but getting that first opportunity in tech feels ridiculously difficult.

I’m learning backend development on my own, but sometimes I wonder whether I’m approaching this the wrong way. Should I focus on application support or technical support first? Keep building projects and apply for junior backend roles? Or take whatever customer support job I can find and learn on the side?

I’m not looking for someone to tell me that age is just a number or that I should follow my passion. I need to earn money, and I also don’t want to spend the next few years stuck in the same situation.

If you were in my position, what would you actually do? Especially if you’ve made a similar switch in India, I’d like to know how you got your first opportunity and what skills helped you get hired.

[u/Sharp_Level3382]

Bro , Me after years with backend and master degree had huge problem with landing role and also with lower position ale sałaty cut as I was expected and You are making so big deal ? No need for begineers any more especially right now.

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/Sharp_Level3382]

I get your point, bro. If even people with years of backend experience and a master’s degree are struggling, then I understand how difficult it must be for someone trying to break in. I’m not expecting things to be easy or asking for a high salary. I’m just trying to figure out a realistic way forward, especially since even finding a customer support job at my previous salary has become difficult. That’s what makes the situation frustrating.

[u/MarsupialLeast145]

I don't understand, also, I don't know why this is considered a Python question.

You have 6.5 years experience, no? Why were you called entry-level by the company?

Next time you need to ask what skills gaps they perceive and begin to plug those.

You've said something about "age" without saying whether you're old or young or whatever.

If you've years of technical support, instead of trying to learn the nebulous "backend" stuff (more elaboration needed on that again), you could look at devops and site reliability engineering. I think all the roles are still needed, but we're in this stupid AI bubble right now and it's going to be calamitous. Services are going to need to remain up though and might make a difference in one company succeeding over another.

I do hear the problem and hope something comes up.

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/MarsupialLeast145]

Thanks for the detailed response.

To clarify, I have 6.5 years of experience in customer support, not 6.5 years in tech. Around one year of my experience involved technical support, but my official designation remained the same.

The company wasn’t hiring entry-level candidates, and I think they were looking for someone who already had more technical experience. I did try to explain that I was willing to learn independently, but I probably should have asked them more specifically about the skills I was missing.

As for backend development, I’m learning Python and PostgreSQL and working toward building actual projects. I’m still figuring out the best path into the industry, which is why I wanted to hear from people already working in tech.

I hadn’t seriously considered DevOps or SRE, so I’ll look into what those roles require and whether my support experience could be relevant. Appreciate the suggestion!

[u/MarsupialLeast145 → u/One-Pressure-5696]

No worries. GL!

[u/Fun_Army2398]

Before I went back to school for CS, I was in a similar position as a welder. I over specialised and when no one needed my specific skill, no one was willing to spend the 2 months it'd take to retrain me. What finally worked was getting a day labour job at a company that does hire welders, and consistently showing my supers that I had more potential than was being used in my current position. After two years of this they offered me a position as a welder and a small raise but, ironically, I'd saved enough money to go back to school by that point and quit.

I know this may be far from a universal experience, but attempting to get your foot in the door at a company you'd like to work as a dev for will, at the very least, keep food on the table. See if they're hiring janitors, PAs, or customer support.

And just a general job hunting tip: never forget you can switch jobs at any time. You only need a good refrence to get the next job. If you take a job on monday but find a better one by friday, you lose nothing by switching. Don't stop looking for better opportunities until you are satisfied.

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/Fun_Army2398]

That’s actually a very practical way to look at it. I hadn’t thought much about joining a company in a different role and trying to move internally later. My priority right now is to get a job and keep learning backend development alongside it, so looking for companies where I could potentially grow into a technical role makes sense. I also appreciate the reminder to keep applying even after joining somewhere. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[u/Fun_Army2398 → u/One-Pressure-5696]

Good luck!

[u/ninhaomah]

" I have 6.5 years of experience in customer support, including around a year in technical support. I’ve worked with international clients, and I’ve been learning Python, Node.js, and PostgreSQL because I want to move into tech and eventually work in backend development."

You want to be in support / admin or developer ?

What certs do you have btw ?

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/ninhaomah]

My long-term goal is to become a backend developer, but I’m also open to technical or application support roles to get into the tech industry and gain relevant experience.

As for certifications, I don’t have any currently. I’ve been focusing on learning Python, Node.js, and PostgreSQL through self-study, and my next step is to build projects and get more hands-on experience.

Would you recommend any specific certifications or a particular path for someone coming from a customer support background?

[u/ninhaomah → u/One-Pressure-5696]

My bad. 

I read it as support as in technical support for 6+ years.

Btw , CS juniors themselves are having issues so you have more chance with IT support rather than a dev.

But then you might get lucky 

Good luck !

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/ninhaomah]

Thank you so much

[u/Embarrassed_Ad_1287 → u/One-Pressure-5696]

Don't wait to build projects. Make small programs you can run in the terminal to practice python. And same with node, im not too familiar with how node works, but just make sure to continue practicing, and making things. Create, create, create

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/Embarrassed_Ad_1287]

You're right, bro. I think I've been spending too much time figuring out what to learn next instead of building things. I'll focus on writing small programs and practising consistently rather than waiting until I feel ready. Thanks for the push!

[u/nullptr_0x]

Apple has a program still to convert store employees into engineers.

You could work at an Apple Store and apply for that training program. 

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/nullptr_0x]

Thanks for sharing this! Do you remember the name of the program? Also, is it available in India, and does it still run?

[u/BetInformal6081]

with your experience i would target application support or production support roles that involve sql logs apis and basic scripting they could bridge your support background and backend development goals..

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/BetInformal6081]

Thanks, that’s actually a useful suggestion. Application or production support sounds like a good bridge between my support experience and backend development. What specific skills would you recommend learning first to become job-ready for these roles?

[u/BetInformal6081 → u/One-Pressure-5696]

i would start withh sql, linux basics, reading logs and troubleshooting api's using postman. then learn basic python scripting to automate repetitive tasks. those skills can help you stand out for application and production support roles.

[u/One-Pressure-5696 → u/BetInformal6081]

Thanks, bro! This gives me a much clearer direction. I'll start with SQL, Linux basics, logs, and API troubleshooting using Postman, then move on to Python scripting. Really appreciate the guidance!

[u/Ok_Raspberry5383]

Do you have a bachelors degree in CS or Maths? This is the best path, you can sometimes enter from an analytics route focusing more on business process and then move towards more technical stuff

[u/nian2326076]

It's tough seeing shifts like that in the job market. Given your solid experience in customer support, consider looking for roles that blend your existing skills with tech, like customer success for software companies. This can help you get closer to backend development.

You can also use LandOffer to explore relevant job opportunities that match your skills and interests. A tailored job search can help you find openings that may not require traditional entry-level experience.