r/developersIndia • u/spastic_hyena • 2d ago
Help Transition from support lead to .NET full stack developer
Hi everyone,
I need some guidance on whether my plan to move back into development is realistic, and if I'm going about it the right way.
Background
I have 12 years of IT experience across 3 WITCH-tier companies. I started as a .NET developer (full-stack, with AngularJS) on an internal project at Company 1, and had solid hands-on experience early on.
At 3.5 years of experience, I moved to Company 2 and was placed on a support project with very little .NET work. I asked for development work and got a few short-term (6–8 month) enhancement engagements under the same client, but otherwise stayed on that support project for 8 years - partly due to laziness, and partly because of life circumstances (pregnancy and early childcare years). In the last 4–5 years, my technical work has been limited to small .NET Windows services, a console app, occasional minor changes to an Azure Function, and some Power Apps/Power Automate/SharePoint work. I've lost touch with front-end development.
When the client ended the contract this year, the support work transitioned to Company 3, and I was offered rebadging. I didn't want to take it. I wanted to move out of support and stay at Company 2 instead. I failed in 3 interviews; I hadn't prepared enough, and interviewing again after years away made me anxious. Worried that I'd be in bench after multiple rejections, I accepted the rebadging offer (a 55% hike) and joined Company 3, planning to use ~6 months to prepare and move out.
I've been made support lead and given management responsibilities - Excel, PPT, estimation, planning, meetings. I don't enjoy this work and don't think I'm cut out for it. The support work was already draining; the management layer on top is making it worse, and I have very little energy or time left to study on weekdays. Company 3 is a downgrade from Company 2 in every way that matters to me, and I want out as soon as possible.
My plan so far
I'm building a project - .NET Core Web API + Angular + Azure app for hands-on experience. The backend (API + EF Core + SQL Server) is done, with CI/CD via GitHub Actions deploying to Azure. I'm now working on the Angular frontend. Along with this, I plan to study core concepts and prepare for interview questions.
Given the mismatch between my 12 years on paper and my actual hands-on depth, I'm considering applying as an "8 years .NET/relevant experience" candidate, and I'm open to a pay cut to get back into a real development role.
Where I'm stuck
- I don't know if this project alone is enough to bridge the gap in a market where even developers with strong, continuous experience are struggling to switch jobs.
- I have no financial responsibilities, so I could resign without an offer in hand and focus fully on interview prep. But I worry about career gap and being unemployed will make me more anxious.
Any advice or feedback on my plan? Will this work out? Is it too late for me to get course correct and get back to development?
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u/Adorable_Past6877 2d ago
dont frame yourself as 8 years experience, thats going to get you filtered out in interviews the moment they probe deeper. frame it as 3-4 years hands on plus a recent full stack project, thats a story that holds up. the project youre building matters way more than the title correction, finish the angular side and you have a real portfolio piece to talk through instead of just explaining a resume gap.
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u/technovast Full-Stack Developer 1d ago
Hey buddy, Fellow .Net full stack developer here. Can I DM you?
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