A Bengaluru-based techie has sparked a discussion on Reddit after opening up about self-doubt over career growth despite having 8.5 years of experience as a full-stack developer. In a post titled "Am I behind at 31 with 8.5 years of experience and 15 LPA?", the techie sought advice on whether to start applying for new jobs or continue preparing until feeling more confident.
The 31-year-old said that he has spent most of his career working in service-based companies and currently earns a fixed salary of ₹15 LPA. "I'm based out of Bangalore with around 8.5 years of experience as a full stack developer. I've been working mostly in service based companies, and I'm currently earning 15 LPA," he wrote.
He shared that he has been preparing for a job switch over the past few months but was discouraged by how competitive the market has become. "I know the basics of DSA, system design, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD, but I don't feel confident enough with them for interviews," he said.
The techie added that the lack of confidence has become a bigger obstacle than the technical preparation itself. "The worst part is that it's affecting my confidence. I have friends and former colleagues who have offered to refer me, but I'm actually hesitant to ask for referrals because I keep thinking I'm not ready yet. I'm worried I'll end up wasting their referral or perform poorly in interviews," he said, asking others whether he should start applying immediately or wait until he felt more prepared.
What did social media say?
{{/usCountry}}What did social media say?
{{/usCountry}}The post attracted several responses from users who encouraged the developer to stop waiting for the "perfect" time and gain confidence through interviews.
One user wrote, "You're not behind, just under-confident. Don't wait to feel 'ready', start applying now. Interviews will show your gaps faster than prep ever will. Also, referrals aren't a favor, they just get your resume seen. Prep in parallel and iterate. Waiting is the only real mistake here."
"You are definitely not behind. 8.5 years with 15 LPA is something you can improve on with the right interview prep. The market is tough, but companies still hire good engineers who can adapt, especially with AI changing how we work. Start applying now and come out of your comfort zone and use interviews to level up instead of waiting for the 'perfect' time," commented another.
"No one is ever 100% ready. If you keep waiting until you feel 'prepared enough,' you'll probably never start. Begin interviewing now and keep preparing alongside it. Interview with all kinds of companies, even ones you're not particularly interested in. Treat them as practice. You'll gain real interview experience, identify your weak spots, and most importantly, get over the fear of interviews. After a few rounds, your confidence will improve dramatically, and you'll be much better prepared when the opportunity you actually want comes along," wrote a third user.
"I don't think you're behind. If anything, you're probably underpaid for 8.5 YOE, but that's something you can change. One mistake I see a lot of people make is waiting until they feel '100% ready' before applying. Interviews themselves are one of the fastest ways to identify your gaps. I'd start applying now while continuing to prepare. Even if the first few interviews don't convert, you'll get a much better sense of what's actually being asked than by studying indefinitely," said another.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)