A software developer, with a cumulative work experience of nine years in the US, said in a Reddit post that he is unable to find a job in India. He added that he returned to the country to look after his aging parents.
The techie, who was living in the US for the past 12 years, also mentioned that he has a degree from University of Michigan and has experience in full-stack development too.
“Returning to India and can’t get a single interview call!” he asserted.
Talking about his work experience, he added,“I have since worked at 2 universities as a Full Stack S/W Developer in US. (9 years – still working). My primary skillset is Python, Django (along with Django REST), JavaScript, Vue.js, Postgres. I have built web applications, data pipelines, and data visualizations.”
“I am coming back to India in May as I need to support my aging parents (mother has developed a disability and father is 78). I have applied to several jobs in India in the last 6 months but I have gotten just 1 interview call (recruiter screening – hiring manager reject).I am looking for some career advice. I HAVE TO COME BACK as I can’t leave my parents by themselves and there is still a 15+ year wait till I get my green card,” the software developer said.
Talking about the problems he faced, he further explained, “I have never worked with cloud computing or docker or kubernetes or message queues and I see these technologies listed in almost every job posting. Most devs in India already have this skill set (I am assuming). I have realized that not knowing key technologies that a senior developer like me should already know puts me at a significant disadvantage.”
Seeking advice over social media, the techie wrote, “Should I just upgrade my skillset first in the next 6 months and then try for jobs? Any advice/guidance is appreciated.”
Several other users replied to his post, wherein one user said, “Its cut throat competition in India with horrible wlb (work-life balance) unless you have contacts who can refer you.”
Another user replied, “Has your entire career been spent working at Universities? Such a work history would be considered a bit unusual in India, so that could be a factor.”