Moved back to India without an offer, what should I do?
I completed my master's in the US and I worked there for a year as a programming analyst. I quit my job in early August and moved back to India without a job offer.
My previous job wants me to work more as a network administrator but I lean more towards frontend and application development. I haven't made anything in frontend for a year.
I am confused whether to start applying for jobs ASAP or focus on upskilling and then apply for jobs when I am more confident.
Go back
Don’t take a long “upskilling break.” In India, companies value people who keep working while learning on the side. Start applying for front-end roles now (React + TypeScript is still the main industry standard, even with Gen-AI around). Build small projects alongside your job search to prove skill. Most people who pause to “just learn” waste time, while those who learn while working actually grow faster. Just my advise, final decision should be yours only. Good luck friend 🫡
Thanks for the suggestion! I will have to work on a good plan.
If your previous company is ok with you working remotely, do that and may be start some gig work parallely on App development and Front end.
Eventually, if you're satisfied with your work, you can make a switch in India or move back abroad for the new role
I already quit my job so that's not really an option but maybe I can look at some gig work?
The op has shared his decision to come back and asked a question on how to build a career from here and most comments are questioning his decision.
Let me answer your question. Since you have less than a year experience, you will need a portfolio to prove your skills. There are many certifications available on courseera and othersites to become a certified frontend specialist, giving more weightage to your skills. It would be easier to join a startup or a service company now as they prioritize immediate joiners. Once you have 1-2 years experience to show on your resume , you can then switch to a better company. Search actively on Naukri and LinkedIn, reach out to frontend recruiters and hiring managers. You can even go through a recruitment consultancy to land your initial job. Good luck!
Thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking along the same lines. I am confused whether to solely work on a portfolio or do a certification along with the portfolio.
Since I already have a master's degree would it make sense for me to spend more time on a certification?
If you have a master's degree related to app development like information systems or Computer science then no need for additional certification. Your priority now should be to land a job asap, a gap of few months you can justify saying moving countries , family medical emergency etc. But if the gap moves beyond a couple of months, it becomes difficult to justify the gap.
Go back to dishes there but don't stay in india
Why not?
A lot of people have been brainwashed by reels on poor infra in India. It's not that bad as it seems but if you keep consuming such content daily you'll end up hating India. We don't see the bad part of US that often unless it comes on news. Racism, gun violence, etc is so common there. It's not always greener on the other side
tbh, this isn't really a tough situation. as long as you are skilled in whatever you are applying for, the recruiters don't really care what has happened in the past. some of them might ask, but they'll surely understand your situation.
you can also apply for interns in high growth startups. the hiring process would be fairly quick, less interview rounds and basic knowledge check. from there, your career graph can kickstart.
you need to start working on developing a really strong network and of course, skills.
@ThoroughCancer98 if you don't mind, consider shifting to bengaluru for getting opportunities quicker
Thanks for the suggestion! Startups do seem like a good idea and I have experience working with 2 of them before and they never panned out to anything so I am a bit hesitant about applying to startups.
That's quite boss move, need courage to follow your instinct and not care about norms set by world. 99% of people will question this but, i know what you mean. I also took a transfer in my job but I was ready to move if that wouldn't have worked out
I couldn't believe people paid lakhs of money in us for master and come back to India and thinking 🤔 to up skill and apply for a job,I am not demotivated you ,just thinking what is happening in market right now
It is realistic thinking that many people have and many people do say it to my face. But moving back was a decision my family and I made so I don't really regret it.
The situation is really bad in the US as well, and moving jobs anywhere is not easy in this market.
Get a job then up skill that way you won't carry any overhead. Use current skills to max out salary else you may get low level jobs in new skills.
I was thinking more along the lines of upskilling on what I already know (but may not have an in dept knowledge) and working on a good portfolio. My only concern is that if I do get a job, I will mostly focus on it instead of building on myself.
I agree
