Should I Learn Coding Now After 2 Years of Career Struggles?
Posted by stillbecoming11@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 19 comments
Hi everyone,
I’m a 2024 BTech CS graduate looking for honest career guidance.
After graduation, I got an off-campus offer from Accenture, waited around 6 months for onboarding, and then the offer was revoked. Since then, I’ve been trying different paths but nothing has worked out properly.
- Applied for developer roles but didn’t get results, and I never felt very strong interest in coding
- Worked as a BDA (sales), but it turned out to be a scam — spent my own money and wasn’t reimbursed or paid
- Took an HR WFH role, but again no payment
- Recently joined a remote testing role, completed onboarding, and then got ghosted
So effectively, I’ve been unemployed since graduation.
For the last 2 months, I’ve been applying seriously and reaching out to people, but not getting much response. Right now I’m focusing on software testing (manual + basic automation), but I’m confused about my direction.
My biggest question is: Should I learn coding seriously now?
I mean after all this, I still feel like I can’t do anything concrete career-wise. Maybe coding is something I avoided before but should commit to now.
I’d really appreciate honest advice:
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Is it worth starting coding now in 2026 with my situation?
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Can I realistically get a job if I start learning now?
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Should I continue with testing instead?
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If coding, what should I focus on first to get employable fastest?
Looking for practical advice, especially from people who were stuck and restarted late.
Thank you.
AqibHudaSyed@reddit
Based on my experience in IT, I’d suggest getting into coding only if you genuinely enjoy it, not just for the sake of employment. If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll most likely begin with Python since it’s beginner-friendly. But the reality is, even after learning Python, getting interview calls can be tough because most companies expect at least 2–3 years of development experience. Freshers often struggle since companies usually don’t want to hire and train from scratch, I’ve been in that situation myself after my post-graduation.
A more practical approach would be to start with Linux, basic networking, and some scripting (Shell or Python), and aim for support roles. These roles are generally easier to break into compared to development. Once you get your foot in the door, you can gradually upskill in the domain you’re interested in and switch later.
Also, considering you have a 2-year gap, if you don’t have solid projects or something meaningful to justify it, companies will treat it as a gap. That’s another reason why targeting support roles first can be a smarter move.
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
Yes i am so confused and on a verge of giving up, everything is falling apart.. idk what to do anymore
AqibHudaSyed@reddit
Start with the basics. Study for 1–2 hours daily instead of pushing for long sessions, and focus on consistency over motivation. Once you begin, things will gradually start to make sense.
PainBad@reddit
This is completely off topic, but why do people say Python is "beginner friendly"? What about it that makes it easy? I tried to learn it as a non-developer who knows some C#, and found it to be very hard compared to C#, especially the syntax, it didn't make sense to me, it was so messy that I couldn't even read it. I can read many languages I don't know but not Python.
CrAIzy_engineer@reddit
I find curious that someone can get a cs degree without pretty serious coding skills. I work in it and do a bit of coding and I am not comming from cs but other more industrial engineering field.
We learnt also some coding but the people from cs in my uni were doing crazy things from the first semester.
I would say a getting good at coding would definitely not be a bad idea
MiStEr_DaNgErR@reddit
It's never too late, go for it, meanwhile try to solve someone's actual problem, like reach out to small business etc try to offer your services or solve a bug on their existing software
Melodic-Pen-6934@reddit
No good cs graduate will pivot into hr, sales role. Your best bet was WITCHA. But it sailed away.
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
Easy to judge when you know nothing about someone’s actual situation. Do you even know the reality of CS freshers right now? Many are unemployed for 2 to 3 years despite having degrees and skills. People do what they have to do when life doesn’t go the way you planned. Even after everything I’m going through, I’m still not giving up and asking for advice here. Isn’t that enough reason to be kind instead of arrogant?
Melodic-Pen-6934@reddit
I can clearly say you are not skilled. I don't want to entertain your pity party. If you have put so much efforts in learning programming or cs from first principles you can't pivot to any other field. Eg if you are good at dsa till dynamic atleast medium level , your brain won't allow you to pivot to another field because you know are pretty good at what you do . I come from an arts degree and working as an AI engineer , many of my colleagues don't even have a degree. We work in ai agents and voice based llms. The problem with you is you are pivoting to and fro. I'm also from India. You just have to stand and fight in your respective field. Ps : I'm not arrogant , sorry if it sound rude
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
Easy to judge when you know nothing about someone’s actual situation. Do you even know the reality of CS freshers right now? Many are unemployed for 2 to 3 years despite having degrees and skills. People do what they have to do when life doesn’t go the way you planned.
TigerAnxious9161@reddit
Whatever you choose wishing you all the best.
One-Chip9029@reddit
Yes you should learn coding. In 2026, knowing how to code isn't just about syntax it's about AI assisted development. Companies look for people who can use LLMs and AI agents to build and ship products faster than ever.
fa1re@reddit
Yeah, but you have to compete against developrs with actual experience with building apps and juniors with proper education, and some markets are growing more and more hostile towards juniors... I wouldn't say this is a good time unless you know you will be better than median of people who are leaving university.
syklemil@reddit
This sounds like a question for /r/cscareerquestions, possibly with your country code tacked on at the end.
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
I tried to post but it got removed
adotomov@reddit
If you are not interested in coding, then you should not consider this as a viable career path. Writing code is actually the easy part, it's the "reward" you get after thinking through design, architecture, implementation. Software engineering is a craft, it's art. You have to be passionate about solving problems and finding solutions. Writing the actual code is just the tool you use to express your ideas, to actually solve the problems. If you look at it as a boring, mundane think that you do 9-5 just to get a decent paycheck...you are not getting far.
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
At this point, I’m just thinking about survival and getting a start somewhere. Things feel out of control right now, and I don’t even know how to explain everything properly.
highjohn_@reddit
I started coding 1.5 years ago and work in IT. Now I get to work on creating internal tools, and am considering a career in solutions engineering.
I’d say go for it.
stillbecoming11@reddit (OP)
Noted