Government exams are a tough nut to crack, and leaving a stable job for them can backfire.
A techie with 6.5 years of experience in Java backend development recently shared the harsh reality of returning to IT after quitting for competitive exams.
The developer, experienced in Spring Boot and microservices, left an IT role to focus on exams like Banking, EPFO, and PGT Computer Science.
The developer even cleared a state-level written exam. But in late 2024, rules changed suddenly: eligibility now required an MTech and B.Ed, adding another 3-4 years of study with no guaranteed job.
By then, the developer had been out of IT for 2.5 years.
According to the post, the developer restarted preparation for IT roles in December 2024.
“I restarted my IT prep in December 2024 and started applying seriously around April 2025,” the post adds.
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Struggles to re-enter IT:
The developer revealed that the “gap” tag proved a major barrier. Many recruiters rejected the profile as soon as the 2.5-year gap was mentioned.
Calls often ended within two minutes, ignoring 6.5 years of prior experience.
Between August and December 2025, the developer attended 30–40 interviews. Technical rounds were cleared easily, but manager or client rounds exposed the gap, as project experience didn’t feel “fresh” to interviewers.
January 2026 brought a turnaround. Recruiters called back, and final rounds were cleared, resulting in two offers back-to-back.
“A long gap hits your skills, but more importantly, it hits your confidence and your salary growth,” the post adds.
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Check out the post here:
Reddit reacts:
Reddit users reacted with a mix of empathy and surprise. Many users related to the struggles of career gaps and the challenges of re-entering IT after leaving for government exams.
One of the users commented, “Yesterday marked 2 months of gap post layoff(~2YOE), and I'm trying but not getting any callback or interview opportunity.”
A second user commented, “I am a 2019 passout and have been unemployed since then.”
“Same story of mine, except that the gap is 3.5 yrs and 2 years. The interview situation felt the same last year. Getting rejected every time in the last round,” another user commented.
(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.)