A software developer, who was fired from his job while on probation, has shared his amazing comeback story. He told how with the help of persistent efforts, proper networking and numerous job applications, he landed a new remote job.
A software developer, who was fired from his job during his probation period, has shared his amazing comeback story. She shared how with the help of persistence, proper networking, and numerous job applications, she landed a new remote job. This developer told his entire story in a post on Reddit’s ‘developersIndia’ community. He recalled the period when a few weeks ago he was surrounded by uncertainty and despair.
He wrote, “I lost my job during probation, my income became zero.” He said that during that difficult time he was “completely broken.” But just six weeks later, things have completely changed. This techie has now accepted an offer for a fully remote job, although the salary is about 30 percent less than his previous job. “That’s enough for me right now,” he wrote.
According to the developer, the biggest game-changer in his job hunt was automation. He built a custom job scraper that collected information about new job openings every four hours from major hiring platforms like LinkedIn, Naukri, Instahyre, Wellfound, and Uplers. After applying, he went out of his way to connect with recruiters and hiring managers through LinkedIn messages and emails. Although most of the messages went unanswered, he said that with some efforts he got good opportunities for interviews.
Networking also played an important role. Former coworkers and other Reddit users helped him prepare for interviews and improve his skills. He also received many direct messages on his previous Reddit post, which led to him getting many interview calls. “I couldn’t crack them, but practice helped a lot,” she admitted.
The developer said one trend was clear in almost all interviews: Companies now expect candidates to be comfortable using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. However, he also noted that companies are more interested in practical applications than deep technical knowledge.
He also raised questions about a common mistake that he says most software engineers make while preparing for interviews. He wrote, “For DSA just do Arrays and Hashes. I’m not kidding. 90% of my interviews were limited to this.” His argument was that many candidates spend too much time learning difficult topics that are rarely asked in the actual hiring rounds.
Despite debates about how AI is changing the workplace, developers observed that the hiring process at most companies is still quite traditional. Companies still rely heavily on online assessments, coding rounds, system design discussions and behavioral interviews to screen candidates.
Instead of sitting in despair, this software engineer used his free time to create projects related to Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems and MCP servers. Additionally, he also invested time in one of his personal side projects. She said that staying productive helped her maintain focus and motivation when job applications were yielding no results.
Learning from his experience, he urged professionals not to depend solely on a single source of income. “Start making a second income now,” he advised, “not when things are going well.” At the end of the post, she shared the harsh reality of the current job market, while also giving a strong message to those who are still looking for a job.
“The market is very bad. But you have to keep trying every day.” Her story quickly went viral as many other professionals are going through job losses, career changes, and financial uncertainty. Many users described her advice as practical and down to earth, while others asked for more information on interview preparation, the DSA approach, and ways to make a side income.