7-8 months, 400+ applications, almost zero interviews. Trying to figure out what to actually do next.
TLDR: B.Tech IT fresher, 400+ applications across SWE and DS roles over 7-8 months, almost no interviews. One month left in Bangalore before I have to move back to Mumbai. Sitting with a real knowledge gap and fading motivation. Seriously considering pivoting to (non tehc) PM, founders office, or ops roles using my 5 years of esports industry experience. Looking for honest feedback on whether that makes sense or what I am clearly missing.
Officially passed out this year, B.Tech IT from a T3 clg in T3 city, currently in Bangalore. I relocated here alone specifically to be closer to the companies/startup ecosystem. No safety net, deliberate call. Gave myself a real shot at making something happen here. Context: Mumbai is where I live.
I have been applying since late last year across data science, ML, and SWE internship and entry-level roles. Cold emails, LinkedIn outreach (1800+ connections built doing this), referrals, job portals, reaching out to founders directly. Around 400+ applications at this point. Response rate has been brutal.
The part that gets to me is not rejections after interviews. It is silence. Which makes it genuinely hard to know what is broken. Resume? Positioning? Roles I am targeting? Something I cannot see from inside the process?
I have deployed projects, solid certifications, and 5 years of international esports operations experience from college that I have been trying to use as a differentiator. Built a portfolio too (will DM anyone who asks). On paper I feel like I am doing the right things. Clearly something is off.
Being fully honest: I got one interview recently through a personal connection. It exposed a real gap between where my technical knowledge is and what the industry actually expects. That was difficult to sit with. And grinding DSA and SQL for months with zero interviews happening has been hard to sustain motivation for, which I iwll accept I have left doing.
Here is the situation I am in right now. I have about a month left in Bangalore before I have to move back home to Mumbai. I relocated here because I genuinely believed being in this city would make a difference, and honestly I still think it has value. I like it alot here. But I am staying with bhaiya bhabhi and I do not want to stretch that longer than I should if nothing is moving. One month is the realistic window I have given myself. (I am here for 3-4 months now)
Given all of this, I have been seriously thinking about pivoting. My esports background covers international coordination, team and player management, org-level operations across multiple titles. I am starting to think roles like product management, founders office, or ops and management roles where some tech understanding matters but is not the only filter might actually suit what I bring better than pure SWE or DS tracks. I could be wrong. I also know I will face a different set of problems in non-tech roles and I am not pretending otherwise.
So two honest questions for people who have been through this or hire for these roles:
Is the market genuinely this rough right now or is there something obvious I am not seeing from inside this?
And for someone with a mixed tech and real-world ops background, does a pivot to PM or founders office type roles actually make sense or does that path have its own walls I am not accounting for?
Just want honest perspective. Will DM my resume and portfolio to anyone willing to actually look and tell me what is wrong.
If you have any sort of advice, please comment or DM!