I quit my first job in manual QA without another offer. Can I still move into development or another technical role?
https://www.reddit.com/r/developersIndia/comments/1vxpdqj/i_quit_my_first_job_in_manual_qa_without_another/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I’m a 2025 CSE graduate from India, and I recently quit my first full-time job after around a year in QA. My role was mostly manual testing, and over time I started feeling increasingly stuck. I wanted to gain stronger technical experience, but I wasn't getting the kind of learning or opportunities I expected. Towards the end, I was also assigned work without proper KT or documentation. I kept asking for the information I needed to test properly—things like API details, curls, queries, test data, and business context—but often had to figure things out on my own. My salary had improved to around ₹30k/month, so I know quitting without another offer was risky. But the long commute, work pressure, lack of learning, and feeling trapped in manual testing eventually pushed me to leave. Now I have some savings and I'm trying to figure out what to do next. My biggest question is: Can I realistically secure another job in development or another technical role, despite having around a year of experience in manual QA? I have a CSE background and some experience with programming, but I'm worried recruiters will only see me as a manual tester now. I'm open to roles such as: - Frontend development - Backend development - Full-stack development - Automation QA - Other technical/software roles where I can actually learn and grow Has anyone successfully moved out of manual QA after their first job? Is it still realistic for me to switch, especially in the current job market in India? I'd genuinely appreciate honest advice on what roles I should target and what I should focus on learning over the next few months. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/MacaroonExact1067 (https://www.reddit.com/user/MacaroonExact1067)
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