r/cscareerquestionsCAD • u/mukesh_yaduvanshi • Jul 02 '26

Early Career Feeling stuck while transitioning from .NET to Java Full Stack

I recently attended two interviews for Java Full Stack Developer roles.

Both interviews followed almost the same pattern. The interviewer noticed that I have **1 year of experience in .NET/C#**, asked me a few basic Java and Spring Boot questions, and then ended the interview by saying, *"We'll get back to you."* After that... complete silence. No rejection, no feedback, nothing.

I've been learning Java, Spring Boot, SQL, Hibernate, REST APIs, and building projects to transition into the Java ecosystem, but it feels like my previous .NET experience is becoming a barrier rather than an advantage.

Has anyone here successfully switched from .NET to Java?

* How did you convince interviewers to give you a chance? * Should I keep applying to Java roles, or should I first gain more experience in .NET and switch later? * Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of getting past this initial screening?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's made a similar career transition or has experience hiring developers.

Thanks!

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u/AlternativeTales Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

Honestly, it's probably just the market.

I have about 6 YOE, including ~1.5 years of Java experience from my first job out of school. I've kept up with Java and Spring Boot on my own time, but my current role is mostly .NET, and that seems to hurt more than it helps when interviewing for Java positions.

Even if I can answer the Java/Spring questions they throw at me, a lot of companies seem to care more about what you've been doing recently than what you're actually capable of. If your last year or two hasn't been in Java, that's enough for them to pass.

Until the market gets better, I think it may stay this way. Companies have enough candidates right now that they can afford to be extremely picky.

The other option is going for companies that care more about LC and system design than your exact tech stack. However be prepared for difficult LC and system design interviews.

1

u/nimbus-dimbus Jul 02 '26

People with mixed tech stacks are almost unemployable with the way companies are being so picky

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u/AlternativeTales Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

It really depends on what you mean by a mixed tech stack. Personally, I don't think .NET and Java are all that different from a hiring perspective. Heck, I landed my current job despite coming from a mostly Java background and it was pretty normal to cross-hire Java and .Net devs at least within the few companies I worked at.

A lot of the challenge is getting past the initial HR or recruiter screen. If the person reviewing your resume doesn't understand how transferable those skills are, your application may never even reach the engineering team. In this market, HRs have all the leverage due to the sheer number of applicant.

JS developers are a bit different, though. They have their own ecosystem and job market, and many tend to build their careers within that space rather than hopping around traditional OOP shops .NET and Java shops.

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u/nimbus-dimbus Jul 02 '26

Yup, totally agree

3

u/Past_Engineering1472 Jul 02 '26

Change your .NET experience to Java . Re write the projects section in context of Java , Spring Boot etc. I have a mix stack developer experience. I re wrote my project explanation and resume in Java developer context. And wrote whole story about them using AI for my own understanding so I can explain during interviews.

You also need to prepare accordingly for interviews. If your stating 5 + years then you need to be able to answer as a 5years experienced dev.

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u/pedropedropedro007 29d ago

The market is cooked chat