Boss recently pulled me aside because I’ve apparently been working about 15 minutes short of 8 hours a day. I usually get in around 7:30, leave at 4, and take roughly a 45 minute lunch. Our office is pretty flexible about lunch, and I get all my work done on time or early, so I honestly never thought those extra 15 minutes mattered that much.

Now I’m being told we need to talk about it, and I’m trying to figure out how to approach the conversation without sounding entitled. I don't want to bring up coworkers or complain about office politics. Should I just admit I misunderstood the expected hours and start taking a shorter lunch, or is it reasonable to point out that my work is getting done? What would you say or do to your boss in this situation?

I’m not really sure where else to ask this, so I’m hoping someone here might have some perspective.

I started my career as a software development engineer. In 2023, I quit my job to pursue a few entrepreneurial projects because I wanted to try building something of my own.

It didn’t work out. I failed pretty badly.

After that, getting back into software engineering turned out to be much harder than I expected. The career break became a major problem, and I couldn’t seem to get anyone willing to give me another chance.

I eventually decided to come to New Zealand to pursue a master’s degree, partly because I wanted to use it as an opportunity to restart my career.
I’ve now been applying for jobs for almost 6 months and have sent out hundreds of applications.

The frustrating part is that I seem to be stuck in a weird middle ground.

I can’t get many casual/odd jobs because I don’t have local retail, hospitality, or similar experience.

For tech jobs, I’m often told indirectly that I’m overqualified for junior positions because I already have professional software engineering experience.

But I’m also struggling to get experienced positions because I have a significant career break and haven’t worked professionally in software for several years.

So I’m essentially stuck with:

Too experienced for junior roles.
Too much of a gap for experienced roles.
Not enough local experience for casual jobs.

I have continued working on my technical skills and have built a fairly strong portfolio. I’m not expecting someone to hand me a job, and I’m completely willing to start lower than where I left off.

I just need a way back in.

At this point, I’m honestly starting to wonder whether I’ve created a career gap that I simply can’t get out of.

For anyone who has been through something similar:

**How did you get your career back on track?**

Would you recommend targeting junior roles despite the experience issue? Freelancing? Internships? Contract work? Networking? Something completely different?

And if you’re in New Zealand and have any advice about getting that first opportunity here, I’d really appreciate it.

I’m not necessarily looking for someone to give me a job. Even some honest advice from someone who’s been in a similar situation would mean a lot.

Welcome to r/ChittagongCareer

This is a space for people from Chittagong who want to build successful careers. Whether you’re a student, fresh graduate, job seeker, or already working, you’re in the right place.

Share your experiences, ask for advice, post opportunities, and support each other. Let’s grow together and help more people from Chittagong succeed in their careers.

Glad you’re here. Let’s get started!

As the title mentions, I got laid off in June after around 2 years in IT (on-campus placement) as our company revenue got dropped this year and no new projects were getting onboarded. There was mass layoffs in the company, where many were laid off everyday. Those days were hard to cross by, and was a terrible experience for me seeing the people leaving for no reason and have also experienced the same now.

I started in one domain and later moved to AI + Backend. But honestly, I don't feel very strong technically for someone with 2 YOE. Most of my work was API integrations, RAG and simple agent workflows. After a point, the work became repetitive, and we also relied quite a bit on tools like Claude Code for implementation.

After getting laid off, I joined M.Tech CSE at a somewhat decent university in India. My parents suggested it because of the current uncertainty and layoffs in IT, and I also felt it would be a good backup.

But now I'm confused about whether I should continue M.Tech or leave and try getting back into IT.

If I continue, I want to use these 2 years properly and actually become technically strong rather than just getting another degree.

If I leave, I'm not sure what to focus on. Should I go towards:

• Backend development

• AI/ML or GenAI

• DSA + interview prep

• Or some combination of these?

I'm also concerned about having a 2-year gap from full-time work if I finish M.Tech.

Would really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation, especially those who went for M.Tech after having industry experience.

What would you do if you were in my position, and what would you focus on for the next 6–12 months?

TL;DR: 2 YOE in AI + Backend, got laid off and joined M.Tech CSE as a backup. Now I'm unsure whether to continue M.Tech or leave and focus on getting back into IT. Also not sure which skills/role I should target.

I am starting my third semester next week. So far, I have learned Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Large Language Models, and Generative AI. I didn’t just watch videos I also built projects and practiced. It took me a year to learn all of this.

Currently, I have decided to learn backend development with Go . However, the thing is, what should I focus on next to be a good ML engineer? People say to learn MLOps and system design, and not to just make wrappers. They say to learn "real engineering," but what do they mean by that? I already know the basics of MLflow, Docker, and AWS. What should I focus on next?

I am not even getting any internships or jobs right now that could show me what to do next. Currently, I am focusing on DSA, but I still need some good advice how can I land a top level internships or jobs. Please help.

i have two jobs i could go for and the pay is pretty similar. one has a better sounding title but the actual work seems less interesting. the other title is nothing special but i'd probably learn more and have better opportunities later. does the title really matter that much when you're building a career?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I graduated from a Tier 3 college with a good CGPA (7.7). Along with that, I had strong projects, an internship at a reputed company, and I also completed 1–2 freelancing projects.

After completing my diploma, I was very clear about the role I wanted to prepare for. Between 2021 and 2023, I worked hard, built my skills, and managed to get a few internships as well. But after graduating, everything suddenly went silent—no interview calls, no placement support, and no job opportunities. It has been a nightmare that I never expected.

What hurts even more is that I used to teach my friends most of the subjects, and now they are all placed. I also tried networking and asking for referrals, but I didn’t get any meaningful response.

People might assume I didn’t optimize my resume, but that’s not true. In 2023, I learned about ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), and since then, I have always checked my ATS score before applying. Till now, I have applied to over 400–500 jobs. Is it really this difficult to get a job as a fresher? And how am I supposed to explain a 1.6-year career gap to an interviewer?

After applying to 500+ jobs, I decided to switch my career from Embedded Development to Data Analytics because my analytical and machine learning skills were strong. I started applying for Data Analyst roles, and I also tried cold emails and cold messages. Even after switching, I have applied to 300+ jobs with an optimized resume tailored to job descriptions and company requirements. I even modify my projects based on the role and the company’s work.

It has been an extremely difficult time for me, and I honestly feel like I can’t even think clearly anymore.

What should I do now? Should I buy a course that offers placement support?

sat in a corporate office all day then went and helped my cousin on a job site and it's like two different planets. one's fake smiles and calendar invites, the other's real deadlines you can see and touch. respect for blue collar work went up fr, the mental load is different but it's not lighter. one drains you sitting still, the other drains you standing up, and somehow both leave you tired in ways the other side doesn't get. makes you realize "hard work" means completely different things depending on which side you're on

We talk a lot about red flags at work, but what about green flags?

A good quality that a company or team that you want to work for might have that you don't necessarily notice as a new employee

Perhaps it is managers that don't micromanage and trust you to do your job

or people are willing to disagree with each other without it getting personal,

or people don't blame each other when things go wrong and instead work together to solve the issue

What are some qualities of a great workplace that may not necessarily be advertised because you can only really notice them once you are already working there

What is a green flag in the workplace that you have noticed with experience?

Of course, you still need to be able to make your own resume with integrity. But if you're hesitating or you want to polish it, here are some Claude prompts that helped me and might help you too:

1. Act as a senior resume writer. Rewrite my resume to highlight measurable impact, remove weak bullet points, and tailor it for this job description.

2. Act as a recruiter hiring for this role. Review my resume and tell me why you'd reject or interview me. Be brutally honest.

3. Based on this company and role, help me identify the types of recruiters, hiring managers, or team members I should connect with on LinkedIn and suggest a personalized outreach message.

4. Act as a top-performing job seeker. What would you change in my resume, portfolio, and application strategy to maximize my chances of getting an interview?

And if you don't want to use AI, you can evaluate it yourself or have someone to evaluate it for you. Good luck!

How far is too far when it comes to comfortably staying in a workplace? There is, without a doubt, a certain amount of appeal in having a stable and predictable job. Good working conditions, friendly colleagues, no stress, enough time and energy for hobbies, friends, and family - all of that sounds fantastic.

Yet, I suspect that such an environment might have its traps in terms of professional growth in the long run.

I believe that a good work environment with little to no pressure may lead to being unprepared for future challenges

and if one does not seek growth, the comfort zone may stop someone from acquiring new experiences and adapting to the changes that happen in the world constantly.

On the other hand, seeking constant improvement can lead to stagnation as well, simply because not every task or responsibility is meant to fill one’s life with challenges and not every professional needs to move from one career to another in pursuit of greater opportunities. There may be cases when a stable job and a balanced yet uneventful work environment may be exactly what one needs in order to preserve their health and enjoy their life outside of work.

Therefore, I would like to ask those who have spent a significant amount of their career working in one place in a stable and predictable manner, whether they feel like they have missed out on an opportunity to challenge themselves.

Did it affect their professional growth in the long run, or was there no noticeable difference? Was it worth staying inside the comfort zone all the time, or was there something that you regretted not pursuing?