From non-tech to QA... and then back to non-tech. I'm feeling completely stuck

Hi everyone,

I have been working in a non-tech role for about 3 years. After a year, I got an opportunity to participate in an internal program that allowed non-tech employees to transition into tech roles through online assessments, training programs, and interviews for almost a year.

I was selected for the QAE (Quality Assurance Engineer) track and completed a 4-month internship working onsite with a tech team. During the internship, I worked with Java, Selenium, Playwright, TestNG, REST Assured, SQL, Maven, Git, and automation testing. It was my first real exposure to software engineering, and I genuinely enjoyed the work. It made me realize that this is the career I want to pursue.

Unfortunately, after the internship ended, I wasn't converted into a full-time QAE role. HR informed me that I had to return to my previous non-tech role.

Since then, I've been applying internally for Junior QAE, Automation QA, and SDET-related roles, while also applying externally through LinkedIn, company career pages, and job portals. So far, I haven't had much luck. Most of the time, I don't receive any response, which has been quite discouraging.

The hardest part has been going back to my non-tech role after spending months working with a tech team. It feels like I finally found a career I was passionate about, developed the necessary skills, and then had to step away from it.

Even so, I haven't stopped learning. I'm continuing to improve my Java, Selenium, API automation, SQL, and automation framework skills while applying for opportunities whenever I can.

At this point, I'm honestly questioning whether I'm on the right path.

For those who are already working in QA, SDET, or software engineering:

- Am I making the right career choice by pursuing QA, especially in the current job market?

- If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 3–6 months?

- Should I continue focusing on QA/SDET roles, or would it make more sense to pivot toward software development or another tech role?

- Should I keep trying for internal opportunities, or focus entirely on external applications?

- Is there something I could be doing differently to improve my chances of getting interviews?

I'm not looking for sympathy—I genuinely want honest opinions. If you think I'm making a mistake, please tell me why. If you think I should keep going, I'd also love to hear what helped you break into the industry.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.