Hey everyone! I've got over 15 years of experience in software engineering, mainly working with C#. A significant part of my career has been in Unity game development, but I've also collaborated with mechanical engineers to develop software for measurement and calibration devices.
I'm now thinking about transitioning into cloud engineering and backend development using C#. I'm curious about how challenging this switch might be for someone with my background. I'm already comfortable with software architecture, design patterns, and team leadership, and I primarily work in a data-driven environment (using ECS). However, I haven't directly worked with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP, nor have I dealt with microservices or containerization yet.
For those who have made a similar transition:
- What skills or concepts did you find hardest to learn?
- Are companies typically open to hiring senior C# developers without cloud experience?
- What do you recommend I focus on first (like ASP.NET Core, cloud certifications, or DevOps basics)?
I would really appreciate any advice or personal stories from anyone who has gone through this shift!
1 Answer
I'd say it's generally easier to teach C# to a backend developer than the other way around. The programming language will just be a detail; what really matters is your knowledge of the domain. Expect lots of questions about system design and cloud tools, which are typically language-agnostic. I recommend starting with some associate-level cloud certifications and diving into system design and container technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
I get that I'm missing some experience with microservices. But how long do you think it'd take to reach the required level for a job? Should I be expecting to start at a junior level?