Introduction

Taking a break from tech is never easy — and coming back can feel impossible.

For me, the decision to step away wasn’t planned. I had just become a mother and was trying to balance my new responsibilities when I fell seriously ill with jaundice. My health was at its lowest, and I found myself unable to juggle a demanding job, caring for my little daughter, and managing my personal life.

It was a hard choice, but I knew I needed to prioritise my recovery and my family. So, I took a career break — telling myself it would be temporary, but also knowing deep down that the tech industry moves fast, and catching up later would be a challenge.

While I was happy to focus on my health and my child during those two years, there was always a voice in my head reminding me:

“You worked so hard to become an engineer… will you just let your career fade away?”

That thought stayed with me. I knew that coming back after a break would be hard, but I also knew that I didn’t want to give up on my dream of building software and solving problems through code.

This is my story of how I came back — not just as the developer I used to be, but as a stronger, more resilient, and more skilled Full Stack Developer.

Step 1 – Accepting the Gap & Making a Plan

The first and most important thing I had to do was accept my gap without feeling ashamed of it. My break was for a reason — I was taking care of my family, my newborn, and recovering from a serious illness.

I sat down and made a list:

My past skills: Android development, Java, basic data structures.
My missing skills: Modern frontend frameworks, backend development, database handling, advanced JavaScript, deployment.

That’s when my husband stepped in and said:

“You can do this. Let’s invest in your learning. I’ll support you completely.” ❤️

With his encouragement, I joined Scaler Academy to upskill myself in Full Stack Development.

Step 2 – The Reality of Learning After a Break

When people say “just learn and up skill,” they rarely talk about how hard it is when you have a family to take care of. My daily life was already packed:

Feeding and taking care of my daughter
Getting her ready for school and dropping her off
Helping her with her schoolwork and extracurricular activities
Managing household chores and cooking for the family
Dealing with emotional situations, including arguments with my MIL
Trying to find quiet moments in between to study and code

Some days I could barely sit for an hour. Other days, I would stay up past midnight just to finish a DSA problem or debug a piece of code.

It was exhausting — but every time I saw a feature work in my project or passed a tricky test case, I felt a sense of accomplishment that kept me going.

Step 3 – Building Skills and Projects

Scaler gave me a structured path and accountability. I focused on:

Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React
Backend: Node.js, Express.js, REST APIs
Database: SQL, MongoDB basics
DSA: Hashing, Arrays, Sliding Window, Prefix Sum, Bit Manipulation

I also made sure to apply my learnings through projects:

Kanban Board – A task management app with local storage, editable tasks, and priority sorting.
Weather App – Fetching live weather data using APIs and showing it with a clean UI.
E‑Commerce Website – Complete product listing, cart management, and checkout flow.
Portfolio Website – Showcasing all my projects, blogs, and skills in one place.

I deployed every project online so I could share real working links in my resume.

Step 4 – Interview Preparation & Overcoming Self‑Doubt

Even after up skilling, a question haunted me:

“Will my 2‑year career gap scare recruiters away?”

So I prepared a confident answer, focusing on:

My continuous learning during the gap
How managing a home made me more disciplined, patient, and organised
My ability to handle multiple priorities at once

I also:

Practiced DSA problems daily
Participated in contests
Attended mock interviews
Revised core concepts until I could explain them clearly

Step 5 – Lessons I Learned on the Journey

Consistency matters more than hours — even 1‑2 hours a day will take you far if you stick to it.
Your gap is not a weakness — it’s part of your story, and it can be a strength if you explain it well.
Support systems matter — my husband’s encouragement was priceless.
Projects are your best proof — a recruiter seeing a working project link is more powerful than a certificate.
Share your journey — building in public (LinkedIn, blogs) brings opportunities you can’t imagine.

Conclusion – To Anyone on a Break

If you are reading this while in a career gap, here’s my advice:

Accept your situation without shame.
Make a clear, realistic plan.
Learn daily, even if in small chunks.
Build projects and put them online.
Don’t hide your journey — own it.

You can come back stronger. I did — while being a mother, a wife, a homemaker, and now once again, a developer.

If I can do it, you can too. And when you do, you’ll realise every late night, every sacrificed weekend, and every moment of self‑doubt was worth it.

Let’s inspire each other — you can connect with me on LinkedIn, and let’s build our comeback stories together. 💙

Breaking Into Full Stack Development After a Break – My Comeback Story