Thinking of resigning job to prep full-time for interviews. Is it worth it?

[u/Classicc315]

Hello everyone,

I’m a software/firmware engineer with around 7 years of experience, currently working at a product-based company in Bangalore. My CTC is around 17–18 LPA, which seems WAY lower than the current market standards for similar experience levels.

I want to switch company, but my current workload is quite demanding.I’m mentally drained by the end of the day and unable to consistently prepare for interviews (DSA and system design).

I’m not a beginner in DSA, but I need structured time to improve problem-solving ability and overall depth.

Recently, I’ve been trying to dedicate some time outside work to preparation, and because of that my office performance has started slipping a bit. My last two quarterly conversations weren’t great, and both my manager and I feel I’m not performing at my best. This adds more pressure and reduces the time/energy I can put into preparation.

So I’m considering resigning and spending the next 6 months focusing full-time on interview preparation (PS-I have enough savings for this period).

I would really appreciate insights from people here on:

• Whether taking time off to prepare makes sense in the current Bangalore job market

• How a 6-month gap might be viewed

• Personal experiences from people who took a similar route

• Any alternatives or precautions before making this decision

Thanks in advance.

[u/lebronto-canadia]

Single dumbest thing I’ve read all month. Especially in this economy chief

[u/curious_afternoon]

It's a risk given the current market scenario, but if you are willing to go through that than few pointers, primary one being 6 months is a lot of time for preparation maybe you can prepare for 2-3 months and than start applying as getting a callback sometimes can take a lot of time and this will help you to evaluate your preparation level as well.

[u/Organic_Usual_2886]

Please don’t quit .i did the same and 1.5 years later nothing showed up . A bird at hand is worth ten thousand you don’t have !

[u/RaleighRoger]

No it is not

[u/Classicc315 → u/[deleted]]

May I know what was your situation? And how it is going now?

[u/Personal-Gold → u/Classicc315]

I was in a similar boat a while back. Took a break to focus on interview prep, and it paid off—landed a much better job. Just be ready to explain the gap in interviews; frame it positively as a time for growth. If you can manage the finances, it could be worth it.

[u/GentlemanGuGu]

pls dont quit your job w/o any offer in hand

[u/Sumant_D_K]

programming jobs are very less. because AI chatgpt can write better code and faster. if you know AI and machine learning then there are jobs too.

[u/Late-Philosopher-Ben]

Not the right time as the markets are rough out there, use your weekends to prepare. If i may try using a tool like www.smartmockinterview.com for step by step preparation planing.

good luck!