From 8 Years of Backend Coding to Full‑Stack Leadership: Lessons from a Real‑World Interview

1. Self Introduction

First, I have about eight years of backend development experience, two years with .NET and the rest with Python. I worked in a small coastal city where the IT market is limited, so I became a “full‑stack” web developer, handling front‑end Angular, back‑end Python, and server deployment alone.

2. Mid‑life Anxiety

After two years as a technical partner earning 12 K and holding equity, the company’s financial situation deteriorated, leading to salary delays and growing anxiety about future employment stability, especially as I approach my thirties.

3. Thinking About Returning to Xiamen

I started applying to larger, preferably listed, companies to gain stability and growth. After several rejections, a listed gaming company in Xiamen invited me for an interview, even though I lacked game‑server experience but had extensive Python background.

4. Interview – Written Test

The written test asked me to describe my most challenging project, its architecture, difficulties, and solutions. I outlined a micro‑service architecture consisting of five services (user, points, membership card, merchant, order) communicating via REST API, with separate databases on a single server using read/write splitting, distributed servers with load balancing, single sign‑on, and an Angular front‑end.

5. Interview – HR Round

The HR asked why I wanted to move to Xiamen and probed my management experience with scenario questions about stock trading during work hours and salary increase requests. I admitted my answers were not ideal and reflected on the need to consider the company’s policies and environment.

6. Interview – Technical Round

After a two‑hour discussion, I proposed a minimum salary of 18 K. The interviewers later replied that my technical skills were average and did not stand out compared to other candidates.

7. Summary

This was my first interview outside my hometown in six years. I realized that in a management role I must improve my leadership abilities and not focus solely on technology, and that periodically interviewing helps avoid becoming isolated in one’s own perspective.

8. Eight Years of Coding – Where Does It Lead?

Recently I cleared a project deployment and realized many of my side‑projects have been shut down, leaving me questioning the meaning of the countless hours spent building them. I reflected on the transient nature of projects, the frustration of seeing my work disappear, and the urge to keep learning despite the uncertainty.

9. Continuing the Journey

Even though I feel lost, I continue to learn new technologies—front‑end Angular, Linux server management, web crawling with Scrapy and Django, machine‑learning basics, micro‑service development, and even dabbling in blockchain—hoping to find purpose beyond meaningless tasks.