u/InternationalBit5529

Hey everyone, I need some career advice from developers who have experience with both Laravel and ASP.NET.

I’m a junior developer and I’m currently unemployed, trying to focus deeply on one backend path to improve my chances of getting hired. I’m much more comfortable with Laravel/PHP right now because I’ve used it more, understand it better, and honestly enjoy working with it.

A while ago, I started learning ASP.NET/C# because I kept hearing that it offers more job opportunities and is in demand for enterprise jobs. But now I’m worried about getting lost between both paths instead of becoming really good at one.

In my country/area, Laravel and PHP are still used a lot, especially in agencies and smaller companies, which makes the decision even harder.

I’m confused about whether I should:
- Continue specializing in Laravel since I already know it better and enjoy it more
- Or continue with ASP.NET because it may open more opportunities long-term

For developers already working in the industry:
- Which path would you choose if you were starting again?
- Is Laravel still a strong career choice in 2026?
- Can someone still build a successful long-term career with Laravel?
- Is ASP.NET worth pushing through even if I currently feel less comfortable with it?
- How difficult was the transition from Laravel/PHP to ASP.NET for you?

I’d really appreciate honest advice from people with real experience because I don’t want to waste time or feel scattered between technologies.

I graduated in December 2023 with a CS degree, and I completed my university studies without repeating any courses.

Since graduating, I’ve done two internships (one paid, one unpaid) for a total of about 4 months, and I’ve also taken multiple courses and bootcamps.

However, I haven’t been able to land a full-time job yet.

To be honest, I take responsibility for a big part of this — I’d say around 80% is on me. After graduating, I didn’t continue improving my skills as much as I should have. I don’t feel like I’ve truly mastered any framework or built strong experience with APIs, especially in backend development, which is the field I’m trying to pursue.

Right now, I really want to change that and finally start working, but I feel a bit stuck.

My last internship ended in November 2025, so I also have a gap on my CV. I’m not sure how to best explain that in interviews, and I’m worried it might hurt my chances.

I would really appreciate any advice on:

\\-What I should focus on right now to become job-ready in backend development

\\-How to explain my gap honestly but professionally in interviews

I’m ready to put in the work — I just want to make sure I’m moving in the right direction this time.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help

I graduated in December 2023 with a CS degree, and I completed my university studies without repeating any courses.

Since graduating, I’ve done two internships (one paid, one unpaid) for a total of about 4 months, and I’ve also taken multiple courses and bootcamps.

However, I haven’t been able to land a full-time job yet.

To be honest, I take responsibility for a big part of this — I’d say around 80% is on me. After graduating, I didn’t continue improving my skills as much as I should have. I don’t feel like I’ve truly mastered any framework or built strong experience with APIs, especially in backend development, which is the field I’m trying to pursue.

Right now, I really want to change that and finally start working, but I feel a bit stuck.

My last internship ended in November 2025, so I also have a gap on my CV. I’m not sure how to best explain that in interviews, and I’m worried it might hurt my chances.

I would really appreciate any advice on:

-What I should focus on right now to become job-ready in backend development

-How to explain my gap honestly but professionally in interviews

I’m ready to put in the work — I just want to make sure I’m moving in the right direction this time.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help