Trying to move from support into a dev role at the same company — has anyone actually done this?
I'm in a support/QA-ish role and I've been learning to code on the side for about a year. There's an internal opening on a dev team and my manager knows I'm interested.
Part of me thinks the internal path is easier (they already know I show up, I understand the product); part of me worries they'll only ever see me as 'the support person.' If you've made an internal transfer into engineering — how did you position it, and did your existing reputation help or hurt?
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AnonymousAnon Did exactly this — support to backend at the same company. The support background was secretly a huge advantage: I already knew the product, the common failure modes, and half the engineers. My advice: start fixing small bugs / writing little internal tools in your current role so there's a visible trail, then have the "I want to move" chat with a specific eng manager, not just HR. The internal path is way easier than everyone assumes.
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AnonymousAnon Did exactly this (support → backend). The product knowledge is a genuine edge — you understand the why behind features better than most outside hires. Frame it as 'I already know your systems and users, now let me build for them.' Ask for one small real ticket to prove the code; that flipped it for me.