And I feel kinda lost, 'cause it seems like I dunno who I’m anymore and HRs are afraid/cringe of my CV. I need an advice.
Long story short
I’m 30, in tech since 2017, living in Georgia 🇬🇪, tea is my big hobby.
2019: I began volunteering on tea farms in spare time from coding
2023: I quit tech job to take a break and find another job.
Guy approached me with an offer to launch and lead manufacturing at a tea startup.
I gave it a shot, considering it a fun way to unwind before I find another job.
2024: Guys from a bigger venture offer me to setup tea factory and launch a product to market from scratch.
FOMO was huge, I agreed. Brought my team and we started grinding.
Soon I found myself doing a lot: branding, marketing, sales, logistics, content, events, tourism and many more.
2025: I realized that I’m romanticising too much (countryside, mountains, fresh air, etc) and ignoring myself and reality.
Poor life conditions, low income, overworked team, and partners resistant to proposed changes.
So I decided to quit, call this chapter a “practical MBA”, and return to tech.
I took a little rest, learned AI-assisted engineering and realized that writing code is like riding a bike — once you learn it, you don’t forget it.
2026: I started looking for a job.
“Business/product-minded engineers are in demand”.
That’s what I read on the internet, and thought that my skillset will be relevant, showing that I’m a universal dude who’s not afraid ambiguity.
But all I get is “we regret to inform…” or ghosting.
The question
I consider myself a Product Engineer: I can ship end-to-end back, front and design; I don’t need a detailed PRDs or a manager above me; I lead teams, good in communication, and have all this real-world business experience behind.
I heard many times stuff like: “remove this experience from CV and lie, this how job market works today”. But I don’t wanna bend over!
What should I do? Change positioning? Keep applying? Lie?
Here’s my CV:
<img src="https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--KuiWG5Q8--/f_auto/v1782143465/ugc/content_f52b2986-cad6-431e-b14f-3590183a4eef?_a=BAMAMiWQ0" alt="Screenshot 2026-06-22 at 19.50.48.png">

Georgii Bukharov

A developer with 7 years of tech experience (2017-2023) shares their journey of leaving software engineering to run a tea startup in Georgia, then attempting to return to tech in 2025-2026. After taking on broad business responsibilities (branding, marketing, logistics, sales), they now identify as a 'Product Engineer' but are facing rejection and ghosting from employers. They're seeking advice on whether to reframe their CV, hide the non-tech gap, or keep applying honestly with their full story.

I quit tech in 2023, became a tea farmer, now I'm coming back