Why the applications get rejected
Not because you cannot code. Because “Manual QA Engineer” on a resume signals non-coding to a recruiter scanning for thirty seconds, and nothing else on the page contradicts it.
This is a positioning problem wearing a skills problem’s clothes. You do need to build genuine development capability — but plenty of testers who have that capability still get filtered out, because their resume never proves it.
What to build
Two backend services, both with real test coverage. Not tutorials, not to-do apps. Something with authentication, a database, error handling and a test suite that would survive code review.
The test suite matters twice over: it is good practice, and it is the artefact that turns your QA background from a liability into the reason to hire you.
Using the testing background properly
Most developers write tests reluctantly and badly. You have spent years thinking about edge cases, boundary conditions and how systems fail under real use. That is a genuinely scarce instinct on a development team.
Lead with it. “I test the way I do because I spent five years finding what developers missed” is a strong answer to a weak-sounding resume line.
Timeline
Three months of training: Python fundamentals first, then two backend projects, with interview preparation overlapping the final weeks. It takes consistent evening work, and placement support continues until you are hired.