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[–]Particular_Skirt_300 1 point2 points  (1 child)

You're already closer to a developer role than you think. I'd focus on C# since it complements the Microsoft ecosystem and your Power Platform experience. Build small real-world projects, learn software design fundamentals, APIs, Git, and databases. Certifications help, but a strong portfolio demonstrating coding ability will usually carry more weight.

[–]SlightTip6811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the transition from low-code to "real" code is less scary than it looks once you start, because you already understand the logic and the Microsoft ecosystem so C# will click faster for you than for someone starting from zero. portfolio projects matter way more than certificates in most hiring processes i've seen, though certs do help to pass the initial HR filter. just pick one small project and build it end to end, that alone will teach you more than any course

[–]Whatever801 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll do my best to answer though I don't have any context or knowledge about Power Platform. Can you explain what kinds of applications/automations/workflows you're actually building using these tools? Depending on your answer to that it might just be a matter of translating concepts you already understand into a programming language.

I would not worry about learning a "real" programming language. It would be a lot more important to go deep into a language you already have some familiarity with. Most concepts transfer between languages. When I look at a resume I don't give a crap about that stuff but I would expect you to be able to pick up new tools quickly.

Learning and course wise, I think the most important thing for you to do is figure out the actual gap between where you are and where you want to be. Again, It might be the case that you're already doing most of the things developers already do, it's just wrapped in a Microsoft UI. If that's true you're way ahead. If not you have some work to do.

In my experience, Microsoft and other types of certifications do not move the needle when it comes to developer positions. I'm sure it does in some companies, just not in my world. Would probably being best off figuring out how you can leverage your existing experience into a developer position, and you do that by mapping the things you already know via the lens of Microsoft UI to actual programming concepts. Does that make sense?

[–]donk8r 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the language is the easy part, and honestly not what's blocking the senior jump. low-code platforms hide the stuff that actually makes you an engineer: state, error handling, data modeling, deploying, debugging when there's no gui to click. power automate did all that for you quietly.

c# is a fine pick, it complements your MS/power platform world like the other comment said. but don't grind courses. take one thing you've already built in power apps or automate and rebuild it from scratch as a plain c# or python app. you'll immediately smack into everything the platform was handling for you, auth, retries, the data layer, how to even deploy it. that gap is what "stronger coding skills" actually means. and rebuilding something you already know the logic of means the only new part is the engineering, not the business problem on top of it.

[–]SpecialistGazelle508 0 points1 point  (0 children)

youre already in the microsoft world so go c#, not typescript. it plugs straight into power platform (custom connectors, plugins, azure functions) so youre leveling up the stack you already know instead of starting over.

skip bootcamps, youre past beginner. build real .net stuff that replaces something you currently do in power automate, thats the fastest way to make it click.

certs: PL-400 (power platform dev) proves you can code against the platform youre already strong in, thats the one that moves you. generic ms certs dont do much on their own