Career update - after two months of job hunting, I finally landed a job as a full-stack developer. This is also my first on-site role after spending nearly two years working remotely.
Working onsite has made one thing clear, that getting shortlisted is hard because the first filter is often non-technical HRs. If your resume doesn't match their checklist almost perfectly, you're out before a real engineers ever sees your profile
Cubicles got way more hate than they deserved. At least they offered some privacy. Whoever invented the open office layout clearly had a habit of spying and looking over other people's shoulders