So here's what happened. CoStar Group acquired homes.com in 2021, and suddenly my comfortable TypeScript backend world was about to change. The word came down that we'd be transitioning to C# .NET, and honestly, my first thought was "Well, this should be interesting."
I'd been living in the TypeScript ecosystem for a while and felt pretty confident in it. Then I had to learn an entirely different way of thinking about backend development. Here's how that went, complete with the mistakes I made and the things that actually worked.
The Static Typing Reality Check
Coming from TypeScript, I thought I understood static typing. I was wrong. While TypeScript provides excellent type safety at compile time, C#'s type system felt like entering a different class of static typing altogether. The depth and strictness were immediately noticeable.
TypeScript approach:
C# equivalent:
The difference isn't just syntax. C#'s nullable reference types, value vs reference semantics, and compile time guarantees provided a level of confidence I didn't realize I was missing. No more undefined is not a function surprises in production.
Dependency Injection: Getting Used to the Magic
One of the bigger mental shifts was getting comfortable with .NET's dependency injection. In TypeScript, I was used to manually wiring everything up or using some lightweight library to help out.
TypeScript manual approach:
C# with DI container:
Here's where it gets interesting:
The Visual Studio Reality Check
Switching from VS Code to Visual Studio was like going from a Honda Civic to a pickup truck. VS Code was lightweight and did exactly what I needed, but Visual Studio? That thing has every tool you didn't know you needed.
The real moment for me was the first time I was stepping through some async code that wasn't working right. Watching the call stack update in real time, seeing exactly what variables contained at each step, that's when it clicked. You don't realize how much you're flying blind until you have that level of insight into what your code is actually doing.
Async Patterns That Actually Make Sense
TypeScript's Promise based async felt natural, but C#'s Task based async/await pattern felt more robust and predictable.
TypeScript async:
C# async with better error handling:
Learning by Breaking Things
We got some ramp up time with tutorials and documentation, which was nice and all, but the real learning happened when I got my hands dirty with actual feature work. There's only so much you can learn from reading about dependency injection. You have to break it a few times to really get it.
My "aha moment" came when I picked up a moderately complex ticket and actually finished it without bugging my teammates every five minutes. It was probably something around user preferences or data validation, nothing earth shattering, but I remember thinking "Okay, I think I actually understand this now."
What I'd Tell Other Developers
Here's the thing. Change is scary, but you've already done the hardest part, which is really learning your first major programming language. That's the mountain. Everything after that is more like hills.
The patterns you already know still work. Loops are loops, functions are functions, and if you understand good architecture in one language, that knowledge transfers. What changes is syntax and tooling, and those are just things you pick up as you go.
Don't try to learn everything at once. I spent way too much time reading about every C# feature when I should have been writing code. Pick up what you need for the task at hand, and build from there.
Wrapping This Up
Both TypeScript and C# are solid choices, and they each do what they're designed to do well. The .NET ecosystem has come a long way from where it started, and the tooling really does make development enjoyable.
At the end of the day, this transition taught me that stepping outside your comfort zone is usually worth it. Whether you're moving from TypeScript to C#, Python to Go, or whatever else, the principle is the same. You learn by doing.
What language transitions have you made in your career? I'd be curious to hear how they went for you.