Hey everyone,

I’ve got two contract-to-hire (C2H) offers on the table and I’m stuck choosing:

Lloyds – 22 LPA – Node.js + TypeScript backend role

NCR – 24 LPA – React + TypeScript frontend role

I have 3.5 years of experience, mostly as a backend-heavy fullstack dev — Node.js, Redis, Kafka, PostgreSQL, etc. I’ve worked on system design, scalable APIs, and event-driven architectures.

My long-term goal is to break into top-tier product companies like Uber, Stripe, etc. So right now, I want to optimize for:

Hardcore backend exposure

Clean system design practices

Ownership and impact

Working with strong engineers

My concerns:

Lloyds is backend, but it’s an MNC, so I’m worried about slower pace / limited ownership

NCR is offering frontend work, and I’m not sure if going deep into React now will slow down my backend growth path

Both are C2H. No guaranteed conversion, so stability is a factor too

If anyone has:

Worked at either of these companies (especially on C2H)

Jumped from a C2H or service role to a product company

Or just has a good take on how to choose in this kind of situation

Would really appreciate your honest inputs. 🙏
Thanks in advance!