As a long-time unofficial developer, how do I level set for SWE jobs?

While my job title is “Actuary”, software development and management have been my bread and butter for a number of years now. I had a hand in creating most of the systems and tools that my team uses today, but lately there have been some obstacles to building cool new things or making quality of life improvements in our existing tools. I also see some career limitations if I keep going down this hybrid path.

I’m considering a career change to focus on being a developer or an engineering manager. I think I can find positives to focus on and be happy in either role. I’m not sure which level of jobs I should be applying for though. Telling people that I have 5+ years of professional development experience feels iffy with a resume that isn’t very clean cut. I also assume that I might have some knowledge gaps, but I don’t think I’m a junior either.

In 2022, how would you level set for someone with experience but without the title to back it up? Would hobby projects or something like TripleByte help? It’s a much easier change for me to make if I don’t have to start at square one. Most of the advice out there seems tailored to new grads, so I really appreciate any thoughts you can share.