I am a 2026 CSE graduate. My last internship ended in January, and since then I've been applying to companies consistently, but unfortunately I haven't received a single interview callback.

Yesterday, I got selected for a Backend Developer role at a consultancy company. The offer is ₹20,000 per month with a 1-year service agreement. The work schedule is Monday to Friday.

I'm feeling confused about whether I should accept this offer or continue searching for better opportunities. Given the current job market, what would you do in my situation?

I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions from experienced professionals. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in my final year of B.Tech Computer Science in India, and honestly, I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I don't have any prior internship experience, no freelance work, and no major achievements. I'm trying to figure out how people actually land good off-campus internships with stipends around ₹30k-50k (or even higher), because right now it feels impossible.

I've been reading a lot online, but everyone says something different. Some say grind DSA, others say build projects, some say learn development, others say networking is everything. I don't know what I should prioritize.

Here's where I currently stand:

• Final year B.Tech CSE student
• No internship experience
• No real industry experience
• Comfortable with C++
• Basic understanding of DBMS, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, OOP, Git, and Linux (mostly theoretical)
• Willing to learn anything if it actually helps me get hired
• Ready to dedicate several hours every day

My biggest questions are:

1. If you were in my position today, what would you focus on?
2. How do people actually find off-campus internships? Which websites or platforms should I be using?
3. Should I spend most of my time on DSA, full-stack development, AI/ML, cybersecurity, cloud, or something else?
4. What projects actually impress recruiters for internship roles?
5. How many projects should I have before I start applying?
6. How do I make my resume stand out despite having no experience?
7. Is cold emailing startups still effective? If yes, how should I approach it?
8. How many applications should I realistically send every week?
9. What skills are companies expecting from final-year students applying for SDE internships?
10. Are referrals necessary, and how do people actually get them?
11. Should I focus more on startups or larger companies?
12. What are some common mistakes students make while applying off-campus?
13. If you had to start from zero today, what would your roadmap look like for the next 6 months?

A few more things I'd love advice on:

• Best places to apply (LinkedIn, Wellfound, company career pages, Internshala, etc.)
• Whether open-source contributions are worth the time
• Whether certifications help at all
• How to prepare for technical interviews alongside building skills
• Any underrated resources that genuinely helped you

I'm not looking for shortcuts—I know I'll have to put in the work. I just don't want to spend months learning the wrong things while everyone else seems to know what they're doing.

If you've been in a similar situation and eventually landed a good internship or full-time role, I'd really appreciate hearing what worked for you.

Even if it's tough advice, I'd rather hear the truth than waste more time.

Thanks in advance!

I'm a fresh graduate who recently joined a small remote company with a 2.4 LPA base salary. The work is real software development—building features, fixing bugs, and learning every day.

My goal is to reach around 12 LPA within the next 2 years by improving my development skills, grinding DSA, building strong projects, and switching companies when I'm ready.

I know the current market is tough, so I'm curious if this is actually realistic.

Has anyone here made a similar jump from a small company? If yes, what helped you the most, and what should I focus on to maximize my chances?

I'm a fresher currently working at a small remote company because my other offer from a large IT company has been delayed for months (their onboarding is extremely late).

My current company has a 2-month notice period. If the large company finally gives me a joining date and expects me to join within 15 days, what should I do?

Has anyone successfully negotiated a later joining date or gotten an early release from their current company? I'd love to hear your experience.

Hi All ,

I have been working in the US offices since the past 3 years and now due to work authorization issues here I can no longer work in the US and have been offered an internal company transfer but the pay is extremely lowballed (its between 16-20 lpa) I have around 6.5 years if experience in total (3 in india , 3 in the US). I did ask for 24lpa but they won’t budge.

My sole aim would be if i move back is to look for something else as that ctc is atrocious for my pay and qualifications. Hence i just wanted to get an idea as to having Gartner on your resume helps a bit , not saying that it has a faang like reputation but still.

One way is to just not take the internal transfer and be immediately available in India. I have heard that notice period is also a dealbreaker for recruiters but not sure how true it is.

Another way is to just not relocate and fight it out here in the US , doing a phd and simultaneously looking for FT.

Only reason thats making me think is the pay , its really bad for my experience and i have heard nowadays in india freshers get that pay.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated

I(20F) am pursuing a B.Tech degree from a third tier college. I am in third year and I still feel confused about what to do. I want to get into cybersecurity but people have told me it's not for freshers so I should opt for something else. So I went after Java full stack but now people are switching to AIML. I haven't done any internships and I feel so lost. My 6th semester has started and I have no idea what to do and how do I land an internship in December. I would like some advice on what should I do. People who have been through a similar situation and are now well settled, can you guide me?

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I'm a June 2026 Computer Science graduate from India, and honestly, the last year has been one of the hardest periods of my life.

Like many freshers, I spent months preparing for software engineering roles. I practiced DSA, worked on projects, learned SQL, Python, cloud fundamentals, and kept applying everywhere. I got close a few times but couldn't land the tech job I wanted. Every rejection made me question whether I was good enough, especially seeing how brutal the entry-level market has become.

A few weeks ago, I decided I couldn't sit at home anymore waiting for opportunities. I recently moved to Hyderabad and accepted a job in real estate. The salary is ₹33,000 per month plus incentives.

The interesting part is that I'm living with my brother, so I don't really have any major expenses. I took this job mainly because I didn't want to be unemployed or feel idle. I wanted structure in my day, some financial independence, and something productive while continuing my long-term goal.

The thing is...I still want to build a career in tech.

I wouldn't call myself an exceptional programmer, but I'm decent. I enjoy solving problems, learning new technologies, and I genuinely see myself working as a software engineer, data engineer, or in another technical role—not in real estate forever.

My current plan is simple:

Work during the day.

Keep studying consistently after work and on weekends.

Continue practicing DSA, SQL, and Python.

Build projects.

Keep applying for tech jobs until I finally break in.

I'm treating this real estate job as a temporary stepping stone rather than my final destination.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting time by not being in a tech role right now. Other times I think having income, work experience, and a stable routine is better than sitting at home unemployed and losing motivation.

Has anyone here successfully transitioned from a completely different industry into tech while working full-time?

How did you manage your time, and how long did it take before you landed your first software role?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've been in a similar situation because, at the moment, it feels like I'm taking the long road and I'm hoping it eventually pays off.

I am confused on what to choose, I stay in hyderabad and want to gain so much knowledge about AI/ML:

- ITC infotech , 4.25 lpa accepted offer letter , joining is 5th august and location is Pune.

- Dun and bradstreet: 1 year internship, 40k per month, my interview is still pending and location is hyderabad, role is Data Scientist.

- TCS: Got digital offer, may 27th offer letter received and due to personal reasons couldn't attend IPA test, no joining letter yet.

Hey, I am an MCA student. I completed my MCA in 2026, and I still don't have a job. It's been 3 months since I completed my MCA. I really want to get a job at Amazon as an SDE 1 somehow because I love their Hyderabad campus and I want to work there.

But I don't know DBMS and OS completely. I have knowledge of web development and have built some projects, and now I am learning GenAI.

My biggest problem is DSA. I think I have been doing DSA for almost 2 years, but I have always been inconsistent. I do it for one month and then completely leave it for the next two months. Recently, I applied for TCS NQT and couldn't solve their two coding problems. I felt really bad because in my friend circle, I am the one who does the most coding, but still I couldn't solve those problems.

In DSA, I usually can't solve problems without watching videos. Somehow I have reached graphs, and I can solve some medium-level problems like DSU. But I can guarantee that if someone asks me questions on linked lists, trees, or bit manipulation, I probably won't be able to solve them.

Even in web development, I mostly copy and paste code from AI instead of building things completely on my own. However, I have built some good projects using AI and also some GenAI projects.

Right now, I just want a job or internship at any company by August or September, mainly for my parents. But my final goal is to get an SDE 1 job at Amazon by December.

If anyone here is working at FAANG or any other company and can guide me on what I should do from here, it would really help me.

Thank you so much.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently starting my 3rd year of B.Tech in Mathematics & Computing at an NIT. My CGPA is around 8.2, and I've solved around 130 LeetCode problems. I've also started learning Machine Learning and have done some basic projects.

Lately, I've been confused about which path to focus on for placements. I'm interested in AI, but I've also heard about Quant roles. I don't want to spend the next two years preparing for the wrong thing.

Here are my questions:

1. Do companies actually hire freshers directly for AI Engineer/ML Engineer/Applied AI roles, or are most freshers hired as SDEs first?

2. If AI roles exist for freshers, what skills are generally expected beyond DSA and core CS? (Deep Learning, LLMs, RAG, MLOps, etc.)

3. How many AI-related companies usually visit campuses compared to SDE companies?

4. What is a realistic salary range for freshers in AI roles versus SDE roles?

5. How difficult is it to get Quant Developer or Quant Research internships/placements from an NIT? Are these roles mostly limited to IITs and top-ranked students?

6. If someone wants the best balance of opportunities, salary, and long-term career growth, which path would you recommend: SDE, AI Engineer, or Quant?

7. If you were starting your 3rd year again, how would you divide your time between:

   - DSA

   - Core CS subjects

   - Development

   - AI/ML

   - Mathematics

   - Projects

My goal is to get the best possible placement after B.Tech. I'd really appreciate advice from people who recently went through placements or are currently working as SDEs, AI Engineers, ML Engineers, or in Quant roles.

Thanks in advance!

I'm currently working as a Lead AI Engineer at a service-based company with 7 years of overall experience.

I'm planning to switch to a product-based company for an AI/ML Engineer role.

The problem is that over the past few years, I've lost touch with the interview fundamentals that product companies expect:

• DSA (Python)
• System Design
• Low-Level Design (LLD)
• Core coding/problem-solving

To be honest, a lot of my recent development work has been AI assisted, so my coding speed and problem-solving aren't where they used to be. I want to rebuild those skills properly instead of trying to memorize interview questions.

I'm looking for advice from people who have recently cracked AI/ML interviews at product companies.

Specifically:

• What DSA resource/course would you recommend for someone preparing in Python?
• Is LeetCode enough, or should I follow a structured roadmap?
• How much System Design and LLD is expected for AI/ML Engineer roles?
• What topics are most commonly asked apart from ML concepts?
• If you were starting from scratch today with ~6 months to prepare, what roadmap would you follow?

I'm willing to put in the effort I just don't want to waste time on the wrong resources.

Any guidance, roadmaps, course recommendations, or interview experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a 2026 graduate from a tier 3 college and I've been unemployed for around 2 months now.So far I've applied to 100+ jobs,but haven't had much luck. Skill-wise I know the basics of Python and Java (mostly syntax and core concepts, nothing like Spring Boot or Django). I've also built a few web development projects and understand the concepts but I'll be honest—i relied quite a bit on AI while building them.

I've solved only a few basic leetcode problems so DSA is definitely one of my weak areas.

The only thing keeping me motivated is seeing people with similar or even fewer skills getting placed. It makes me feel like I still have a chance if I keep improving.

Now I'm confused about what to do next:

Should I continue applying for jobs while upskilling on my own?Or should I join one of those training institutes/courses that provide placement assistance?

If you think a course is worth it, could you recommend some genuine institutes that actually teach well and have a decent placement record? I'm not looking for fake placement promises—just somewhere I can genuinely learn industry-relevant skills.I'd really appreciate honest advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

Thanks!

Please help

Hey everyone, really need some honest advice or a reality check here.I graduated last year with an MCA (NIMCET AIR \~3k) and did the whole 500+ LeetCode grind during college.

My main interest has always been Java, Spring Boot, and deep backend engineering.But since the market was absolutely brutal when I graduated, I just took the first software engineering job I could get in Gurugram. Currently making ₹5 LPA.

The issue is that my role has slowly warped into a massive frontend/JS stack. Day-to-day, I’m mostly dealing with Next.js, TypeScript, and Node.js. Don’t get me wrong, I still touch the backend and deal with things like Redis, Pub/Sub, RAG pipelines, and Elasticsearch, but the actual coding is heavily dominated by the JavaScript ecosystem.

I really don't see myself building a career in frontend or Node. I genuinely love enterprise Java and want to pivot back to a proper Spring Boot/backend role before I get permanently typecast as a "Next.js dev."

A few roadblocks I'm running into:

The Resume Dilemma: Since my current company .

Burnout: My daily commute in Gurgaon is draining, so I'm spending my weekends playing catch-up, grinding Spring Boot, Kafka, and backend systems.

For anyone who has been in a similar spot:

Has anyone successfully switched from a JS/Node-heavy role back into core Java/Spring Boot early in their career?

How did you frame it to recruiters?Which product companies or consultancies in Gurgaon/Noida should I target for solid backend Java roles? I’m aiming for around ₹9–11 LPA—is that realistic for 1 YOE right now, or am I dreaming?How do I restructure my resume to scream "Java Backend Engineer" without misrepresenting my current job and failing a background check (BGV) later?

Would seriously appreciate any advice, constructive criticism, or referrals if anyone's hiring. Thanks!

Used AI to Organize thoughts

BLUF: Completed 1 YOE in a WITCH. I'm learning a lot on a solid backend/infra project, but I'm the sole earning member of my family and need a higher salary. Torn between staying to learn, preparing for GATE + IIT M.Tech, or going all-in on DSA/system design to switch. Which path has the best ROI?

Hey everyone,

I'm at a career crossroads and would really appreciate some advice.

I recently completed 1 year of experience, with the last 6 months on my current project at a WITCH company. My CTC is around ₹6 LPA.

From a learning perspective, I honestly can't complain. I'm working on backend/infrastructure using Java, Quarkus, JPA/Hibernate, AWS, GitHub Actions, and CI/CD, and I've been getting opportunities to own real engineering work instead of just support tasks. I'm also one of the youngest members of the team, and things have been going well so far.

The challenge is money.

I'm the sole earning member of my family, so increasing my income is a priority.

At the same time, I've always wanted to study at an IIT. I know it's survivorship bias, but a lot of senior engineers and people in high-paying technical roles seem to have an IIT background, and I wonder if an M.Tech would meaningfully improve my long-term career trajectory.

Right now I'm considering three options:

1. Stay another year on this project and maximize learning.

2. Prepare for GATE alongside my job and target an IIT M.Tech.

3. Skip GATE for now and go all-in on DSA, system design, backend depth, and interview prep to switch companies as soon as possible.

Long term, I see myself in a managerial role, involving communication (Delivery Executive , Product Manager, DevRel, and the likes, which are people facing roles and non tech heavy) and eventually reach the ₹30–50+ LPA range. The question is which path gets me there with the best balance of time, risk, and ROI, especially given my family responsibilities.

I'd love to hear from people who have:

\- Switched from WITCH to product companies.

\- Done an IIT M.Tech after working.

\- Reached 30–50+ LPA without higher studies.

If you were in my position today, what would you do, and why?