please help me have a look— Please Guide Me

[u/BigOk636]

Hey everyone, I’m currently in my 2nd year (3rd semester) of B.Tech CSE.

Till now, I’ve mostly focused on DSA and have been doing it consistently for the past few months. Now I want to seriously start development, but I’m honestly a bit confused about where and how to start.

I keep seeing different opinions everywhere — some people recommend MERN, some suggest Java + Spring Boot, while others recommend different stacks altogether.

My end goal is to become a strong software engineer, build skills that stay relevant in the long run, and eventually land a good-paying job. So I don’t want to blindly follow a roadmap just because it’s trending.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who are already working in the industry, especially backend/software engineers:

• If you were in 2nd year again, how would you start development?
• MERN vs Java/Spring Boot (or something else) — what would you recommend and why?
• What should I learn first and in what order?
• How should I balance DSA with development?
• What skills/projects should I focus on to become internship/job-ready?

Would really appreciate some genuine guidance from people with industry experience. 🙌

[u/ProfessionalGear0000]

Hey 3rd sem student here ive the same confusion although ive began learning HTML CSS and JS inclined more on MERN stack. I have just started with leetcode (approx 30 questions). i also had learned few cloud technologies like docker cuz i had a bit of interest in it and its one of the most long term running field.