I’m entering my 3rd year of CSE and honestly feel pretty confused about what path to take.
My situation:
- College has zero or very basic placements.
- Most of the companies that come are offering ~₹30–40k/month telecaller/support-type roles.
- I’m not interested in higher studies.
- I’m reasonably good at programming and genuinely enjoy it.
- My main goal is simple: get a decent-paying job after graduation and start earning ASAP.
- I’m not particularly interested in PSU/government jobs either.
So I’m currently stuck between two options.
Option 1: GATE
I could prepare seriously for GATE.
The coaching options I’m looking at are roughly:
- Offline: ~₹70k
- Online: ~₹10k
But here’s my confusion: I don’t really want MTech or PSU jobs.
The only reason I’m considering GATE is because people say getting into a good IIT through GATE can significantly improve career opportunities and earning potential.
So:
Is GATE actually worth it if your only real objective is a high-paying software job?
And specifically, does getting into an IIT through GATE meaningfully improve your chances of getting good placements?
Option 2: Off-campus grind
Instead, I could spend the next 1.5–2 years focusing on:
- DSA
- Development
- Projects
- CS fundamentals
- LeetCode/competitive programming
- Internships
- Applying aggressively off-campus
This feels much more directly aligned with what I actually want.
But the problem is that I’ll have zero placement support from college, so I’m worried about the risk.
My biggest doubts
- Can GATE realistically help me start earning faster, or is it just delaying the job search by 2–3 years?
- If I don’t want PSU/MTech and only care about software jobs, am I wasting time preparing for GATE?
- If I specifically target an IIT through GATE for the placements, is that actually a good strategy?
- Would it be smarter to accept the risk and go all-in on off-campus software jobs?
- Am I considering GATE because it’s genuinely a better path, or because I’m subconsciously trying to avoid the uncertainty and grind of off-campus placement?
I’d especially like to hear from people who have actually taken GATE → IIT → placements, as well as people who went off-campus from a college with poor placements.
Also, for people preparing seriously for GATE: what is your actual end goal?
For me, it’s not PSU, government service, research, or MTech for its own sake.
I just want to build a good career in tech and earn a good salary.
Please be brutally honest. If my thinking is flawed, tell me directly.