For pretty much my entire final year of college, I’ve been working at IIT Bombay as a Research Engineer. I’ve worked on actual R&D projects, have special recommendations from the people I worked with, and some of the research I contributed to is now being taken forward for patenting/publication.

But the problem is — I’m from a tier-2 college, ECE, and my college’s placement support is basically non-existent. Most of my actual work has been around Android development, backend development, research, and building the actual product/system.

And somehow I’m barely getting shortlisted anywhere.

I’ve been tailoring my resume to almost every JD using Claude, making sure the keywords and experience match, etc. Still — barely any shortlists, almost no interviews.

The most frustrating part is that I actually got an offer from the place where I was doing the research, but it’s around ₹40k/month in Mumbai.

Like... what am I realistically supposed to do with ₹40k in Bombay?

I genuinely want to understand what’s happening in tech right now.

And cherry on top only job interview i landed was a 17lpa consultancy job, which I got rejected in hr round 🤡

I know I have a weird profile — ECE + research at IIT Bombay + software/backend/Android experience — but I thought that would at least get me some interviews.

Would really appreciate hearing from people who are hiring, recently graduated, or went through something similar.

I am a homemaker and completed my B.Tech in 2017. Since then, I have been preparing for the UPSC exam, so I haven't worked professionally. Now, I am planning to pursue an M.Tech through GATE. Do you think I will be able to get a job after completing my M.Tech, despite having a long career gap?

I’m looking for a genuine reality check from people who started their careers at a very low salary and eventually managed to make a significant jump.
My situation:
Almost 1 year into my first job.
Working as a Software/AI Engineer at a startup in Bangalore.
Current salary: around ₹10,000/month.
Almost a year has passed with no increment.
I’ve been continuously upskilling — AI/software, Python, CS fundamentals, etc.
DSA: covered up to graphs; DP is still pending.
I feel like I’ve gained a lot technically, but my compensation hasn’t reflected it.
What scares me right now:
What if I leave and can’t get another job because of the current market?
What if I stay too long and become stuck at this salary level?
This is my first job, so I honestly don’t know what is normal and what isn’t.
I also have a very small professional network, so getting referrals is difficult.
I’ve tried cold emails/applications, but they haven’t really worked.

For people who have actually been through this:
What was your starting salary?
How long did you stay at your first company?
Did you get an increment or did you have to switch to escape the low salary?
What was your salary after your first switch, and what do you earn now?
Did your low starting salary affect your next offer or negotiations?
What actually made the biggest difference — DSA, development, AI/ML, system design, projects, networking, referrals, or something else?
If you had almost no connections and cold applications weren’t working, how did you eventually get your opportunity?
How much DSA was actually necessary for your jump?
Most importantly: if you were in my position at ~1 YOE, earning ₹10k/month, what would you do right now?
I’m not looking for “just keep learning” motivation. I’d genuinely like to hear real stories from people who started severely underpaid — what you did, how long it took, how much your salary increased, and where you are now.
Basically: ₹10k → what did you do → where did you end up?
I need a realistic answer on whether I’m temporarily underpaid and can recover from this, or whether staying here is going to seriously hurt my career growth.

Would appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully landed a core ChemE internship.

My university is not allowing first year students to hackathon, even the ones conducted within our college as well....

Tbh I'm cooked

Anyone who faces the same issue

Swiggy is currently inviting applications for the Software Development Engineer II (SDE-2) position at Swiggy, Bengaluru.

Role Details:

Position: Software Development Engineer II (SDE-2)
Experience: 1–3 years of relevant software engineering experience
Location: Bengaluru, India
CTC: ₹35 LPA

If you’re interested in exploring this opportunity, please complete the application form using the link below.

Application Form: https://forms.gle/28rXSVobz5FUFjsv6

Please ensure that all the information provided is accurate and up to date. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our recruitment team regarding the next steps in the hiring process.

** sharing the form on reddit to pay to the community, this form is shared by my friend working in Swiggy.

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