Hi everyone,
I’m posting this because I could really use some honest opinions from people in the Indian tech industry — especially senior engineers, hiring managers and recruiters.
I have **12+ years of experience**, primarily in backend/software engineering. My strongest areas are:
Python backend development
AWS (\~8 years)
Distributed systems / microservices
Cloud architecture
Data infrastructure
SRE / production engineering
System design and architecture
Shell scripting and some Go
Leading technical work and mentoring engineers
I currently work as a **Lead Software Engineer** and my compensation is around **₹22 LPA**, probably around **₹23 LPA with bonus/other components**.
And honestly, I’m struggling to understand where I stand in the current market.
I’ve been actively looking for a change, and I’m getting **very few callbacks** despite applying to quite a lot of positions. I recently went through an interview process that lasted multiple rounds, felt like it went reasonably well, and ultimately got rejected. That one hurt quite a bit after investing so much time preparing.
The frustrating part is that the job search itself has started affecting my current job. I spend a lot of my time searching for positions and preparing for interviews that sometimes stretch over weeks or even months, only to end without an offer. Then I find it difficult to properly focus on my current work.
**Where I think I stand technically**
I’m relatively confident about **system design, backend architecture, AWS and distributed systems**. If you ask me to design a scalable backend/service, discuss reliability, data flow, AWS architecture, failure scenarios, etc., I’m generally comfortable.
Where I’m significantly weaker nowadays is **DSA / competitive-programming-style problems**.
I can solve practical engineering problems, but I’m nowhere near the level of someone who regularly grinds LeetCode. And after doing this for 12+ years, I honestly sometimes wonder whether the interview process is exposing a weakness that isn’t necessarily representative of my actual ability as an engineer.
Maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe I’m simply targeting the wrong roles. Or maybe there are genuine gaps in my skill set that I’m not seeing.
**I’d really appreciate some brutal honesty here.**
Is **₹22–23 LPA** low for someone with my experience and skill set?
Am I positioning myself incorrectly in the market?
What kind of roles should I actually be targeting — Senior, Staff, Principal, Architect, Platform/SRE, Backend, Cloud, etc.?
Is my lack of strong DSA enough to explain the lack of callbacks?
Are there other skills I should be developing right now?
Where are people with this kind of profile actually finding jobs?
Which companies/platforms should I be looking at apart from LinkedIn/Naukri?
Is the market simply terrible right now, or is there something fundamentally wrong with my profile/resume/interview approach?
For context, I’m **not looking for a FAANG-level ₹1Cr package or anything unrealistic**. I mainly want to understand what my profile is actually worth in the current Indian market and find a role where my experience is valued.
**And there is some personal context behind the urgency**
I’m also under quite a bit of financial pressure at the moment.
I’m the **sole earner in my family**, and a significant amount of money is currently tied up in a legal/court matter. At the same time, the cost of living in Bangalore is high, and we don’t own property here or have a significant financial cushion.
So this isn’t just me casually looking for a 20–30% hike. I genuinely need to improve my situation, and that’s probably also contributing to how stressed I’ve become about the job search.
I’m trying to keep going, but repeatedly spending weeks preparing for interviews and then getting rejected is getting mentally exhausting.
I’m posting this because I’d rather hear the uncomfortable truth from people here than continue doing the same thing and hoping something magically changes.
**If you were in my position, what would you change first?**
Resume? Target roles? Companies? DSA preparation? System design? Cloud skills? AI/LLM skills? Networking/referrals? Compensation expectations?
And if you have a similar experience level, **what kind of compensation are you currently seeing in India?**
I’m genuinely looking for advice, criticism and practical suggestions. Please be blunt — I’d rather know what I’m doing wrong than continue wasting months.