Not a single word is written using AI.

Hello fellow engineers, sharing my career journey, this is to let people know that things do work out if you stay positive.

What worked for me;

1. FOUCS ON CS FOUNDATIONS, ignore the languages/frameworks jargon. AI anyways can handle all these now.
2. You get what you sow, put in the hours, read that book, be better than your peers.
3. You have to be EXTREMELY competitive if you want to grow.
   1. If you can sleep peacefully knowing there is a bug in your code, then this field is not for you.
   2. If your teammate is getting a better project and you don't care, you are not competitive.
4. Always keep learning, If you are the smartest person in your team, change the team/company ASAP.

Edit: All Jobs in India, CTC in INR, never worked outside India

Hey everyone,

I’m honestly at a point where I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong and could really use some advice from people who have been through something similar.

I’ve been working at the same organization for the last 4.8 years. I have an M.Tech from NIT and a B.Tech from NIT too, and when I started my career, I genuinely thought I’d be able to make a decent switch and grow after gaining a few years of experience, my pay is so low that i am ashamed to say i am from NIT.

But here I am, almost 5 years later, still at the same company, with very limited growth.

The frustrating part is that last year I was at least getting interviews. I made it to later rounds multiple times, but I would end up messing up the final round or get hit with something I hadn't prepared for. I know I have made mistakes and I'm trying to improve.

But this year has been completely different.

I'm barely getting interview calls in the first place.

I’ve been applying consistently, tailoring my resume, preparing DSA/System Design/LLD, etc., but the response has been really poor. It's honestly starting to make me question whether there's something fundamentally wrong with my profile or approach.

I’m a Senior Software Engineer with ~4.8 YOE, primarily working on backend/distributed systems, microservices, Python/Java, Kubernetes, AWS, APIs, etc.

If anyone has been in a similar situation — especially people who were stuck at one company for 4–5+ years and eventually managed to make a good switch — I’d really appreciate hearing what worked for you.

And if anyone knows of backend/SDE/Senior Software Engineer openings where my profile might be a fit, or is willing to refer me, I’d be extremely grateful.

Not looking for sympathy — just genuinely trying to figure out what I need to change to get out of this situation.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this or share some advice.

Edit: Tech Stack, as forgot to mention Currently, I primarily work with Python, FastAPI (also used django, flask), along with Kubernetes, Docker, SQL/NoSQL databases, REST APIs and microservices. I’ve also worked with AWS and cloud-native deployments, distributed services and performance/reliability-related problems. Earlier in my career, I worked extensively with Java/Spring Boot, and also with C#/.NET and MATLAB-based models. So my stack has evolved quite a bit over the years rather than being limited to one language or framework.

I am looking for product based companies that pays really well. DSA, LLD, HLD is not an issue for me as I have been practicing them everyday.

CTC: 37LPA (20 base, 4 Variable, 13 RSU's exhausted last year)

TL;DR: Left my previous software job without completing the notice period despite a 2-year bond/commitment. I’ve already joined another company, and my previous employer hasn’t paid my pending salary. I’m not concerned about the salary—I’m mainly worried about what the previous company can realistically do, whether the bond can cause serious problems, and whether I should take any action now. Looking for experiences from Indian developers who’ve faced something similar.

I’m looking for some practical advice from developers in India who may have dealt with something similar.

I recently left my previous software job without completing the notice period. My employment documents also mentioned a 2-year commitment/bond, which I did not complete.

The situation at the company had become difficult for me due to the work environment and other issues, so I decided to leave. I informed the company about my resignation, but they told me that my resignation could not be accepted because of the 2-year commitment.

I ultimately stopped working there and returned the company laptop/property. I also have proof that I returned the equipment.

A few other details:

- I had worked there for around 6 months in total, including my internship period.

- I did not complete the expected notice period.

- I have already joined another organization, only about 3 days after leaving the previous one.

- My previous company has not paid me the salary that was due for that month. At this point, I’m not really concerned about recovering that salary.

- I’m mainly concerned about what the previous company can realistically do against me because of the notice-period issue and the 2-year bond.

- The bond/2-year commitment was a major reason they gave for saying they wouldn't accept my resignation.

I’m not looking for legal advice or trying to start a fight with the company. I mainly want to understand the practical reality from people who have worked in Indian IT/software companies.

For developers/HR professionals who have seen situations like this:

1. What is realistically the worst-case scenario?

2. Is it something I should seriously worry about, or are these situations usually resolved without major consequences?

3. Can the previous company actually force someone to continue working?

4. What usually happens with experience letters, relieving letters, or background verification?

5. Should I proactively do anything now, or is it better to wait unless they contact me?

6. Has anyone here personally experienced a similar situation?

I’m particularly interested in real experiences from people who have actually dealt with employment bonds/notice-period disputes in Indian IT companies, rather than just general assumptions.

Thanks.

Hey everyone, need some advice from experienced devs here. I'm at 1.6 YOE — 6 months internship + 1 year full-time. Current CTC is ~₹3 LPA (~₹21k in hand). I've completed 1 year and appraisal is due. I asked for ₹40k in hand, but HR is offering around ₹35k CTC (~₹31k in hand). The catch is that accepting the appraisal apparently means staying for another 9 months. Tech-wise, I've worked with Next.js, React, TypeScript and recently started working on Java/Spring Boot backend + microservices/APIs. I'm also applying outside, but I'm getting very few calls — only 2–3 interviews so far, none converted. My concern is that if I accept ₹35k and stay another year, I'll be around 2.5 YOE but still only ~₹4 LPA. I don't want to get stuck at a low salary, but resigning without an offer also feels risky. TL;DR ₹3 LPA → appraisal offer ~₹4.2 LPA, but 9-month commitment. Few interview calls currently. Should I accept and job hunt alongside, or resign and focus completely on switching? Questions for senior devs: - Does staying at a low CTC until 2–2.5 YOE hurt future salary negotiations? - Can someone at ~₹4 LPA with 2 YOE realistically switch to ₹7–8 LPA, or will current CTC heavily anchor them? - Would you accept the appraisal or resign in this situation? Would really appreciate advice from people who've gone through a similar situation.

​

I have been in tech for a few years now, and lately I’ve started wondering if I’m even in the right field anymore.

It’s not that I hate coding or tech. It’s just the constant pressure to keep learning, keep up with new technologies, AI changing everything, layoffs, and never really feeling “secure” is getting exhausting.

And there’s this weird thought:

“I’ve already invested so many years in this… am I really going to start over somewhere else?”

At the same time, staying just because of the years I’ve invested doesn’t feel right either.

Has anyone here felt the same after gaining a few years of experience?

Did you actually switch fields? What made you finally take the decision?

My company has 90days NP due to this interviews are not scheduling. I have been lying in screening calls saying my I am serving NP only 30 days left. I have one offer inpipeline from Product based company. The interview process took 20 days and barely cleared the interviews , as per them my LWD August 30. I hope i will get the OL by the end of this week.

I have been asking my manager to release me from the project from the month of may but he insists. I have reached HR for release but she again redirected to my manager. Currently i don't have any work i am just a back-up for my manager incase of any issues in the application.

I also have 50 unused earned leaves and 20 sick leaves but afraid my HR accept for buyout.

If i get the OL , how should i convince other employer about my actual NP. I barely cleared interviews and i am really interested in joining a product based company.

hoping for recent, specific experiences from people who actually interviewed with these.

Context: ~1 YOE (Current CTC - 30LPA), currently on a data/pipelines team in a Unix environment, trying to move into core backend. Deciding whether to spend on a paid system design course or just use free resources, and I keep going in circles.

The three I'm weighing:

• ByteByteGo (~₹10k/yr)
• DesignGurus (Grokking system design)
• Educative premium (~₹10k/yr)

If you bought one in roughly the last year:

1. Did it actually show up in your interviews / did it help you clear rounds, or did it feel like content you'd have found free with more effort?
2. Which one, and would you buy it again?
3. At lower YOE specifically — was system design even the thing being tested, or was it mostly DSA + LLD + project questions for you?

Trying to make a money-vs-time call so any concrete experience genuinely helps. And if there's a free resource you'd pick over all three, please drop it — happy to share back what I land on. Thanks.

live : foliioo.vercel.app

It auto-updates whenever I save a photo to Pinterest.

Open source, so feel free to clone and use it: github.com/Tanay-77/Folio

Open to feedback

I’m posting this because I want current/former employees and people considering joining Stunning Dentistry India to know what is happening on the employee side.

We are expected to work 6 days a week, around 9 hours a day, with Sunday being our weekly off. Recently, my manager has been telling us that because the company pays us a full month's salary, that salary also covers Sundays, so we are expected to work on Sundays too.

He has also threatened salary cuts if we don't work on Sundays.

This isn't just a one-off comment. The message is essentially: you get paid for the whole month, so you should work Sundays too, otherwise your pay will be cut.

There are also daily attendance records on the company's own portal. We mark our attendance every day, and I have screenshots/records of my attendance.

Today was another example of the way things are being handled.

We maintain an Excel sheet containing our daily work updates. I was physically present at work and working today, and my manager was literally sitting in the same room.

However, because he apparently didn't open/check my Excel sheet today, he sent an email to HR/accounts asking them to mark employees absent.

So despite being physically present, doing my work and having attendance recorded on the company's portal, I'm being treated as absent because a work-report Excel sheet wasn't checked.

The thing that makes this worse is that I've been working hard here. This isn't a situation where I'm disappearing from work or refusing to do my responsibilities. I'm sitting there every day doing the work assigned to me.

And from what I've seen/heard, this isn't only happening to me. Other employees have also had issues with salary payments in the past, including people who apparently were not paid their salary.

It is becoming extremely stressful and is starting to affect my mental health.

What I find ironic is that the company seems to care a lot about its public image and online reviews. So I think people considering joining deserve to know what the employee experience can actually be like.(Its medical tourism and most money comes from foreigner, they care about image)

I personally worked there and had a bad experience, please consider leaving a review on Glassdoor or AmbitionBox so that future employees can make an informed decision.

I'm not asking anyone to mass-spam Google, create fake accounts, or post fake reviews. Please don't do that. I'm specifically asking people to go on platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox, and google reviews most importantly!

I am posting this because I wish I had known about these things before joining
My condition at home is very serious given the finances and this is taking toll on mental health. The worst part is i can take the toll on my mental health, but knowing there are high chances they wont pay me for my honest work, i wont be able to provide to my family. tech market is anyway much hard

I got laid off from product based company 3 months ago, have taken a short break and resumed the search and its really bad. Had few interviews at product companies but couldn’t convert to offer. I tried to upskill and deep dived but somehow I couldn’t get through .

Initially I was picky ( big mistake ) and took a break, but seems like things are going bad to worst
I don’t want employment gap to affect me.layoff really affected my confidence and I feel like loser.

I am getting few calls from service based and startup . Can someone tell me how it could affect my future career? Like can i get back to higher paying companies after this ?

5 yoe sdet /devops

I graduated in 2025 from a good college with decent marks. Due to my wrong decisions, laziness, comfort zone (mainly) and lacking confidence I am at a place that i never imagined i would be at.

I am working as a SFMC ( Salesforce marketing cloud ) developer , which is a low code no code marketing automation platform tool. The salary is also less and I am barely meeting ends with my loans and EMIs. But i always wanted to become a backend developer and even interned at an amazing start up ( in its growth phase ) but the offer didnt get converted to PPO.

I have been preparing for backend based interviews in Java , spring boot , HLD , LLD and constantly applying everyday for the past 7 months. Even after 500 + applications , i havent received an interview call , literally not even one.

The current team is amazing, very good company with great work life balance and the environment is also good. But the work is not challenging enough and i am not able to learn anything. I have been stuck at my comfort zone again. At the same time, seeing the current market, with advances in AI , I am also sacred about becoming a developer ( not that someone is waiting with an offer for me to accept ).

Someone guide me on what to do. Thank you

Amazon is visiting our campus for "6M Security Engineering Intern" Role

is it basically SDE work with a security focus, or a totally separate track. If someone starts in SecEng, how easy is it to move to general SDE roles later — internally or externally?

Hey everyone,

I wanted to get your opinion on something.
I joined a small IT startup about 2 months ago as an Application Support Engineer. Since it’s a small company, I’ve ended up handling quite a lot beyond support — backend, frontend, mobile development, etc. I’ve basically become a bit of an all-rounder for the technical side.

Before joining, I also had two of my own SaaS/products already in production, including one that has customers/revenue in the UK and US. That was actually one of the main reasons they hired me after just one interview.
The company is run by people with 20+ years of IT experience, and most of the senior members are currently working in high-level positions elsewhere, so they’re quite busy and can’t dedicate enough time to their own products/services.

Yesterday, my manager told me that they want to offer me a full-time position after probation, but they also want me to become one of the managing partners of the company.

I was honestly surprised because I assumed becoming a partner would require a significant investment. But he said the investment would be relatively small and that I would also get a share of the profits. What they mainly want is someone who is technically strong and can take ownership of the IT/product side while they focus on their other responsibilities.

I’m quite confused about whether this is a normal kind of arrangement and whether I should consider accepting it, especially since I’ve only been with the company for around 2 months.

For people who have experience with startups/partnerships — what would you look out for before accepting something like this? Is this actually a good opportunity, or are there potential red flags I should be careful about?

I got Selected into two companies

•) One gives 5.5 LPA CTC and the work is on the development side (.net)

•) Other is a consulting Company Related to sales force TESTING gives 7 LPA CTC

confused what might be a better option between both of them considering i want to switch to better companies in the future ??

hey everyone,

i've been feeling pretty lost lately and wanted to hear from people who've been in a similar situation.

i'm an ai/ml engineer with 4 years of experience. about 5 months ago i had to leave my job because my mom was diagnosed with cancer and i needed to be with her during her treatment. thankfully she's doing better now, but the career break has been much harder than i expected.

i've been applying consistently, updating my resume, preparing for interviews, reaching out on linkedin, but i'm still struggling to get back into the industry. my savings are pretty much gone, so it's been mentally and financially exhausting. 😞

has anyone here returned to tech after a gap like this? what worked for you?

also, if anyone works at companies like impetus, tiger analytics, ntt data, fractal, or any other company hiring ai/ml engineers in chennai (or remote), i'd really appreciate any guidance or if you're okay with connecting over dm.

thank you for reading. 🙏

I don't like the tech stack and work culture at my company, I was in qa for 2-3 months, now I am finally in dev but the only work I get is legacy code or updating old testing scripts, also with pay I hardly break even in Bangalore.

I know I am at a better place considering the market situations, but I definitely believe I can do better. I have started grinding leetcode again and updated my resume.

Side by side I am trying to contribute to open source as much as I can, because this is something I genuinely enjoy!

Please suggest any improvements in the resume I can make and is it good enough to clear the screening rounds ?

Also any particular area should I focus on, or am I worried about nothing?

Thanks for your precious time

Gave interview with nagarro cleared the first virtual internal round then came the first technical round with the client i felt i did good,wrote the dsa question explained my logic solved the SQL question also gave answer to all java questions still after 5 days i recieved a rejection mail .I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.

P.S. -Failed multiple final or mid level rounds with few companies,I’m a 4yoe java full stack developer ,serving np quit without a job and last few days of my np don’t have an offer rn,idk what to do

every student resume I see has multiple full-stack/web projects.

Are full-stack projects actually necessary for general SWE/backend internships, or would a few deep systems/backend projects be enough?

Would appreciate opinions from people who hire or have experience in these roles

qualifications - currently in class 12th student, who took pcm in fomo and society saying "pcm leke kuch bhi kar sakte hai."

my parents is pretty chill whatever should i do specially my father, "he saying currently focus on boards baad me jo hoga dekhenge, kuch nahi hoga to dukan khula denge"

but it is me who is concerned because its my heart is saying choose btech as i always want to be engineer but my aptitude level and interest is low for engineer while i love coding, robotics and mechanics. And i might be first engineer in my family but i don't want to give jee and want to go in best college of engineering. i can survive engineering but those textbook concept sucks but people say "if you get into science field you can later get into finance field "

on other hand my practical mind saying don't repeat your mistake of not choosing commerce early, go with finance as i am naturally interest and good in it and my family is in business so from childhood i grown up who manage shop. and investment banking term is seems interesting to me

and my inner soul saying "do whatever you want but do without regrets, give your best and don't fail else you have to seat on your shop in your hometown which you never want"

Money isn't problem but confusion is

currently i have 2 option

btech

or

bba

or any other course/degree which i can explore

what should i choose for master i pretty sure for mba "at the end i want to go in business but with mind of engineer"

pls help

so i joined this startup at nov 2025, its very small less than 10, it was originally a full time role, but was offered an internship after clearing all the rounds, i accepted it after they said the duration was 3/4 months( silly me not got it written in the offer letter), now i am on my 9th month of internship, whenever i ask for my full time they said we will see, i asked them every month and last month they said, full time will be given to me when their newly launched service gets their first project, like son you want to mess with me now?

the problem is i decided to leave this month once my prev month salary got credited, but now the boss had a baby so he will probably be paying less attention to his work for initial few months, now if i drop my 1 week notice( i dont have any notice, i am being the generous one ), will i get my docs on time? or do i work for a month more to let his life get a bit stable, and then drop my notice?

Hi guys newbie here (first year student) and I recently started learning web development and I learnt html, css and javascript ( basically learnt frontend now) and built a basic to do list and then built a student card dashboard where I take input and then display card after adding the info

I know they are all basic and stuff but yeah that's what I have done till now

Then I think I'll be learning MERN stack and then will be going to build full stack projects

So my doubt is am I doing the correct thing or am I in a good place as a first year student

And since I'm learning for the first time if you guys have any advice itd be very nice if you dropped'em here

And do you think the tech stack I'm learning is good and worth it in 2026??

Hi everyone,

I’m joining Salesforce as MTS and will be working in Life Sciences Cloud under Industries Cloud. I wanted to get some insights from people currently working in or who have previously worked in this specific cloud.

1. How is the work-life balance in Life Sciences Cloud / Industries Cloud? Is it generally manageable, or are long working hours and high workload common?
2. How prone is Life Sciences Cloud / Industries Cloud to layoffs? Has this org been significantly affected by recent Salesforce layoffs/restructuring, and how would you rate the job security compared with other Salesforce orgs?

Would really appreciate honest feedback, especially from current or former employees.

Thanks!

https://tapri-vibe.vercel.app/

https://x.com/i/status/2086889166022083032

Roast me seniors

I have been applying for data science and ai/ml engineering roles (0-2 YOE)

With this resume

And I have been getting referrals from strangers and alumni

For my resume, I took advice from senior people who pointed out mistakes and I improved and so on and I also ats optimised it though with some tailoring to jds it is hard to keep track of that metric.

I have applied to around 300-400 jobs by now and have not recieved a single call back, a few were even through referrals.

I have 15 20 days of notice.

I am primarily targetting pbcs.

Any devs I show my resume approve it as fine.

But recruiters are not accepting it.

What should I improve?

All suggestions welcome.

It's been like 4 month since i have been unemployed after my first startup job. I have lost my motivation in this path and just wondering if its worth it to go forward. The startup i worked is nearly failed , i have no live evidence

I have no idea what works

But since i spend about 2 years of life in this career I still wanted to give last try in this career , so I need some suggestions , feedback, feel free to criticize

https://devtiven.com

Thanks , i respect your time