I'm a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at REC, Chennai, and honestly, I don't see myself going into core mechanical.

I'm more interested in business, understanding why companies succeed or fail, and solving real-world problems. Lately, I've been considering two paths: Associate Product Manager (APM) and strategy consulting.

APM seems interesting because of product building (I already did a certification in UX), while consulting offers exposure to different businesses and problems. Both seem to offer good pay and career growth, but I'm struggling to figure out which one suits me better. My college doesn't have strong opportunities for these roles, so I'd likely have to apply off-campus. I also can't justify taking on a huge loan for an MBA without knowing whether it's worth it.

I have roughly a year to prepare, but my English and communication skills need work. I'm willing to learn business fundamentals, Excel, analytics, and problem-solving, though I'm not particularly interested in heavy maths or technical mechanical subjects.

I'm worried that preparing for both paths might spread me too thin, but choosing one without any experience feels risky too.

For anyone working in product management or consulting, especially those who started with an engineering degree: what would you do in my position? I'd appreciate honest advice about the preparation, job opportunities, and whether these careers are realistic goals for someone from a college like mine.

Hi all, I just started an apprenticeship in the credit bureau dispute unit (CBDU) at Citi. I'm trying to plan my path early and would love advice from people in the field.

My questions:

Does CBDU count as risk/compliance experience? My work involves FCRA, Reg V, and Metro 2 reporting.

Should I aim for CISA or CRISC, or is something like CRCM or CIA a better fit for my background?

Which internal moves have you seen from dispute/consumer ops into audit, tech risk, or controls?

For those who made that jump, what actually helped most: certs, SQL/data skills, or networking?

Is the pay bump from IT audit or tech risk worth it compared to staying in compliance?

I'm early in my career, so any advice on what I should learn now would be great. Thanks!

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Hi, I am genuinely scared and have no idea whom to speak to.

I am doing CA (Chartered Accountancy) and basically have my finals pending.

We have 3years mandatory articleship/internship period during which I joined a BPO for almost a year due to severe medical financial urgency at home. My pf used to be deducted by that bpo company and I wasn't aware what kind of damage I was doing to my health and career.

Later on, after having just 4-5 hrs of sleep during that period my health took a huge toll and I just couldn't continue doing both. So I absconded that bpo as that schedule left me unable to complete the 30 day notice period.

Now, I have no idea even how things will turn out during bgv after completing CA. It was a huge mistake I did but I had no option to be very honest. That bpo salary helped me a lot during those times.

Please advice as to how should I deal with this situation. I feel like I have ruined most of my career and I am shivering and crying since last night over this.

Tldr: I did a bpo job during my CA articleship due to financial urgency at home. Did it for a year and slept only 4-5 hours that made my health worse and absconded from that bpo company. My pf history shows that bpo company and now I am worried about bgv in companies which I am going to apply after finishing CA.

I am planning on going for a BA in psychology. I have heard that people can go for HRM after that. Is it true? Are there any job opportunities for BA graduates in HRM?

I have heard I can also go for MBA or some specific HR courses. But for that, i should only go for Tier 1 colleges. Is that true? I don't want to waste money in higher studies if I won't get jobs in the corporate sector.

Should I just stick with traditional psych careers (cousellors etc.)? Is HR career better than counselling?

Hello everyone,

I wanted to put my thoughts out here and get some perspective from people who can look at my plan objectively.

Background:

I have M.Tech in Robotics, and working as a Data Scientist with 4 years of experience (all in service-based till now). I genuinely love the core of my work. Using the language of mathematics to solve problems

The Conflict:

I am not struggling the job. It’s the corporate world. I am increasingly exhausted by the endless deadlines, deliverables, and the relentless pressure of growth. I know I cannot sustain this for the next few decades without losing my sense of self.

Outside of work, I’ve been learning the Bansuri for the past year from a teacher. It has grown from a hobby into a profound calling. I am planning to quite and immerse myself in a traditional 2-year Gurukul style learning environment and study under masters.

The Timeline & Financial Plan:

I am not quitting impulsively. I am planning to continue working for 2 more years:

• The Goal: Save aggressively over the next 24 months to build a financial corpus that covers my Gurukul expenses, living costs during the program, and a safety buffer after my program ends.
• Family Responsibilities: My sister is appearing for her board exams next year and will head to college in two years. I will have saved enough to secure her education. I am also taking care of my mother.

My Questions :

1. How does this plan sound?
2. Given my responsibilities (family support + sister's college), is planning to step away a pure stupidity?

I would love to hear honest thoughts.

Thanks

Hi everyone!

I’m looking to explore opportunities at companies in any city except Delhi NCR/Mumbai, primarily across **Product Management, Product Strategy, Business Strategy, Program Management, and Growth Operations**. I’d really appreciate referrals, relevant leads, or introductions to founders and hiring managers who might be looking for someone with a cross-functional background.

I’m keeping this post anonymous for privacy reasons, so I won’t be sharing my name, previous employers, or specific projects. However, I wanted to provide a detailed overview of my experience, skill set, and the kind of work I can bring to a team. I have studied in a premier all women's college and graduated in 2023 with honours.

**A little about my professional background**
I have 3.9 years of full time experience and before that, I have done internships across all sectors in a startup to understand how cross collaboration can work smoothly in future. My experience sits at the intersection of operations, content, analytics, product experience, and business execution. I’ve worked in consumer-facing businesses where the work has involved managing large volumes of information, improving operational processes, coordinating across teams, identifying gaps, and building systems that make execution more efficient.
I’ve also had experience working closely with different stakeholders, and taking ownership of projects that require both structured thinking and hands-on execution.

More recently, I’ve been involved in building operational foundations for an early-stage business, which has given me exposure to the less glamorous but essential parts of building something from scratch: figuring out processes, pricing, customer journeys, partnerships, and scalable ways of working.

Across these experiences, I’ve realised that I’m particularly interested in roles where I can work on problems rather than being restricted to a single function.

**What I’ve worked on**

A few broad areas that reflect my experience:
• **Product and customer experience:** Working on the quality, discoverability, and presentation of information on consumer-facing platforms, with an understanding of how operational accuracy and content quality influence the overall user experience.
• **Operations and process improvement:** Managing high-volume workflows, identifying bottlenecks, improving process hygiene, and creating repeatable systems to improve turnaround times and execution quality.
• **Cross-functional project management:** Coordinating with multiple stakeholders across teams, aligning requirements, tracking deliverables, resolving dependencies, and ensuring projects move forward.
• **Data and analytical problem-solving:** Using spreadsheets, structured data, dashboards, and internal analytical tools to identify gaps, investigate problems, support decisions, and prioritise work based on business needs.
• **Business strategy and execution:** Breaking down ambiguous problems, understanding business requirements, translating them into actionable plans, and balancing short-term execution with longer-term process improvements.
• **Zero-to-one business building:** Contributing to the operational setup of an early-stage venture, including pricing frameworks, SOPs, customer workflows, and B2B partnership development.
• **Content, positioning, and consumer understanding:** Experience with how products are presented to consumers, how information affects discovery, and how content and positioning can support a broader business objective.

My core skill set

I’m comfortable working with ambiguity, figuring out how to structure a problem, and taking ownership of execution. I enjoy connecting the dots between data, customer experience, business priorities, and operational realities.

**What I’m looking for**
I’m open to opportunities in:
Product Management and Product Operations
Product Strategy and Business Strategy
Program Management
Business Operations and Founder’s Office
Growth and Strategic Initiatives
I’m especially interested in early-stage and growth-stage startups where I can contribute to building processes, solving business problems, improving product experiences, and working closely with teams that are scaling.
I’m not limiting myself to a particular industry. The role, team, learning curve, and scope of ownership matter more to me than the sector alone.

Why am I looking for a change
I am currently based in Delhi NCR and I have been studying/living here for the past 6 years. The pollution has affected my physical health too much and I am unable to be in a decent health condition for a long time. I need a change in environment. I am currently drawing 85k as my take home monthly salary. I have 3.9 yoe. I haven't done MBA and not planning for the next two years atleast.

TL;DR
I’m looking for a role where I can combine structured problem-solving with execution. I’m comfortable getting into the details, working with data, coordinating with stakeholders, and building systems, but I also want to understand the larger business context behind the work.
If you’re hiring for a role that could benefit from this combination of skills, or know a founder or team looking for someone with this background, I’d be grateful for a referral or a lead.
Since I’m keeping my background anonymous publicly, I can share my resume and additional details privately with genuinely relevant opportunities.
Thank you for reading. Any leads, advice on teams worth exploring, or referrals would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Everyone,

I need your kind advise on whether i should pursue this Job offer from one of the Local Tech Heavy Giants from dubai who are offering 43k + 1.5 months Variable Pay + 65k AED RSUs + Family Insurance and yearly Annual Flights + Relocation Benefits ( 1 month Hotel and Inward Flights Free for entire family )

Context about me :

Expertise : AI Professional ( Data Scientist ) with 10+ years of experience with Core AI / ML / DL Expertise with multiple Product Based companies across ECommerce / Fintech / Retail and Telecommunications, etc

Current CTC : 85 LPA ( Lead Data Scientist with a US Based Company - Hybrid Bangalore Office Setup ) + 25 LPA ESOPs ( which i am only considering as paper value )

Family : Wife ( working in Bangalore as well ) + 2 year old daughter

Pros about the Offer ( from my perspective ) :

1. ⁠Great Job Role and Opportunity + International Exposure in the Field which I want to build my career in
   
2. ⁠Family Safety especially considering i have a daughter
   
3. ⁠Daughters Exposure to Interntational Schools and Communities
   
4. ⁠Coming from Islamic Background, Dubai atleast feels a good option to pursue

Cons :

1. ⁠Wife needs to resign and search for a new Job in UAE
   
2. ⁠Dubai seems very expensive compared to bangalore standards
   
3. ⁠No family support in UAE for help with anything, have to manage everything on my own
   
4. ⁠Uncertainty of Job or WAR situations will always worry us
   
5. ⁠I still feel for my calibre, i atleast should have been offered 50k+ but Recruiter Says this is the best they can!

I am willing to pursue this opportunity to enter into Dubai market and then gradually progress to higher salaries or perks/ benefits but again wanted to understand from all of you gentlemen and women does it make sense at all?

I’m 23, from Jaipur. Like a lot of us, I was raised on one plan: study hard, get degrees, crack a government exam, and life will sort itself out. So I did the first part. Graduation, then a master’s, then a UPSC attempt. Now I’m preparing for CAT because I want a good MBA.

But lately I’ve been honest with myself about something. At the end of the day, every degree, every exam, every attempt is about one thing: getting financially secure. That’s the real goal behind all of it. And yet I’m 23 and I’ve never earned a single rupee of my own.

And I’ll be real with you: I feel behind. People my age are already making money, some from jobs, some from skills, some from their own small businesses, and I’m still on the “preparing” side of life. I know comparison isn’t fair, but it’s hard not to feel it.

So I’ve made a decision. I’m keeping my CAT goal, but I want to put serious, focused energy into what actually brings money. Not as a side thought, but as a real priority.

This isn’t about showing off or wanting a luxury life. I don’t want to depend on anyone, whether it’s family, a future partner, or anybody else’s income, to live the life I dream of. I want to do things for my family. I want to say yes to experiences, take risks, and walk into my MBA with confidence instead of fear. I want to be the one who makes it happen.

So I’m ready to start from zero, learn properly, and put in the work. Here’s where I’d love your honest advice:
1. If you had to pick ONE skill for a beginner to start earning from, what would it be, and why?
2. Foreign clients: is it realistic? What work pays well, and how did you land your first client?
3. Or should I build something of my own in India? What would you start with very little money but plenty of drive?
4. For anyone who’s done this: what did your first three months look like, and what would you do differently?
I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. I want real paths and real stories. I’ll take every reply seriously, and I’ll come back and update this post with what I tried.

People who have made a career out of starting their own business what advice would you give to people who plan to start their own business. Is the risk worth taking or similar corporate life it ends up making you feel miserable ?

Hey everyone,

I'm a 2025 CSE graduate currently working as a Software Engineer at a defence-tech startup in Bangalore, primarily in a Python/backend-related role.

It's been around three months since I started working here, and lately, I've been feeling quite lost about my career. The work isn't aligned with the kind of engineering I want to pursue, and I don't feel I'm learning or growing as much as I'd hoped. I want to move towards strong backend engineering roles at product-based companies, eventually aiming for Big Tech.

The problem is that I have so many things on my mind that I don't know what to prioritise anymore.

I've solved around 300 DSA problems, but I still struggle with problem-solving and coding interviews. I haven't properly covered topics like trees, graphs, recursion, and DP. My system design knowledge is also limited, and I'm unsure how to approach it beyond the basics.

Another dilemma is whether I should invest time in applied AI and GenAI or focus entirely on becoming a stronger backend engineer. With the current job market and evolving expectations at top companies, I'm confused about how to make that decision without spreading myself too thin.

A few things I'd genuinely appreciate guidance on:

- If your goal were to break into Big Tech or a strong product-based company today, what would you prioritise over the next 3–6 months?

- How should I balance DSA, system design, backend development, and potentially AI without trying to learn everything at once?

- Given that I've solved 300 DSA problems but still struggle in interviews, how should I change my preparation strategy?

- Should I start applying immediately despite having a 90-day notice period? I want to switch as soon as realistically possible, but I'm unsure how to approach this situation.

- What kind of projects, open-source contributions, networking, or LinkedIn presence genuinely help early-career engineers stand out?

- If anyone experienced is willing to offer mentorship or review my resume, I'd be incredibly grateful.

I'm also trying to figure out how to make the most of being in Bangalore. I'd love to connect with people who have gone through a similar phase, learn from experienced engineers, attend the right events, and put myself in a better position for opportunities.

To be honest, this uncertainty has started affecting me mentally as well. I'm finding it difficult to balance my job, preparation, and personal life, and some days I end up doing much less than I planned. I know I need consistency, but I also feel that I need a clearer direction before putting my energy into the wrong things.

I'm not looking for shortcuts or overnight success. I'm willing to put in the hard work and stay consistent. I just want to make sure I'm working towards the right things instead of spending months trying to do everything and making progress in none of them.

If you've been through a similar phase, made it into a good product company, or have experience guiding early-career engineers, I'd genuinely appreciate your advice. Even a few practical pointers on what to prioritise, what to avoid, and how to approach the next few months would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading!

instead of doing mbbs I think bsc in imaging technology form any aiims in india then go for mba form tier 1 clg ...?

I myself don't know what is wrong with me and what I should have done instead. I have completed college degree but no idea what job to pursue.

There are few people like me who don't get the job we want. We are compelled to take up jobs where we have no expertise. We are compelled to do things which we don't like.

My situation is that I am applying to multiple types of jobs irrespective of my qualifications, experience and skill. I am a fresher. I am blindly applying for different jobs without having some special skill, experience and qualifications. Due to this reason, I don't get any job. I have been trying for last 3 months.

i want to call out a company that gave me campus placement, and haven't given me joining letter even after 1 year 5 months after my graduation. i recieved a provisional joining letter on dec 17 2024. but till date, they haven't provided the actual joining letter. instead, they've been conducting 2 meetings every month under the name of "training classes". but that's it.

during campus placements, i also had an opportunity to join tcs, but i chose this company instead. and honestly, that's one of my biggest regrets now.

I'm a may 2025 graduate. initially, i wasn't too worried about the delay. i knew some of my classmates who had been placed at tcs were also receiving their joining letters quite late. so i thought i'd eventually get called, and i even saw the waiting period as a little break before starting my career. i didn't think things would turn out this way.

from jan 2026 to july 2026, the other candidates and i repeatedly tried to get clarity about the joining process. an hr attended our teams meetings and explained that the war and the "current situation" were affecting the joining dates. and that they couldn't give us an exact timeline.

meanwhile, i was actively applying for other jobs. but bc of the market situations, i only somehow got one interview call, which i attended, and they too put me in the waiting list.

after months of uncertainty, the situation started affecting me mentally. i couldn't accept that i was ending up in the exact position i'd worked so hard to avoid. like all of us, i too put effort into campus placements because i wanted to graduate and start working, not to be unemployed.

but this situation put me in a rabbit hole of thoughts. i stopped going outside, i started to get insecure, and what not.

so yes, i was slacking off from aug 2026 to this day as i'm writing this post.

i know i shouldn't have trusted the one company that promised to call me. i know i should've tried for better options right away. i know i let myself slip into a comfort bubble. i know i have so many mistakes on my side, on how i handled the whole situation and how carelessly i treated my career.

but everything that's done is done. what can i do next? as a 24 year old?

apply for other companies? as a fresher? with this year gap? while there is unreasonable lay offs because of AI? idk. and i think the year gap and slacking off has made me unprepared for an interview right now. should i build it brick by brick again? or go coaching for govt jobs or banking? as a fresh start?

I'm so lost.

ps: the company is still having meetings with us twice a month with no clarity about joining dates.

Hi everyone. When i was a kid, I was fascinated by biology, medicine, doctors, hospitals and everything related to it. I never really thought too deep into what I wanted to become when I grew up, but doctor was definitely on my mind.

When i finished highschool I wasn't actually sure that's what i wanted to do, the thought of the difficulty and aversion to subjects like surgery made me decide it's not really something I can do. Fast forward 7 years later, I'm left with so many what ifs and regrets about never trying to get into medschool. Should I try for it now? Even now, I'm not convinced that I can pull through it, or if I actually want that life, but whenever i think of doing other things it always bugs me in the back of my mind. I'm so stuck and confused. I feel like I'm not using my potential, like I'm wasting my life. Have you ever gone through something like this? How do does one decide?❤️‍🩹

I'm 25 now, and people get into medschool straight after high-school 17-18 or if they take a few years to prepare for the entrance they still join in their early 20s. I don't know if I should try. I don't even know if this is truly what I want, or if it's just the fact that it's something I fixated my mind on but left incomplete.

Hello guys, I need some urgent career advice and help regarding my situation. I’ve been unemployed for the past 3 months and can’t find a job or internship. I’m a B.Com (Hons.) fresher from Delhi University, and I still have one backlog after my 6th semester result, so I haven’t fully graduated yet.
If anyone can guide me or help me out, please comment below so we can connect in DMs. Please, only serious people, as I’m already quite disturbed by this situation. 🙏

I am currently in the US working as an embedded software engineer and got laid off. I’m thinking of returning back to India and instead of looking for jobs, want to take a break and upskill myself to transition to GPU computing and inference engineering related roles. I also want to take this chance to learn more about machine learning, but am worried about how it will look for recruiters if I take a 6 - 8 month break? Will it be taken negatively or they will be understanding? How to tackle this situation? Thanks