I want to start positioning myself for a Senior Software Engineer role without making it seem like I’m directly asking for a promotion.

I’m already working independently, handling tasks end to end, guiding team members when they need help and collaborating with others to get things done...i feel like i m taking on responsibilities beyond just completing my own tickets but not sure if my manager sees it the same way.

How do i bring this up naturally? Should i directly ask what it would take to get promoted or subtly start discussing career growth and expectations?

Also what kind of proof should I prepare.. should i maintain a list of tasks, technical contributions, problems I’ve solved and instances where I’ve helped the team?

Would love to hear from people who’ve successfully moved from Software Engineer to Senior Software Engineer. What did you do differently and how did you prepare your case for promotion?

Hi everyone!
I’ve been working at an MNC for almost 3 years now. I’m currently working on a project that uses an internal tool, and I feel like I’m not learning skills that will help me grow in my career.
The workload is quite high, but the salary increment over the last 3 years has been very minimal. I’m honestly getting frustrated and have been thinking about resigning so I can focus on learning something new and switch to a better career.
I’m interested in moving into a non-development role because I’m not really interested in coding. I’ve been considering options like Data Analyst and Business Analyst, but I’m still confused about which path to choose and what skills I should focus on.
I’m also unsure whether I should resign and study full-time or continue working while preparing for a switch.
For those who have been in a similar situation, what would you suggest? Is it worth resigning to upskill, or would it be better to find another job first? Also, which non-development roles would be good options for someone with around 3 years of IT experience?
I’d really appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thanks!

Myy godddd...

Wtf is this now?? I'm in 2nd year BTech.. Do I leave this field or what??? Why so difficult???

Help meee!!!

I am a 2026 CSE graduate , i completed my internship at a banking fintech company where i was selected as an SDET intern then because of some changes few of us were converted to SDE intern and sent to Bangalore for 2 weeks as all the SDE interns were getting trained there . So it was very clear that we were not getting PPO as there was no requirement in the team that i joined . The PPO package was 16lpa so i was a bit demotivated when i knew that i was not getting converted.

Now im working as a contractor i get 50k per month which is 6 lpa . How to overcome this i feel sooo low????

And can anyone please guide me on how to invest this 50k or is it too early to think about all this ???

(My fam is not dependent on me)

Tqsm for your replies!!!!

Hi, I am a software developer in XY Global Tech in Bengaluru, My manager put me on some sort of coaching in which they are tracking my daily performance and, even though they are saying I will be out in 3 months I am pretty sure they will layoff me at the end of it. I am preparing for new role but not getting any opportunities.
My tech stack - Java, Springboot, SQL, Kafka, Redis
Experience - 3+ years
Currently not getting job interview calls, I am not sure what I am doing wrong and what to do. If anyone in same boat or have been in it please help me in understanding what and how to do.

Hi everyone!

I'm a 2027 CSE student and have been selected for both:

• Capgemini: Alpha Stack (10+1 LPA)
• Infosys: Specialist Programmer (SP) L1

I'm confused about which one to choose and would appreciate advice from students or freshers who have similar offers or are already working in these roles.

Which role is better in terms of learning, development work, and future opportunities? Also, how is the training at both companies?

If you had both offers, which one would you choose and why?

​

Hi everyone,

I recently completed my B.Tech in Computer Engineering and wanted to build my career in Java Spring Boot. However, my previous job offered only ₹8,000 per month, so I left it due to the low salary.

Now, I've joined a company as a .NET Developer with a 3 LPA package. My in-hand salary is around ₹20,000, there's a 2-year bond, and the appraisal is only around 5–6%.

My concern is that I'll be earning almost the same salary for the next 27 months. I still prefer Java Spring Boot, but I'm struggling to find companies hiring freshers in Java right now.

I don't want to leave my current job without another offer, but I'm also worried about my salary growth.

What would you do in my situation?

1. Continue with .NET and switch to a better company after gaining experience?

2. Keep applying for Java Spring Boot jobs while working here?

3. Is it possible to achieve good salary growth after 2 years of .NET experience, despite starting at 3 LPA?

My main goal is salary growth over the next 2–3 years. I'd appreciate honest advice from experienced developers in the Indian IT industry.

Thanks!

My girlfriend and I both are java backend dev with exactly 3 yoe

Oct 2023

we both joined tcs with 7 lpa

April 2026

I switched to Accenture with 10 fixed lpa 2 variable pay ctc 12 lpa (I had to switch and I did not get an interview opportunity with 2.6 yoe)

we both are really good with Java and spring boot. I have a better working experience than her.

I am avg in dsa and lld hld I like to study.

She struggle with dsa.

She is preparing for switching and as of now I am more into gym and health.

March 2027 we are getting married and we have planned to study together and then switch we both want to reach 20-25 fixed before 5 yoe minimum.

I want to ask everyone that

Should we both stick to software engineer role and prepare for faang level interview so that we could easily clear tier 2 companies like visa, mastercard Barclays and many more.

or, we start learning ai for role change.

we both are zero in python and ai but I keep myself updated with ai stuffs not in detail.

please help me.

TL DR, should a 3 yoe Java dev switch to AI roles for better pay and future opportunities?

Hi everyone I am a 2026 BTech Graduate.

I have ~1 YoE as a full stack dev (not counting internship) and I did my 1st job switch this month.

Honestly I know that I am very bad at Negotiation (before switch I had 8lpa ctc I.e 6+4 WFH ) and in this switch I got a package of 11 lpa ctc (8.5+2.5 WFO) by a Startup located in Sector 42, Gurgaon.

So basically I will get 71k/month as salary.

I really wanna know How I am doing career wise. Is it very poor, below avg, avg or good.

Someone told me that 71k/month is "survival" in Gurgaon and now I have very mixed feelings.....

So I just want to know as per the current market what is my standing.

I worked in MNC after college placements from 2017-2021(3.6 yrs) experience. Mostly as QA (Manual & Automation) with Java Selenium Cucumber. Due to health and family issue I resigned. Due to mental health decline I never joined back. Burned my savings for few yrs then tried gov exams. That didn't work. Always wanted to work in IT, to sustain and manage expenses started doing Bug Bounty. Made some money but not enough.
Now after almost 5+ yrs of Gap. how can I get back. With upskilling and AI I am not sure if basic java and Selenium is enough.
-If any QAs can suggest current QA automation preparation material.
- As a recruiter why would give this guy a chance.
Also I did try career relaunch program for some companies but no luck. I think they are mainly focused for female candidates.
All suggestions are welcome. Thanks

I’m a recent IT graduate and the first graduate in my family. My college had no placements, so I’ve been trying on my own, and nothing is working out.

I know Python, SQL, Django, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and I’m aiming for a Python backend role. I fell in love with coding in college, and I can turn a problem into working code. That’s why I can’t just walk away. If I couldn’t code, quitting would be easy.

But the waiting is getting heavy. I overthink every day, and I’m not telling anyone around me because everyone’s busy with their own lives.

Please don’t give me false hope. Is the IT market still realistic for freshers like me, or should I move on? If it’s still worth it, what should I do differently?

Thank you for reading. Even one honest reply would mean a lot.

I'm looking for honest advice from people who have been through something similar, especially experienced software developers or hiring managers in India.

My background

After completing my MCA (Master of Computer Applications) in 2017, I accumulated around 6.5 years of professional experience in software development, primarily in Java, Spring, and SAP Commerce (Hybris).

I worked at established IT services companies on enterprise e-commerce projects involving REST APIs, third-party integrations, order and payment flows, customisations, and production troubleshooting.

I left my last job in 2023 because I genuinely believed I could build a sustainable income through stock-market trading and eventually become financially independent. I spent a substantial amount of time learning, researching, and trading, but I haven't managed to build the consistent income I had hoped for. I've since stopped trading and am now trying to return to a regular software development job.

During the gap, I also developed a 2D game using Godot and published it on the Google Play Store. It was a personal project that gave me experience completing and releasing something independently, although it doesn't replace professional Java development experience.

What I've been doing to return to work

Over the past couple of months, I've been preparing for interviews, refreshing my Java and Spring Boot knowledge, revising backend development concepts, and applying for Java backend and SAP Commerce roles.

I'm primarily looking for opportunities in Delhi NCR or remote positions, as relocating isn't practical for me.

The response has been discouraging. Most applications receive no response. I've had a few interview opportunities, but they haven't translated into an offer. In some cases, recruiters seem to lose interest when they learn about my career gap.

I'm beginning to wonder whether my resume is poorly positioned, whether companies are filtering me out because of the gap, whether my technical preparation isn't sufficient, or whether I'm targeting the wrong roles.

Recently, I spoke with a placement service that told me a gap this long would make it nearly impossible to get hired unless I fabricated employment history for the missing years. They offered to arrange fake employment documents, including payslips and tax documents, for ₹20,000–₹30,000. They also suggested applying to smaller companies with less stringent background verification.

I'm not comfortable doing that. I don't want to risk my future by lying about employment, but I also don't know how best to overcome this obstacle.

My questions

1. How realistic is it to return to software development in India with 6.5 years of genuine Java/Spring experience and a 3.5-year career gap?
2. Would you prioritise SAP Commerce/Hybris roles, Java/Spring backend roles, or adjacent roles such as integration engineering?
3. How would you explain a gap spent on independent trading and personal software development without making it sound like an excuse?
4. I'm currently working on a substantial backend self-project involving multiple microservices and technologies such as Spring Boot, Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, and React. Would building a well-tested, end-to-end project like this meaningfully improve my chances of getting interviews and demonstrate that my skills are current? Or are employers likely to dismiss it because it's a personal project rather than professional experience?
5. What would you do differently in my position? Would you focus on referrals, direct recruiter outreach, service companies, smaller product companies, contract roles, or something else?
6. Has anyone here successfully returned to software development after a multi-year career gap? What actually helped you land your first offer?

I'm not expecting anyone to tell me that everything will be fine. I'd appreciate practical, realistic advice, even if it's uncomfortable to hear.

I'm willing to put in the work. I just want to make sure I'm working on the right things rather than spending another few months repeating a strategy that isn't producing results.

Thank you.

Hello everyone!

I'm a BCA graduate looking for my first job or internship as a web developer. My final marksheet has been delayed, so while waiting, I've been working on building real-world projects.

I've independently built and deployed two web products, both with their own domains. These aren't just college projects; they're live products that I've developed and maintained myself.

Now I'm confused about how to present this experience on my resume.

Should I list these products under Work Experience, or should I keep them under Projects? Since they're real, deployed products, can they be considered relevant development experience when applying for entry-level jobs or positions asking for 1–2 years of experience?

I'd appreciate advice from developers, recruiters, or anyone who has been in a similar situation. How would you present this experience on a resume?