Aditya

House update: Half walls of the Ground floor parking are now completed. The first-floor shuttering is also on track and should be completed in one week. Slowly but surely, the house I’ve dreamed of is taking shape.

Everyone talks about how difficult software engineering has become. But recently I met a friend who works in retail. She started in 2022 at ₹18,000/month. Today, after four years of standing 10 hours a day, handling customers, working on festivals, and missing weekends, she earns around ₹32,000/month. Meanwhile, another friend who started in IT at ₹4.5 LPA is now making over ₹12 LPA after switching jobs and learning new skills. That's why millions still want tech jobs. Not because they're easy. Because the growth curve is hard to find elsewhere.

Everyone talks about AI replacing developers. Nobody talks about why companies are actually laying people off. • Overhired during the boom. • Built products nobody wanted. • Chased growth without profits. • Burned investor money. • Poor leadership. • Weak business models. AI became the headline. Business decisions were the real reason. The best job security in 2026 isn't your company. It's becoming so valuable that another company wants you tomorrow. That's the only real safety net. Thoughts?

I booked an Ola cab early in the morning. The driver looked calm and barely spoke. Near the end of the trip, he got a call. He answered with a smile, "Yes sir, I'll be there by 10." Out of curiosity, I asked, "Another ride?" He laughed. "No." "Today is my first day as a Data Analyst." He told me he'd been driving cabs every morning for almost a year while learning Excel, SQL, and Power BI at night. Before I left, he said, "Temporary work pays the bills. Permanent skills change your life." That ₹210 ride taught me more than many motivational videos.

A friend of mine earns ₹32k/month. He recently spent ₹85k on a luxury watch through EMI because everyone in his office wore premium brands. Yesterday he called asking if I could help him with his house rent after an unexpected expense. I helped him without thinking twice. But I still don't understand one thing. Why do people buy status symbols before building financial stability? Nobody remembers what's on your wrist. But you'll definitely remember the stress of unpaid bills.

Today, the Bhumi Pujan of my new home in Delhi was done. A life dream I’ve carried is finally becoming reality. Construction starts now, and the ground floor will also be the beginning of a new chapter for my future business 🧿🙏 Thank you God for everything ❤️

How to identify a Tier 3 engineering student: • Has 20 tabs open: DSA, React, Aptitude, Resume, LinkedIn. • Knows more about off-campus hiring than campus placements. • Every project is "Full Stack + AI + Cloud" on the resume. • Refreshes LinkedIn more than Instagram. • Gives interviews just to know what companies ask. • Celebrates getting an OA link like it's an offer letter. • Has 50+ rejection emails but still says, "Next one might be it." Corporate calls it "lack of experience." We call it survival.

Family gathering is fun until salary comes up. My uncle's son: Software Engineer in the US. $170k salary. Me: Software Engineer in India. ₹22 LPA. Everyone says we're doing "the same job." Technically, they're right. Financially, they're speaking two different languages.

Just now such a horrifying thing happened with me... 😓 I was walking towards my room when I noticed something strange on my floor. The hallway lights started flickering for no reason. I thought it was just a power issue. Then I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around... No one. I started walking faster. A few seconds later, I heard the same footsteps again. This time they stopped exactly when I stopped. I somehow reached my room, locked the door, and looked through the peephole... Someone was standing outside. Completely still. I blinked... And there was no one. I waited for a few minutes, gathered some courage, opened the door, and checked the entire floor. Nothing. Everything seems fine now, but I still have no idea what that was. Maybe it was just my imagination... or maybe not. Still trying to figure it out.

Things private college students do that often lead to unemployment: • Think a B. Tech degree alone will get them a job. • Depend entirely on campus placements. • Skip classes but also don't self-study. • Waste 4 years waiting for the "right time" to start coding. • Copy projects from GitHub instead of building their own. • Memorize code without understanding concepts. • Ignore DSA, OOP, DBMS, OS, CN, and SQL. • Never learn Git or GitHub. • Don't build a portfolio or personal website. • Have an empty LinkedIn profile and no networking. • Apply to only 20–30 jobs and then give up. • Never tailor their resume to the job role. • Don't practice aptitude or interview questions. • Avoid mock interviews because they're afraid of failure. • Keep switching between MERN, AI, Cybersecurity, DevOps, Android, etc., without mastering one. • Spend more time watching "day in the life of a software engineer" than actually coding. • Ignore communication and English-speaking skills. • Never do internships or freelance work. • Don't contribute to open source or participate in hackathons. • Give up after a few rejections. • Blame their college for everything while making no effort outside it. Students who consistently get placed usually do the opposite: • Master one in-demand tech stack. • Build 3–5 high-quality projects from scratch. • Practice DSA regularly. • Strengthen CS fundamentals (OOP, DBMS, OS, CN, SQL). • Keep their resume ATS-friendly and project-focused. • Maintain an active GitHub and LinkedIn profile. • Apply to hundreds of relevant jobs. • Network with recruiters and developers. • Do internships, freelance work, or open-source contributions. • Practice mock interviews and communication skills. • Stay consistent for months instead of looking for shortcuts. Your college can open a door. Your skills decide whether you can walk through it.

It’s high time students stop believing that getting into IT automatically guarantees a successful career. First, you're told to get a B.Tech. Then comes the endless checklist: C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL. Then: HTML, CSS, React, Angular, Vue, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, PostgreSQL. Then the interview prep: DSA, LeetCode, CodeChef, Codeforces, OOPs, DBMS, OS, Computer Networks, System Design. Then the "industry expectations": Git, GitHub, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, CI/CD, Jenkins. Then the latest trend arrives: AI, GenAI, LLMs, Prompt Engineering, MCP, AI Agents, RAG, LangChain. By the time you finally catch up... The market has already moved to something new. After all this... You may get a job. But there's no guarantee: - you'll keep that job. - your skills won't become outdated. - AI won't automate part of your work. - the next layoff won't affect your company. - you'll stop learning. The hardest part of IT isn't getting hired. It's staying relevant. Technology changes every year. Expectations change every month. Competition grows every day. This isn't meant to discourage anyone. It's a reminder that IT is no longer a "set-and-forget" career. Enter this field only if you're ready to learn for the rest of your life. Don't follow the crowd. Know what you're signing up for.

If you're planning to pursue B.Tech, these are some of the most well-known private engineering colleges in India: 1. BITS Pilani 2. VIT Vellore 3. Manipal Institute of Technology 4. Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology 5. SRM Institute of Science & Technology 6. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 7. PSG College of Technology 8. SASTRA University 9. KIIT University 10. Shiv Nadar University 11. Jaypee Institute of Information Technology 12. UPES Dehradun 13. SOA University 14. KL University 15. Lovely Professional University 16. Chandigarh University 17. Bennett University 18. Ramaiah Institute of Technology 19. Institute of Engineering & Management 20. Amity University Which private college do you think deserves to be in the Top 10? Let's discuss.

HR called me. “Hi Aditya, congratulations. The team loved your profile.” I tried acting calm. But inside, I was already imagining my first salary, buying gifts for parents, posting that “Joined as Software Engineer” story. HR continued: “Just one final round tomorrow with the director. Mostly formal.” I spent the whole night preparing. Read company blogs. Practiced answers. Even ironed my shirt at 2 AM. Next day, the interview went amazing. Director smiled and said: “You’re exactly the kind of person we need.” I walked out feeling unstoppable. 30 minutes later HR called again. “This is awkward… but there’s a small update.” My heart dropped. She said: “The position has been put on hold due to budget cuts.” Silence. Then she added: “But honestly… your interview was better than half our current employees.” That compliment somehow hurt more than the rejection.

My cousin failed in 2 subjects during engineering. Everyone thought his career was over. Today he makes more money in one month than his college topper makes in one year. No foreign degree. No MBA. No coding skills. What changed? He stopped trying to impress LinkedIn and started learning sales.