u/Advanced_World_7536

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working at TCS with an in-hand salary of around ₹52k per month. My GATE 2026 score is 447 (OBC category).

One thing that's making me think is that if I continue at TCS, I'll probably need to stay for another 2–3 years before I can make a good switch. On the other hand, I'm wondering if pursuing M.Tech from a good NIT through CCMT Spot/Special Rounds could be a better long-term option.

My questions are:

- With a GATE score of 447 (OBC), do I have a realistic chance of getting a decent NIT in the CCMT Spot/Special Round if I apply now?

- Would you recommend continuing in TCS and focusing on DSA, system design, and switching to a better company, or going for M.Tech if I get a good college?

- Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you choose, and how did it work out?

I'm genuinely confused about my career path and would really appreciate any suggestions or experiences.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I joined TCS about 2 months ago as a fresher with a CTC of 7 LPA. I was assigned to the Data Engineering domain, and the current learning path includes:

• Data Warehouse
• PySpark
• Apache Kafka
• Apache Airflow
• Power BI
• Databricks

My goal is to switch to a better company after around 1 year (or as early as I'm reasonably ready). I want to use this one year effectively and become really strong in Data Engineering.

I have a few questions for experienced data engineers and people who have made similar switches:

1. Is this tech stack enough to land a good Data Engineer role if I master it?
2. What other technologies or concepts should I learn alongside these? (SQL, Python, Cloud, Spark internals, Data Modeling, etc.)
3. What kind of projects should I build to make my resume stand out?
4. Is one year of experience generally enough to switch, assuming I have solid skills?
5. What salary range is realistic after switching from 7 LPA if I become proficient in this domain?

I'm willing to put in consistent effort over the next year, so I'd really appreciate a roadmap or any advice on what to prioritize and what to avoid.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I joined TCS about 2 months ago as a fresher with a CTC of 7 LPA. I was assigned to the Data Engineering domain, and the current learning path includes:

• Data Warehouse
• PySpark
• Apache Kafka
• Apache Airflow
• Power BI
• Databricks

My goal is to switch to a better company after around 1 year (or as early as I'm reasonably ready). I want to use this one year effectively and become really strong in Data Engineering.

I have a few questions for experienced data engineers and people who have made similar switches:

1. Is this tech stack enough to land a good Data Engineer role if I master it?
2. What other technologies or concepts should I learn alongside these? (SQL, Python, Cloud, Spark internals, Data Modeling, etc.)
3. What kind of projects should I build to make my resume stand out?
4. Is one year of experience generally enough to switch, assuming I have solid skills?
5. What salary range is realistic after switching from 7 LPA if I become proficient in this domain?

I'm willing to put in consistent effort over the next year, so I'd really appreciate a roadmap or any advice on what to prioritize and what to avoid.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,2024 passed out CSE

I'm currently working at TCS with an in-hand salary of around ₹51k per month. I appeared for GATE CSE 2026 and scored around 41 marks.

Now I'm really confused about my career path.

On one hand, I can prepare seriously for GATE and try to get into an IIT for M.Tech. My main motivation for IIT is the placements and better career opportunities. However, if I go through the M.Tech route, I'll be losing around 2 years of industry experience.

On the other hand, I can focus on improving my skills (DSA, system design, development, etc.) and try to switch to a better company directly.

My current experience is:

TCS employee

Around ₹51k in-hand salary

Interested in better career growth and higher-paying opportunities

IIT placements are very attractive to me

For people who were in a similar situation:

Is pursuing GATE and M.Tech from IIT still worth it?

Does the IIT tag and placement opportunities justify losing 2 years of experience?

Or should I focus completely on skills and job switching?

I would really appreciate advice from people who chose either path and how it worked out for them.