My situation:
I've been working as a Java developer for 2.5 years. But I joined without knowing Java — learned on the fly as tasks came in. Fast-paced company, tight deadlines, no time to go deep. So while I have the experience on paper, my Java and Spring Boot knowledge is surface level. I can get things done but I couldn't confidently explain internals in an interview.
Where I'm at with prep:
- DSA: studied on and off for about a year. Covered up to graphs. DP, Tries still pending. The topics I've done need more problem solving to feel solid.
- System Design: just started a week ago, very early.
- Java/Spring Boot: know enough to work, not enough to interview well on it.
The actual problem:
I've been applying for 3 months. Barely any interview calls. I kept thinking "let me get my foundations strong first" but now I'm just overwhelmed trying to cover everything at once while holding down a full-time job. I have maybe 1-1.5 hours on weekdays and a few hours on weekends.
What I'm confused about:
- Is the no-calls problem my resume, my skills, or just the market?
- Should I keep prepping before applying more aggressively, or is that just procrastination at this point?
- With limited time, what's the priority order that actually makes sense — DSA revision, Java depth/ SpringBoot, System Design?
- How do you stay consistent when you're stressed, overwhelmed, and not seeing results?
What would you do if you were me?