u/Inevitable_Pay_1873

Lads who recently landed backend/SDE roles (especially in India), how would you prepare today if you had 3.5 years of experience in a support/technical analyst role and wanted to transition into backend engineering?

My background:

• 3.5 years at Oracle
• Strong SQL exposure
• Some development experience from internships/university
• Currently preparing full-time after a recent restructuring

My current plan:

1. Learn Python and work through LeetCode patterns
2. Review backend fundamentals (HTTP, REST, databases, indexing, caching)
3. Build 1-2 backend projects
4. Study system design
5. Learn AI tooling/LangChain later if needed

Questions:

• Is this still the right preparation strategy in 2026?
• Has the interview process changed significantly due to AI coding tools?
• For someone with ~3.5 years experience, how would you split time between DSA, backend fundamentals, projects, and system design?
• What mistakes do career-transition candidates commonly make?

I'd especially appreciate input from engineers who were hired in the last 12 months.