r/IndiaCareers

1. Always save your money. Things can change really fast.

2. Always have a back up plan no matter how good you are doing or how important you think you are for your company.

3. If you are laid off, there's this temptation of going back to your hometown, you will save money by doing so but you will also lose momentum, drive and confidence. Things are slow in hometowns, before you know it, you will start living a sedentary lifestyle and start living in denial. Do not move back to your hometown.

4. Do not rely on your friends to help you in your tough times, you will be surprised to realize that how little people care about you when you do not bring a value to their life. You will realize that the people whom you considered close friends are not actually that close at all. People move on quickly than you think.

5. When you are working, network like hell. Reference is really important. Being shy and an introvert is a considerable disadvantage in IT. Learn to network.

6. When you are unemployed you will hear things from people closest to you that you wish you did not hear. Your confidence will be shattered, you will start losing your self respect. It's better to live alone in this situation or with people who are in a similar situation that working hard or with people who are doing good but do not live with your family for a lengthy time.

7. At the end of the day, the only person that can and will help you is YOU. It's funny that as you grow older, life becomes more and more of, Every man for himself.

8. Do not overthink. Be open-minded. Have a flexible mindset. Do not worry about losing money, worry about wasting time.

8/9/5 + 8 (diploma in computer application)

1 year gap

ST NE Male

I am pretty sure I will get an offer letter of a tier-2 iim next week, I wasn't able to perform my best in cat (varc weak)😭, I am confident that in next year I can get +95 percentile.

I'm weak in english in all directions. I'm working on it. Since I already have a gap year, 5 in graduation, almost no extra curricular, I'm worried.😟

Here are some questions. (Feel free to answer if you want)

1. How much growth effect comes from tier 1 and tier 2 b-school ?

2. can 2 year gap and 5 in graduation be a problem ?

3. How much english is important in b-school & corporates ?

4. Should I look for job, since completing 1 year consider non fresher. Many told me job + prep is hard.

Thank you 🙏

View Poll

Little backstory. From Tier-2, non-IT branch, Got job in IT in one of Fortune 500 MNC in 2020 (covid time). Felt like a blessing. Today, still stuck in the same company. Tech stack- learned Python, SQL, PLSQL, Siebel but only worked in support. Previously it was chill, no work pressure, WFH job, so got stuck in comfort zone, and now 6 years has passed. Current project, rotational shift with Garbage work and Micromanaging pro manager who likes to be called ‘Sir’.

It’s not like I haven’t tried to up-skill in last 6 years and switch, but I couldn’t stay onto one thing for long. I tried Data Science, Ethical Hacking, SOC, SAP but as the going gets tough, other things starts feeling fascinating and I jump ships.
It’s been 6 years now. Peers are earning 3x-4x and I’m here.

I’m currently trying to upskill in AI, trying for Project Manager roles but everything seems so vague.

Now, with this AI boom, I’m not even sure if I’ll matter, or even if I learn programming, I’ll survive.

Can anyone guide me what should I do?

Hello, people... Could use some guidance here.

For the last 15 years, I have worked for only ONE company. It was a low-skill language based editorial job, but...

-Really good pay, 15-20 lpa
-Remote work
-Full flexibility

Last year, I got terminated and I realized... I am pretty much unemployable. I have learned no other life skill. I have been freelancing for similar companies, making some money here and there, but I need to get into a serious career. I am a mechanical engineer by qualification - but can't get into that now. I need to spend a few months to learn a serious skill, something that will get me a somewhat stable career and some good money, a few lakhs a month in say 5-6 years. I am a hard-worker and quick learner, I am ready to put in the hours and learn something, but... what?

What can I invest my time and energy that will give me a fruitful rewarding long-term career? I am thinking AI.

Where do I start? I am really lost.

I have been working for a service-based MNC since past 7.5 years. It’s a non-tech job that offers great WLB. I have an amazing manager and genuinely kind colleagues too. Work mode is hybrid though they are making it increasingly difficult by introducing new rules every quarter or so.

I realise that these are aspects to celebrate in this job market and economy but I am starting to feel that the longer I stay at this job, the more unemployable I will get. It’s becoming a dead-end job because the company has no plans of promoting the employees at my JL to the next one. In fact, there have been no promotions at all at the higher levels in the past several years, no matter how deserving the employees are. I am not growing much; my role isn’t moving into strategic collaborations or ownership. I am stuck at execution level. Hikes are insulting and rare since past 2-4 years (before that I used to get decent hikes and have also been promoted). Though my pay is enough to take care of my bills and offer stable money in a double income household, it is much less than my market value based on my 13 years of experience and expertise.

I know I can bag a better pay but I have also been hearing horror stories from my friends in the same domain about horrible managers, toxic companies, layoffs and what not. My previous manager at my ex-company used to micro-manage and I hated it. It made me anxious all the time. So I understand the value of a good manager and the blessing of a stable income, but the longer I stay here, the lesser my chances of getting a good job in the future (I fear).

Is it a good idea to switch considering the market and economy will only worsen in the next few months? Or should I cling on to this job (at least for a while) even though it is making me self-doubt and lose my confidence (apart from making my WFO days stressful)? I have already started looking out but I would love to hear from mid-level professionals, especially non-tech folks, about the current market situation. My worst fear is that I stay here just for stability only to realise that I am now 40 and have no where else to go.

TL;DR: 13 years of non-tech experience professional working for the same company since 7.5 years is starting to feel underpaid and undervalued at a seemingly dead-end job despite a good WLB and supportive manager. Is switching in this market the right call?

​

Hello guys. How are you dealing with the anxiety around the upcoming economic crisis, AI taking jobs, layoffs, and the lack of job security in IT?

I’m 26 and honestly feel very lost right now. I prepared for competitive exams and later attempted CAT, but nothing worked out. I have no job, no work experience, and no MBA seat. Even if I try applying for jobs now, I feel my gap years will become a problem.

Everywhere I look, I see people applying to 100-200 jobs for months without getting callbacks. It makes everything feel even more hopeless.

Whenever I try to learn something or start working on a new skill, my mind becomes extremely negative and self-critical. I end up stopping midway.

I also feel brainwashed into thinking that doing an MBA is pointless unless it’s from at least a good Tier 2 college. Government jobs feel like they have no growth, IT feels very hard to enter, and I got a poor CAT score this year.

When does this darkness end?

I’m actively looking for a full-time role (remote/hybrid/on-site) with an expected salary range of ₹30–35k/month.

Background: • B.Com (Hons), Delhi University

• Several years of UPSC preparation ...developed strong analytical thinking, research, writing, economics, current affairs, and problem-solving skills

• Experience in content creation, teaching, research, and digital media projects

Roles I’m targeting: • Business/Research Analyst

• Strategy & Operations Associate

• Founder’s Office

• Consulting/Market Research

• Content & Growth Strategy

• Economics/Business Research

• Startup Operations

What I can contribute: • Research & analysis

• Presentation/report creation

• Business & economic understanding

• Structured communication

• AI tools + productivity workflows

• Content strategy & execution

ready to work hard, learn fast, and grow long-term with the right team.

If anyone is hiring or can refer me, please DM me.

I'm 21, a B.Com graduate (from tier 1 or 1.5, 2026), and left my front end investment banking job in a month (still with the company and most probably they will request to stretch my stay for a month) because the founder misbehaved and humiliated me without any reason. I've cleared CFA L1, and my L2 is in Aug (I'll defer it; 95% chances are there).

I don't have any financial obligations, and my family is supportive too, but it'll just feel odd to see that my friends are earning and I will be sitting at home jobless.

As I've tasted corporate a bit, and tbh I didn't like it much (and my whole family is in govt job), and also I've resigned, so it'll take me almost a month to find a job (if things go well).

I've two plans:

1. Find a job and work till December '26 (to have decent 6-8 months of work experience) and defer your CFA L2 to May and, alongside that, prepare for CFA and govt. exams, which will cover my CAT syllabus too. If I fail, I will get back into corporate via MBA.

2. Go home now. Try to complete the L2 syllabus in three months and simultaneously start preparing for govt exams (I have the option to defer L2 to Nov) and keep trying for govt jobs till next year, and if I fail, I'll get back into corporate via MBA.

Issue with MBA: My profile is 8/8/6, and I don't know how I will be able to justify an almost 2-year gap (if I go with option 2) and just 2 months of work experience. In option 1 I can say I needed 4-5 months for L2 and the same for CAT.

Government exams mean RBI, NABARD, all bank PO, and LIC AAO, plus any other exams that have huge syllabus overlap like all these.

Which one to go for? It's just that I don't want to regret later in my career that I wish I could have taken the risk, as I don't have any financial obligations.

Please give some constructive advice.

Hi everyone,

Posting this because I genuinely believe the next step in my career comes thru people , not just Naukri/LinkedIn.

I'm a computer engineering graduate who joined amazon straight out of college and spent 8.5 yrs in ops and quality- growing from CSA to SME to Quality Analyst. Build SOPs, ran quality audits, worked cross-functionally with tech and ops stakeholders. Essentially BA work just without the title.

Was laid off in Jan 2026. As a women navigating this transition, I'd love to connect with anyone who's been thru something similar.

Since then i've been upskilling seriously- Power BI, SQL and actively pursuing ECBA certification, Targeting BA roles in Pune/Mumbai.

What I'm looking for:

-Mentors who've made an ops-to-BA or any similar career pivot.

-Referrals

-Resume feedback

-Whats actually working in this job market rn.

Appreciate any help.

Around 3 years ago, I joined a small local company through references. I come from a basic tier-3 college background. I started with telecalling, then slowly moved into sales, marketing, advertising, strategy, and management.

Now I pretty much handle most parts of the business. The company is small, so there are no proper fixed roles or departments. We have small teams and I manage them. The owner rarely comes to the office anymore.

I earn around 1.7 lakh per month in cash (yes its "that kind" of a company, so there’s no PF or formal structure. If needed, the company can start transferring salary to my bank account for proof.

The problem is that the company’s future doesn’t look stable anymore. Financially things are getting worse and I feel salaries may stop in the future.

I want to switch jobs but I’m confused:
- What role should I apply for?
- How do I explain this kind of experience to other companies?
- Will companies take this experience seriously without PF?
- What type of companies should I target?
- How should I present my work experience on my resume?

Would appreciate honest advice from people who have made similar switches.

27M software developer in Pune working at a UK-based bank, currently earning ~27 LPA. I have around 4.5 years of experience.

Lately I’ve been thinking seriously about long-term career growth and wanted advice from people who’ve been through this.

My goals are:

1. Increase earning potential significantly over next 6–10 years
2. Possibly move abroad (UK/EU/Singapore/Canada etc.)
3. Move into higher-impact roles eventually (architect/engineering manager/product/leadership maybe)
4. Keep working while studying — I do NOT want to quit my job for a full-time degree

I’m confused between:

1. Online MBA (from India or abroad)
2. Online/part-time MTech
3. Just focusing on switching jobs + grinding DSA/system design/cloud
4. Certifications (AWS/GCP/Kubernetes etc.)
5. Doing nothing and just gaining experience

Main questions:

1. Does an online MBA actually help in tech careers?
2. Does an online MTech add any real value to a software engineer’s resume?
3. Would either of these improve chances of moving abroad?
4. Are foreign employers even valuing online degrees?
5. What gives the highest ROI for someone already earning decently in tech?

Would love honest advice from people in senior engineering, hiring, management, or people who moved abroad from India without leaving jobs for higher studies.

Thanks!

Hi i applied and joined a company after 6 months of career gap. In interview they gave me a very different picture of the job. Said i will be assisting in cost allocation and budgeting but when i joined yesterday they said its system maintenance for the cost allocation software. Like ticket resolution. They said we had to chnage the role last minute cause someone resigned. I was working in big 4 before in audit. What do i do? Talked to them about transfer and said its possible after 2 years. I will take any jobs to get out of this. Please help. Im crying writing this. I have a one month notice period here.

23F, this might be a bit long, will try to keep as short as possible.

1. forced by parents to be a government teacher since i was 12 yrs old, wasted years, always hated it from every bit of my existence, result awaiting, still not ready to do it even if i clear it.
2. did mba (by my own choice, parents were against it) from tier 3clg even though scored 93percentile in cat because of family pressure, as the clg was close to my home and they were sure they wont ever let me be a corporate employee
3. corporate is not really possible because i cannot travel 2hr each side to gurgaon and noida everyday, health issues (used to have epilepsy). my eyes are very VERY weak too so 9hr+ screentime due to job is also not possible. tried joining an internship in noida at a big fintech company but couldn’t do it, fell sick kinda.
4. always had an interest in sewing clothes and making them, family is ready to invest and help me open up a good boutique kind of thing.

at home for more than a year and i am scared of new things now tbh. my family has always kind of spoon fed me things, not like i cant do things on my own, once i get the habit back, ik i am super hard working and smart.

kinda wanna start getting into influencer stuff too but maybe thats a distant dream. any and every guidance is appreciated

I’m a 25F, B.Com graduate (2021 pass out). After graduation I spent the last few years preparing for government exams, but unfortunately things didn’t work out for me.

After that I started trying for jobs and recently got a 1-month internship opportunity at a startup as an Equity Research Analyst. It was a good learning experience, but after the internship ended, I’ve been struggling to get a proper job despite applying continuously due to my career gaps. Also i want a job in equity research analyst position only as that'll require atleast an mba degree..

Now I’m really confused about what to do next.

I applied for an online MBA from Manipal University Jaipur. They told me placements start after the 3rd semester, and my idea was to continue job hunting side by side during the MBA.

But honestly, I’m having second thoughts.

The fees will be paid through EMI for 24 months. My father and sister are supportive and are okay financially managing it, but I personally feel guilty putting that burden on them when I’m currently unemployed as we aren't financially well off.

Another thing bothering me is that online MBAs seem more suited for working professionals who already have experience. I don’t really have proper work experience yet, and I also can’t afford a regular MBA because it’s too expensive overall and also what if i am not able to get a job ?

So now I’m stuck between these options:

• Continue with the online MBA and keep trying for jobs alongside it? (Given due to current job market i may not get the job) Also the whole degree is costing me 1.6L.

• Cancel/forfeit the MBA for now, focus fully on getting a job somehow, gain experience for 1-2 years, and then maybe do an regular MBA later

I already feel like I lost a lot of time because of government exam preparation, and I’m scared of making another wrong decision.

Would genuinely appreciate practical advice from people who’ve been in similar situations or know how valuable online MBAs actually are in India 🙏🏻

P.s. - used chatgpt to help reframe my thoughts because my mind is honestly all over the place right now 😅

Spend 10 minutes on any career subreddit and you will see the same thing on repeat.

"I did BTech and I hate coding"
"I did MBA and I still can't get a job"
"I did BCA and I don't know what to do with it"
"I wish I had done something else"

And honestly, after reading hundreds of these posts, we start to wonder, is anyone actually in the right course or are we all just collectively winging it and calling it a career?

Because honestly (fr), most 17-18 year olds picking their undergraduate degree (including alot of us at this point) have genuinely no idea what the day to day of that career actually looks like. We pick Engineering because our parents said so, or Law because it sounded smart, or Commerce because you were not good enough at PCM. Very few people actually chose based on what they wanted.

And then 3 or 4 years later, you graduate into a job market that has changed completely from when you started, and we are left to pick pieces from our degree, other courses and internships.

The regret is real but ig the bigger question is, what do you actually do with it from here?

Because switching is possible. Pivoting is possible. An online certification, a short course, an MBA, a completely different field, people are doing that.
But are there people who have been sure and confident in their career after 12th or undergrad?
It is just messier and slower than anyone wants it to be.

So genuinely asking, are you in the course or career you wanted? Or are you also just figuring it out? And if you switched, what did you do and did it actually work?

Finished by final exams of my engineering today , college placements didn't go well. So i am unemployed now , I am applying everywhere .

My friend is going to delhi for exam prep ( IES , etc,, ) , he told he will get an entry level govt job and then try for top exams like state PCS , UPSC .

He is talented and i am hopefull he will get a good govt job for sure .

What I am not gettting is , I don't see why I should not go for these exams , It's a one time effort and you are set for life . perks are top notch . job security , etc..

In corporate every few years you have to learn something nw which is random , you have to prepare for interview again . you are just another resource for in the corporate. .

Job security is a bad , your value decreases as you age ...blah blah .

only reason which is against going after govt job is that the selection ratio is damn low , and it's the only reason .

Can anyone please throw some light

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice, guidance, or pointing in the right direction. I hold a Master's in Computer Application (MCA) from Pune University, but due to life circumstances, I've had a career gap of 6 years, earlier had 2 years of experience in app development.

I am now fully ready and eager to re-enter the workforce. While my academic background gave me a strong foundation in IT and problem-solving, I am completely open-minded about my next steps. I am not tying myself exclusively to traditional software development. Right now, my primary goal is to find a solid opportunity where I can prove my strong work ethic, learn quickly, and build a stable, long-term career.

Whether that means starting in tech support, operations, data management, business analysis, or an entirely new domain where maturity and adaptability are valued, I am ready to put in the work.

A few questions for this community:

1. What industries or specific roles are currently the most receptive to candidates re-entering the workforce?

2. Are there any companies (in Pune or remote) known for valuing life experience and taking a chance on dedicated individuals looking for a fresh start?

3. If you were in my shoes with a clean slate today, what entry-level path or pivot would you pursue?

I am a quick learner and ready to start immediately. If anyone knows of any leads, networking groups, or has personal advice on how to navigate this, I would be incredibly grateful.