Software Engineering

Reality checks and uncomfortable truths about software engineering careers in India.


Move from broad signals to role-specific decisions in this order:

  1. Salary Reality baseline
  2. Software Engineering role deep dives
  3. Monthly Career Reality Index
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Salary Reality Check

Benchmark your expectations.

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CTC Decoder

Know your actual take-home.

P. Mishra · January 2026

The 10x Developer Myth: Why Productivity Worship Is Killing Careers

The 10x Myth: Some developers are 10x more productive Hustle harder to compete Side projects prove passion Always be coding Tech Twitter Reality: Everyone shipping …

Shiv Mishra · January 2026

The Tech Lead Trap: Responsibility Without Authority

Getting the "Tech Lead" title feels like a promotion. Finally, recognition for your technical excellence. You're now leading a team, making architecture decisions, and guiding …

P. Mishra · January 2026

The DevOps Reality: You're On-Call, Not In-Demand

DevOps is sold as the hot career path. "Bridge the gap between dev and ops." "Automate everything." "High demand, high salaries." Career coaches point to …

Shiv Mishra · January 2026

The Senior Developer Ceiling: Why Salaries Plateau at ₹40 LPA

When you start as a developer, the trajectory seems clear. Junior to Mid to Senior to Staff to Principal. Each step brings better salary. You …

Shiv Mishra · January 2026

The American Dream Indian Engineers Are Still Chasing — and Why It’s Getting Harder

The playbook has been unchanged since 2010: Take a 40 Lakh loan. Do an MS in CS from a Tier-2 US University. Land a FAANG …

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