I remember sitting in front of my laptop one night,
tabs open everywhere,
DSA sheet on one side,
MERN roadmap on another,
Java interview questions saved in a folder I rarely opened.
I wasn’t lazy.
I wasn’t careless.
I was just lost in too many “right paths.”
And no one talks about this part.
Where I’m Coming From
I’m a fresher from a tier-3 college.
No fancy labs.
No alumni network sending referrals.
No clear direction was handed to me.
Just internet advice.
And too many people shouting, “This is the right way.”
I followed most of it.
That’s why I’m writing this.
There’s a strange silence you feel as a fresher.
Do not panic.
Not motivation.
Just quiet confusion.
You keep working, but you don’t know why this and not that.
The DSA Trap (Not What You Think)
Everyone told me:
“Do DSA first.”
So I did.
I solved problems.
I watched explanations.
I bookmarked sheets.
But slowly, DSA became a checkbox.
Not a skill.
I wasn’t learning how to think.
I was learning how to finish.
And the worst part?
I thought this meant I was progressing.
This is hard to admit.
Doing DSA without context feels productive.
but it doesn’t give confidence.
You solve problems.
Then you close the tab.
Nothing changes in your head.
MERN or Java? The Confusion That Never Ends
Some days I felt MERN was the future.
Web. Products. Startups.
Other days I felt Java was safer.
Enterprises. Stability. Service companies.
So I tried both.
Half MERN projects.
Half-baked Java basics.
In the end, I wasn’t “multi-skilled.”
I was fragmented.
Here’s the truth no one says clearly:
Trying to keep two career doors open
often means you don’t walk through either.
Not because you’re weak.
But because attention is limited.
There’s a quiet guilt that comes with this phase.
You open YouTube.
See someone your age building something impressive.
You don’t feel jealous.
You feel late.
Emotional Transition
This is where most advice becomes noisy.
People start saying:
“Just be consistent.”
“Trust the process.”
“Hard work pays off.”
But those words don’t help at 2 AM
when you’re choosing what to study tomorrow.
What helped me was something simpler.
What I Slowly Realised
Your problem is not lack of effort.
It’s a lack of commitment to one direction.
Not forever.
Just for now.
I wasn’t failing because I was bad.
I was failing because I was undecided.
When you don’t choose,
Your mind stays anxious.
When you choose one thing,
even imperfectly,
Your mind calms down.
About DSA
DSA is important.
But it’s not your identity.
Treat it like brushing your teeth.
Daily.
Necessary.
Not something you show off.
If DSA becomes your entire day,
You’ll burn out silently.
I limited it.
One focused session.
That’s it.
The rest of my time went into one direction.
Picking a Direction (Even If It’s Not Perfect)
I stopped asking:
“What is best in the market?”
I started asking:
“What can I tolerate doing daily?”
That changed everything.
Career choices don’t fail because they’re wrong.
They fail because you can’t stick with them.
This doesn’t mean you’re married to one tech forever.
It just means:
For the next few months,
You stop switching.
A Quiet Truth About Tier-3 Colleges
No one tells you this gently.
You don’t get clarity early.
You get it late—after confusion.
That’s normal.
Comparing yourself with tier-1 stories
will only make you rush decisions.
You don’t need to be fast.
You need to be steady.
Tools That Helped (Not Magically)
I used LeetCode—not to finish lists,
but to understand patterns slowly.
I used GitHub—not to impress recruiters,
but to see my own progress.
That’s it.
No fancy stack.
Emotional Transition
There’s a phase where you stop feeling inspired.
You still show up.
But without excitement.
This phase is not a failure.
It’s maturity starting.
Don’t quit here.
Practical but Soft Takeaways
If I had to say this to a junior sitting beside me:
Pick one direction for now
Do DSA, but don’t worship it
Confusion doesn’t mean incompetence
You’re allowed to move slowly
Progress feels boring most days—that’s normal
No hustle language.
No “grind.”
Just calm work.
What I Wish Someone Told Me Earlier
You don’t need to feel confident to move forward.
Clarity comes after action.
not before.
Waiting to feel ready
is how months disappear.
A Gentle Ending
If you’re a fresher reading this,
and your tabs look like mine once did,
Close a few.
Not because they’re wrong,
but because your mind needs space.
You’re not behind.
You’re just early in confusion.
And that’s allowed.
Take one step.
Even a small one.
That’s enough for now.
RoadMap for Google Software Engineer
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