Backend Developer (~2 YOE) Looking to Switch — Am I Preparing the Right Things?
Anonymous User
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Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice from backend engineers who've recently interviewed (2025–2026), especially at Indian companies and startups.

I've been reading a lot of interview experiences on LeetCode Discuss, Reddit, Medium, YouTube, etc., and combining that with my own interview experience, I've formed a preparation roadmap. The problem is — I'm not sure if my understanding is actually correct, or if I'm over/under-preparing in certain areas. This isn't a "this is definitely right" post — it's genuinely "this is what I currently think, please correct me if I'm wrong." Feedback, disagreement, and corrections from experienced/senior engineers are very welcome.

About me

  • Backend Software Developer with ~2 years of experience
  • 2024 B.Tech CSE graduate (Tier-3 college)
  • Currently working remotely at a very small EdTech CRM (multi-tenant SaaS) company
  • Current package: ~4 LPA
  • 6-day work week
  • Have worked across a couple of internships and my current full-time role
  • Tech stack: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, BullMQ, Socket.IO
  • Some exposure to React, Angular, Jenkins, PM2, and Ansible
  • Max 1870 Knight , 1300+ LeetCode problems solved with a 1000+ day streak
  • My spoken English and interview communication are weaker than my technical skills, so that's something I'm actively trying to improve

My goal

I'd like to switch within the next 1–3 months if possible.

Current targets:

  • Delhi NCR (Onsite): 8+ LPA
  • Bangalore/Hyderabad/Pune/other tech hubs (Onsite): 10+ LPA
  • Remote: 6–7+ LPA is also fine

Long term, I'd like to work toward higher-paying(more than 15-20 LPA) companies too.

This is what I currently think matters most (please correct me)

Based on what I've read and what I've personally seen in interviews — not claiming this is right.

Core (Must Have)

  1. Communication (my highest priority)

    • Speaking confidently
    • Explaining solutions
    • Project discussions
    • Thinking aloud
    • Technical discussions
    • Scenario-based questions

  2. DSA — mostly maintenance and revision for me at this point

  3. LLD / HLD / System Design

  4. Backend Development + Technical Discussions

    • Node.js, databases, Redis, RabbitMQ/Kafka, authentication, networking, caching, performance, production/debugging scenarios
    • Questions like: how would you design this or that ? What happens when you type a URL? How does DNS work? Why Redis instead of the database? How would you scale this service? How would you debug high latency? What if RabbitMQ goes down?

Things I'm genuinely unsure about

Everywhere I look, I keep seeing: learn AWS, learn DevOps, learn AI. I'm already using AI almost every day while working and learning myself — so I get why it's everywhere online. But in actual backend developer interviews, I don't personally see Cloud, DevOps, or AI being asked nearly as often as DSA, system design, backend fundamentals, and communication. Maybe I'm completely wrong — that's exactly why I'm asking here, not assuming.

My current (possibly wrong) assumption:

  • Cloud (AWS/GCP) → matters mainly for resume shortlisting, sometimes basic interview questions
  • DevOps → basic Docker/Linux/Nginx seems useful, but deep DevOps seems uncommon for backend interviews specifically
  • AI → good resume booster and project experience, but not something most backend interviews deeply focus on (unless it's an AI-first company)

Again — this is just my read of the situation, not something I'm claiming is fact. Please push back if I've got this wrong.

What I'd really like help with

If you've interviewed recently, could you share:

  • Is my priority order reasonable, or would you change it?
  • Am I missing any major preparation area?
  • Am I spending too much or too little time on something?
  • How deep should a backend developer actually study Cloud, DevOps, and AI?
  • What topics surprised you in recent interviews?

And separately — on self-improvement: how would you personally plan and structure prep from here? Any specific tips, skills to build, or resources (YouTube channels, courses, blogs, GitHub repos, question banks) that actually helped you — not just the "standard" recommendations everyone repeats. If you were at ~2 YOE starting fresh, how would you structure the next 2–3 months?

I'm not looking for a "perfect roadmap" — I'm looking for what actually worked for people who've recently gone through backend interviews.

Thanks in advance! Really appreciate any advice, corrections, resources, or interview experiences you can share.

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