🎯 Career Roadmap & Advice

Key Goals

• Master fundamental programming concepts
• Complete Striver A2Z DSA Course (450+ problems)
• Solve 200-300 coding problems across all topics
• Understand time and space complexity analysis
• Build strong problem-solving foundation
• Learn basic Git and version control

Skills to Develop

Project Ideas

• Simple calculator with GUI
• Basic file management system
• Tic-tac-toe game
• Student grade management system
• Simple banking system simulation

Competitions & Events

• College coding competitions
• HackerRank challenges
• CodeChef beginner contests
• LeetCode daily challenges

Key Milestones

• Solve first 100 problems
• Complete basic data structures
• Understand recursion completely
• Build first project
• Participate in first contest

Avoid These Mistakes

• Jumping to competitive programming too early
• Not practicing enough problems
• Focusing on multiple languages instead of one
• Ignoring time complexity analysis
• Not building any projects

Key Goals

• Master MERN Stack development
• Learn Next.js for production applications
• Get comfortable with TypeScript
• Participate in 5+ hackathons
• Continue competitive programming
• Build 3-4 full-stack projects
• Contribute to open source projects

Skills to Develop

Project Ideas

• E-commerce website with payment integration
• Social media dashboard
• Real-time chat application
• Task management system
• Blog platform with CMS
• Weather app with geolocation

Competitions & Events

• Major hackathons (Smart India Hackathon)
• Codeforces regular contests
• Google Code Jam qualification
• Facebook Hacker Cup
• College tech fests

Key Milestones

• Complete first full-stack project
• Win or place in a hackathon
• Reach 500+ solved problems
• Learn TypeScript proficiently
• Deploy 3 projects online

Avoid These Mistakes

• Neglecting DSA for development
• Building projects without proper planning
• Not participating in hackathons
• Focusing only on frontend or backend
• Not learning version control properly

Key Goals

• Master advanced DSA topics
• Learn ML/DL fundamentals
• Get hands-on with Computer Vision (OpenCV, YOLO)
• Learn DevOps and cloud technologies
• Participate in hiring challenges
• Build impressive portfolio projects
• Start interview preparation
• Apply for internships

Skills to Develop

Project Ideas

• Real-time object detection system
• Machine learning model deployment
• Microservices architecture project
• Computer vision application
• DevOps pipeline for web app
• Mobile app with Flutter

Competitions & Events

• Google Summer of Code
• Microsoft Imagine Cup
• ACM ICPC regionals
• Kaggle competitions
• Company hiring challenges

Key Milestones

• Complete 800+ coding problems
• Deploy ML model in production
• Build computer vision project
• Get internship offer
• Contribute to major open source project

Avoid These Mistakes

• Trying to learn everything at once
• Not focusing on interview preparation
• Building projects without real-world impact
• Ignoring system design concepts
• Not applying for internships early

Key Goals

• Secure job placement (TOP PRIORITY)
• Master interview skills
• Optional: Explore blockchain development
• Optional: Learn ethical hacking
• Contribute to open source projects
• Mentor junior students
• Prepare for industry transition
• Build professional network

Skills to Develop

Project Ideas

• Capstone project for college
• DeFi application (if blockchain)
• Security audit tool (if cybersecurity)
• Open source contribution
• Industry collaboration project

Competitions & Events

• Final year project competitions
• Industry hackathons
• Research paper publications
• Startup competitions

Key Milestones

• Secure job offer
• Complete final year project
• Mentor 5+ junior students
• Contribute to major open source project
• Present at tech conference

Avoid These Mistakes

• Focusing on new tech instead of placement prep
• Not preparing for interviews seriously
• Ignoring soft skills development
• Not building professional relationships
• Procrastinating on job applications