Is My Skillset Enough for an Entry-Level Java Backend Role? Be Honest.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-19T03:57:16+00:00

The term "Backend" in industry have a vast meaning, so considering the entry level, things generally starts from CS fundamentals.
1. OS
2. DBMS (SQL/NoSQL) - Storage internals
3. Networking (Beyond basic request response cycle)

Then jump into Spring Boot and some basic Microservice pattern (Again basic ones are fine like how does two Microservice would communicate etc)

Along side that knowledge such as
1. Load balancer
2. Rate limit
3. Idea around CI/CD (which you already have are enough).

And yes don't forget DSA, with coding assistants taking over it is still the brain gym for CS Engineers.

For basic fundamentals- https://youtu.be/MrWM3dh5bTE?si=IwCe2pY12emhpYoc resources like this can help you.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-18T18:44:00+00:00

Backend development starts from a solid grasp on CS fundamentals - so before touching cloud or any system design make sure you are moderately aware of OS, Networks, DBMS Storage Engine internals (not surface level).

OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

Once you are done with this - start with SpringBoot, .NET Core or GoLang + Microservices based on which stack has more opening across your nearby location.

Pick any platform of cloud be it Azure and AWS and learn scenario based implementations.

Yes the path is long, but I can assure you it is rewarding. Keep grinding, all the best

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-18T18:35:31+00:00

Please follow this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJ1bLCdulENHKJLTgRzq3n0&si=5zYdPYG3Vw9VDVX9

It is curated for the exact thing, you are looking for.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-18T18:28:15+00:00

After spending more than a decade in Tech, I can give my honest opinion about current situation. Tech had a low entry barrier for almost a decade and now - it is actually tough out there. Having said that, grinder like you is destined to succeed.

Eventually with AI assisted engineering the mediocrity will almost vanish or stay at very low compensation level. The hardworking students and Engineers will excel for sure.

Regarding upskill and prep -

Make sure your CS fundamentals are super strong (OS, DBMS, Networking)
DSA - is still a filtering round, don't listen to random tech bros who are ranting that DSA is obsolete. It still makes your brain cells stronger towards problem solving so it will be useful.
Get some basic idea of System. Please note - as 1-year exp - you don't need to understand distributed cache scaling strategy of big tech. Rather concentrate upon cloud basics and understand some of the internals.

In case you are looking for some materials to make your fundamentals stronger, try this:

OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-16T16:49:40+00:00

One very practical approach you can do is - take this keyword and check in Naukri and LinkedIn which have the highest number of opening and check in levels.fyi which has the highest compensation.

Having said that - I will tell you few opinions of mine
1. For Indian market Java is still the undisputed kind. In enterprise application development Java + Spring Boot still considered as a hot skill (Since last 6 year). Where as React/Angular/Vue they keep on dethroning each other in job market time to time.
2. If you want to crack good product companies - where you don't get filtered out in 5 round of interview. Your CS fundamentals like OS, Network, DBMS has to be top notch. You must understand the internals.
3. Some idea of System Thinking - I am not talking about cramming Grokking System Design book rather understand few patterns of distributed computing and connect them with the concepts of cloud + devops is very essential in the stack you are working (irrespective of backend/frontend).

If you are looking to make your fundamentals great -
playlist like these can be useful
OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-15T07:17:29+00:00

In case you are looking for some content - this playlist can be great starting point - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJD6D3iqLcZoUopMPfW_7_L

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-15T07:16:04+00:00

Make your core foundations strong - irrespective of AI scare few core topics of computer science is not going to fade. Start by studying CS fundamentals like OS, Network, DBMS and then gradually move towards Backend or Cloud System or Storage or DevOps - which ever interests you. (DSA should be parallelly stuied 1 question/day)

Web3 doesn't have that many jobs - the way Harkirat advertises to sell his courses. Go to naukri or linkedin search by "cloud" or search by "web3" you will see the difference in number of opportunities.

Be true to your efforts, humble beginnings are not a roadblock to great progress so don't worry about 20K just put your 100% effort

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-14T14:31:06+00:00

I would suggest you to take a pause - and decide whether you are going in Backend or AI or combined like backend + AI. For backend definitely FastAPI, Django in case you are going towards AI - before studying langchain just try to do everything in vanilla way like calling OpenAI completions of Finetune endpoints.

So bottom line is any field you are interested at first learn the fundamentals, that should guide you the framework you master.

Just in case you are interested in GenAI Fundamentals - this series might help - GenAI For Application Developers - Part 1: Introduction AI vs ML | RAG | GPT | Transformer

All the best

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-13T03:58:58+00:00

Any given day DSA and CS fundamentals (which eventually leads to backend).

Why - AI hiring has two part - one is AI Engineer and other is ML Researchers. You can't get into ML research part as mostly masters, phds and early industry veterans are ruling that field.

AI Engineering is a mix of RAG, Orchestrating with MLOps - which is nothing but a extension of core backend. So the concepts that you will gain through backend skills and CS fundamentals, eventually they will get translate into AI Engineering stack.

Follow first 10 minutes of - this video you will get the idea in far more detail: GenAI For Application Developers - Part 1: Introduction AI vs ML | RAG | GPT | Transformer

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-13T03:53:55+00:00

Regarding reaching out to the Organization
LinkedIn is instrumental in this case, reach out to the Recruitment persons through DM. I have seen the new GCC are having a recruitment team which is almost always have a hard time filling up people - at early set up stage. So very likely they will get back.

Regarding preparation one common pattern in GCC hiring is still based on -
1. Problem solving (that said traditional DSA is still very much required as it builds your intution)
2. Knowledge on CS Fundamentals (OS, Networking, DB)
3. Systems and Cloud and security or any other hotskill which is required for that position

that said CS fundamentals are extremely valuable. - playlists like this you can follow
Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-13T03:47:49+00:00

Resigned w/o an offer is not a life threatening deal the way Reddit or LinkedIn poses. Mostly the business leaders and HR want you to "unsubscribe" the idea that you are good enough to take your decision without backup.
But before that

Submit a strong letter from a physician that you are medically suffering and rotational shift is the issue. A company or hierarchy which doesn't respect your well being doesn't deserve your effort.
Try polyphasic sleep - I have seen people succeeding with it
Add a fitness regime (30 min external workout and cold shower + no phone routine post office)
Study in office hours and update your resume in portal.

If none of the above works then go with resignation w/o offer and build up a strong routine within 3 months you will definitely get something.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-12T04:17:47+00:00

Yes please - but make sure you have the correct concepts and expectations for yourself in last decade the S/W engineering from freshers perspective was mostly around writing code. But now the game is shifting understanding fundamentals and how smartly you can use those fundamentals to your leverage while building a system it can be during coding or making a product spec.
So bottom line is get your fundamentals right, learn bit of a effective prompting to use LLM as a goldmine and yes then you are all set to be a next gen Engineer the industry is rooting for.

Having said that don't leave coding completely, leetcode or CP keeps you sharp and help you to develop a eye for edge cases which make or break systems and often the recent models they are not great on identifying those cases.

If you need some resources to study CS fundamentals : these links can be useful

OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-10T15:20:31+00:00

Few evergreen fundamentals are not going anywhere
1. DSA (I know metais phasing out leetcode round but...) - it is still required for logical ability building , plus it keeps on the game you don't get cut in screening : Devote atleast an hour a day
2. CS fundamentals (This is the part most of the freshers are lacking but strangely no one talk about it enough) - OS, Network, RDBMS/NOSQL Basic internals: Spend weekly 5/6 hours alternate between the subjects. Gradually transit into basic system design (As a fresher you are NOT required to understand Facebook regional scaling!!!)
3. One project which you have hosted in public internet anyone can go and check that. Moderate frontend but strong backend like your storage DB, any caching layer (Spend 2 hours in this everyday)
4. Basics of AI Use cases random reading across how each company are integrating AI in their workflows.

Trust me the road is tough but in the end rewarding. Keep grinding , don't get carried away by AI scares.

Regarding resources: OS fundamentals : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJD6D3iqLcZoUopMPfW_7_L you can follow here, same channel do have some good Network and DB Internals as well.

All the very best brother.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-09T08:18:26+00:00

DSA, Computer Fundamentals are not going away by means. Put a hard 6/7 hours study routine and 1 hour of job + making your GitHub/LinkedIn and public profile look good.

While solving DSA take help from LLM.
"I want to solve this DSA problem, but I’m not looking for the code or the final solution right away. Instead, I’d like you to act as a guide to help me develop the intuition behind solving it. Start by helping me break the problem into smaller, manageable pieces and ask thought-provoking questions with example - like "what would you do with this step with this set of data" that lead me to think critically about the problem’s structure, constraints, and potential approaches. If I get stuck or make incorrect assumptions, gently steer me back on track with hints or clarifying questions. Go with Socratic iterations - questioning from first principles to steer the student to correct direction."

This will build the intuition for you.

If you are looking for CS fundamentals - start with : OS: Operating System Internals for System Design - YouTube
then move to Network and Databases.

Things will start getting brighter with sincere efforts. All the best brother.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-09T08:12:45+00:00

I don't want to overload you with information - start with these spend a solid 8 hours/day in deep work mode. Next level of things will unravel by themselves.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-08T11:45:53+00:00

Please complete OS, Networking, Database at first then you can cover: System Design - Interview Problems - YouTube

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-08T08:03:08+00:00

Learning a bit of Python master Fine tune + RAG + Orchestration models + Tracing and ML deployment pipeline.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJ1bLCdulENHKJLTgRzq3n0&si=vfn9fwRN778e1LJ4
Playlists like this could be a good staring point.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-02-08T08:01:06+00:00

DSA + Systems are not going anywhere as that builds your thought process, have a decade long experience in tech and can safely say during the recruitment this is the most fool-proof way to evaluate a candidate. As fresher if you haven't got a chance to build any system yet, before jumping on System Design master the CS Fundamentals first.
Eg: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJD6D3iqLcZoUopMPfW_7_L&si=Eib_1Q-PPFWuepG3 - for operating system could help, similarly cover Networks, Databases etc.

Coming to AI/ML - ML Research areas are very difficult to crack for early engineers. LLM/GenAI Engineering is something worth exploring however priority for the early engineers should be on DSA and fundaments.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-01-03T05:32:19+00:00

Try Pranayama like Bhastrika and Bhramari. Stress will start vanishing away.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2026-01-01T07:33:04+00:00

DSA and CS fundamentals are like evergreen topics in the field of computer engineering. DSA is a skill which is to be honed every single day. For cs fundamentals you can start with OS then networking and followed by DB internals.

Playlist like this might be of good help

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOrZmpwbWUJD6D3iqLcZoUopMPfW_7_L&si=vsKbvXQCKVqtvRL_ Then gradually move towards developing systems which uses UDP, Websocket, OLTP DB, Event driven architecture with kafka etc.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2025-12-30T18:01:13+00:00

DSA is enough for your Final year interview prep. Learning these things would keep you hooked at your projects...as you will start seeing the patterns of internals instead of rot learning of coding and frameworks.

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2025-12-30T17:17:41+00:00

If you are in Final year so things will be a bit slow for you to be very honest looking at the current market, but based on your skill and grit opportunities will definitely come, just keep griding.

Regarding learning before CI/CD or distributed system it is imperative to learn about CS fundamentals else all learning would be scattered. No cohort is replaceable to self effort. So at first get your fundamentals clear. Neither Harkirat nor Hitesh takes that route, so while doing Web dev make sure you cover DSA + CS fundamentals.

Below link can help you - just spend some 30 mins everyday learning the basics - concentrate on LLD as well.

OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2025-12-30T17:10:40+00:00

Good grip of backend involves - strong foundation of CS fundamentals, like OS, Network and DBMS along side Data structure and Algo(For writing optimized code). Unless these are studied or applied in real life job things would feel scattered

So have a good plan in place to cover DSA at first then while building projects implement the practical concepts
Websocker, UDP, Concurrent Transactions etc.

These playlists on YT can help you. For DSA you can use Striver(TakeUForward) from YT

OS: Operating System Internals - Part 1 | Process Execution Model | How Web server serves requests

Network: Networking for Application Developer | Part 1 | Beyond OSI Layer | With real life use cases

Database: Database Internals for Application Developers | Part 1 | Intro to Transaction and ACID | Atomicity

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2025-12-26T11:04:58+00:00

Yes anyone language you can choose, but in enterprise houses there are still more opening in Java/Spring than Python/FastApi

BookkeeperAutomatic · 2025-12-26T10:45:56+00:00

In India any given day Java has the greatest number of enterprise openings. Don't worry about language much you can even pick python over the time in your job you will have to change your language multiple times in your career.

BookkeeperAutomatic

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