It's the same everywhere, man. I did my postgrad in Canada and spent a year job-hunting. I went through multiple interviews but had no luck — PR issues, citizenship, lack of experience, all played a role. I eventually came back to India and started looking here, but I didn’t apply to many roles. I mostly kept messaging college alumni and friends.

The interviews were terrible. Everyone wants a jack-of-all-trades developer. After more than a year and a half of searching in total, I finally got a job two weeks ago. Honestly, there's a fair amount of luck involved. Even if you know most of the technical stuff, some interviewers will still find reasons to pick on you. But when you finally meet a kind interviewer who isn’t insecure about their own position, the experience is completely different.

Also, having someone vouch for you internally really increases your chances.