For thousands of engineering graduates in India, a degree alone is no longer enough to secure a foothold in the technology industry. While colleges continue to emphasise academic performance and theoretical learning, recruiters increasingly seek practical experience, problem-solving ability, modern development skills, and interview readiness, which are areas many students say they are left to navigate on their own.
This widening gap has fuelled the rise of upskilling platforms, mentorship networks, coding bootcamps, and peer-led learning communities that promise to bridge the distance between classrooms and corporate expectations.
Among those who experienced this transition firsthand is Nandita Kalita, a Senior Software Engineer mentor. Despite being a gold-medalist from her university, she says that her career trajectory changed only after she began focusing on industry-oriented skills beyond her college syllabus.
Here are some excerpts from her conversation with EdexLive:
Could you tell us a little about your journey into tech and how your career evolved?
I studied in a tier-three college in a fairly remote region, and we didn’t have many companies visiting our campus. Even mass recruiters required us to travel to other colleges for interviews. In my batch, I think only one or two companies came to campus, so placements were very difficult for us.
I realised quite late in college that I needed to focus on industry-relevant skills if I wanted to land a job. I saw many of my friends doing internships at startups and building practical experience, but at that time my focus was completely on academics. I didn’t give much importance to building industry skills.
Around October-November 2019, I joined Newton School. It was probably their second batch at the time, and that became a defining moment in my career. The programme exposed me to what it actually takes to become a full-stack developer, from the technologies to the learning path and industry expectations.
More importantly, I got to interact with mentors who were already working in big tech companies. They were not only helping with interview preparation, but also became role models. Seeing those people and learning from them was extremely motivating.
During those six months, my focus completely shifted from academics to building practical skills and preparing for placements. Around April-May, placements started at Newton School and I received two offers. One was from a small service-based startup, which I eventually did not join. Instead, I joined Briq.ai as a full-stack engineer and worked there for almost a year, mostly on frontend development along with some backend work.
After a year, I started looking for a switch. I was applying through platforms like InstaHyre and LinkedIn, though I wasn’t fully prepared at the time. Eventually, someone from Rubrik reached out to me. The interview process went well, and joining Rubrik was a huge leap in my career.
Since then, it’s been a fantastic journey. I joined as an SD1, got promoted to SD2 within two years, and after nother two years, I’m now working as a Senior Software Engineer, primarily on the UI side of things.
You’ve also been actively mentoring students and aspirants. When did that journey begin?
I started mentoring in the very first year of my job. I was mentoring the first women’s batch at Newton School, and that was a very interesting experience because many of these women had never coded before. Some had taken long career breaks or had been away from tech entirely.
Teaching them coding fundamentals from scratch and seeing them gradually learn and build things was very rewarding. It made me realise that a lot of what I had learned during my own journey could genuinely help others.
One thing I strongly noticed is that students from tier-two and tier-three colleges, or people with career gaps, often lack guidance and motivation. Many don’t know how to enter the industry or what skills they should focus on. Colleges don’t necessarily teach what companies actually expect in interviews or jobs.
Mentorship played a huge role in my own growth as well. Throughout my career, good mentors have helped elevate me, so mentoring others feels like a way of taking that support forward.
After Newton School, I took a small break from mentoring, but later I joined Topmate. People approached me with questions about interview preparation, roadmaps, and career direction. I also ended up referring some people to Rubrik, and a few even joined my team eventually. Seeing people whom I mentored become colleagues was incredibly rewarding.
You were a BTech gold medallist. Many would assume that academic excellence alone should guarantee opportunities. Why did you still feel the need to upskill?
The computer science curriculum in colleges is very different from what companies actually ask in interviews.
For example, companies like Amazon and Google heavily focus on DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms). Tier-one colleges often have a strong competitive coding culture that helps students build those skills. That culture is largely absent in tier-two and tier-three colleges.
The second issue is opportunities. If companies like Google or Rubrik want to hire, they would rather visit a tier-one college and hire multiple candidates at once instead of travelling to smaller colleges where they may hire only one person.
Beyond big tech companies, even startups and mid-sized firms expect skills like JavaScript, React, Node.js, and full-stack development. These are not really part of our college curriculum. Students have to learn them independently through courses, projects, internships, or self-learning.
And even certifications alone don’t help much. Companies want to see practical work, be it projects, internships, or real experience. There’s a huge gap between what colleges teach and what companies actually expect from candidates.
Most importantly, there’s very little guidance. Nobody tells students, “If you want to become a full-stack developer or work in data science, these are the skills you need to focus on.” Students are expected to figure that out themselves.
Even after reaching a senior position, you continue mentoring. What keeps you invested in it?
Mentorship is not a side hustle for me. I’m not doing it as a revenue stream.
For me, mentorship is about bridging the gap between industry expectations and what aspirants actually know. People who are already working in tech understand what skills matter, what roadblocks exist, and what kind of preparation is genuinely useful. I feel that experience can help others avoid confusion and frustration.
A lot of people struggle with things like not getting interview calls, facing repeated rejections, or simply not knowing what direction to take. I know how demotivating that can feel when you don’t have guidance.
So mentoring, for me, is about helping people find clarity, structure, and confidence in their journey.
How has mentoring others contributed to your own growth, both professionally and personally?
Mentoring has helped me stay connected with what’s happening in the industry and hiring ecosystem.
Since I’m not actively interviewing myself anymore, I learn a lot through the experiences shared by mentees, such as what companies are asking, how interview processes are changing, and what new expectations exist.
For example, many companies now include machine coding rounds, whereas earlier interviews were much more DSA-focused. Mentoring helps me stay aware of these shifts.
I also get exposure to the broader hiring landscape. I get to know which companies are hiring aggressively, which ones have paused hiring, and what skills are currently in demand.
What are some common mistakes that freshers make while trying to enter tech?
One major mistake is relying entirely on referrals. That pathway has become extremely saturated.
Another mistake is obsessing over landing a job only at a “dream company.” For freshers, especially from tier-three colleges, the initial focus should be on gaining experience rather than chasing high-profile companies.
Restricting yourself to only a handful of companies actually lowers your chances of entering the industry.
Another common issue is over-focusing on DSA. The hiring landscape is changing. Companies are now introducing debugging rounds, machine coding rounds, and practical assessments. Candidates need to research what different companies actually ask and adapt accordingly.
Soft skills are also extremely important, but students rarely focus on them in college. Communication, problem-solving attitude, and how you react when facing difficult questions all matter greatly during interviews and in corporate environments.
As a woman who has grown rapidly in tech, what has your experience been like?
The hardest part for me was initially getting into the industry.
When I look around in my company, I find very few people from backgrounds similar to mine. Most people come from IITs, NITs, or tier-one institutions. During college, I had very little guidance about what a successful tech career even looked like.
After joining Rubrik, though, I was fortunate to have a very supportive environment. I had an amazing manager and team, which played a huge role in helping me grow.
Earlier, I lacked confidence in speaking during meetings or backing my own ideas. But my team culture here was extremely encouraging. My managers were deeply invested in my growth and consistently guided me on what I needed to do to progress to the next level.
That kind of supportive environment makes a huge difference, and I realise that it’s not something everyone gets.
What advice would you give to women entering tech today?
The first thing is to properly research what companies are actually looking for and understand how interview structures work.
Different companies have different interview patterns, so aspirants should build a roadmap based on the skills they currently lack and the roles they want to target.
And finally, maximise your opportunities by applying widely. Don’t unnecessarily limit your options.