I worked in top end software engineering jobs, ended up as CTO of a second tier Indian company and led teams of engineers from all tier colleges; then worked as an entrepreneur and involved / employed a number of engineers from tier-1 colleges, till recently, when I took a break from work for a couple of years.
I am not a graduate. I did my Class 12th in PCM from a good school in an unheard of city. I scored 56% in PCM in finals. I provide these details to establish that I am eligible to answer this question.
So, how can you get a top end software engineering job if you've graduated from a tier-3 engineering college. This is my advice:
You need to be lucky.
This means two things in order.
- You need to be Extraordinarily well Prepared.
- You need to look for Opportunities without fear.
Above point is the most important point of all. You cannot do anything without Luck which is nothing but Preparedness + Opportunity.
I do have a small suggestion: Be Prepared First. Do not dedicate a portion of your time to look for opportunities and another portion to prepare.
No.
Be Prepared First. Make peace with your current station in life, hopefully a job in the same field, even if it is less than perfect and Prepare. Prepare early morning. Prepare on your way, Prepare in your breaks - coffee breaks, lunch breaks, gym breaks, walking breaks. Prepare in the evening. When you want to take breaks, use something that still prepares you. A bad example: If you want to give your brain a break from algorithms, memorize multiplication tables of prime numbers.
Those tier-1 college graduates are not taking any short cuts. They have crossed a stage of disciplined preparation earlier than you. Most of them have imbibed the discipline well enough that even when they slip, they won't fall too low, but it is possible to catch up or overtake them. I do not recommend such comparisons as an approach to life My point is, you need to prepare better than they did. Take that as a benchmark.
You will know when you are prepared enough.
You need to be alone, (or find someone to be alone with)
Your biggest disadvantage is not your college. It is irrelevant. Your biggest disadvantage is your circle. Where you are, is not the place, the most motivated of the youth are.
I am an introvert. Combined with the fact that I never went to college at all, my friend circle was non existent. I was managing teams when my peers were still studying. My problems (like how to ask older engineers to consider alternative approaches) and my interests (like solving one of the million dollars problems in Math) were completely incompatible with my friends' (where to copy the next assignment from). We enjoyed our ice-creams together, but I was not allowed to talk shop.
Over years, I have made friends with varied backgrounds ,and I have realized that even friendless, I was better off than those with bad friend circles.
If your friends insist that you are losing out in life by not drinking and not smoking - then a friendless loner who is always seen with a book, and has no friends, is better off than you.
If your friends taunt you because you like to work more and party less - or because you enjoy brain teasers - then that guy who solved a rubik on his own, and who is constantly made fun of, because he stammers - He is better off than you.
Your circle consists of people you call friends, but they are not all necessarily so. Some of them actively spread negativity due to their own emotional immaturity. Their need to grow up is their problem, not yours.
Ruthlessly remove such friends from your life.
I know this is hard advice, but curating your circle seems to be important to me. You end up with fewer friends and more acquaintances, but that was the truth anyway; you were just labeling relationships incorrectly.
You need to be fearless
When you are Prepared enough, you will dazzle people and you will know it. At least sometimes. Now, dazzle the right people.
Once you are prepared, getting selected in a top-end software job interview is not a problem. I can vouch for it. I have done it myself and I have seen multiple people do it. If you are dazzlingly prepared, you will get selected - tie-1 college or no college - two rounds of interview, or eight rounds of interview - getting selected is not a problem.
The problem is initially getting the call. When they sift through resumes, they reject non graduates (or in your case, tier-3 graduates). For the HR executive, you are a row in an excel sheet with a column which does not say IIT. But for the manager looking for a 'rockstar engineer' you are Gold. He wants you. He needs you. Do not be embarrassed or scared to approach him. Ask for an opportunity to interview for their firms.
Be Professional and Bold in your approach.
Do not worry too much about 'how to be professional'. Becoming Extraordinarily Prepared exposes you to the right kind of professionalism. You will know how to ask politely. Remember to not be afraid. Remember that they need you too.
Do not worry too much about 'where to find such opportunities / people'. Becoming Extraordinarily Prepared exposes you to the world of opportunities. They exist around you even today, but you can't see them because they are not applicable to you - simply because you are not prepared for them.
Focus on being Extraordinarily Prepared.
Create your own Luck. Slowly, but steadily.
Low Income?
