A Backend Developer's Unfiltered Journey: From Rejection to High-Paying Jobs

The Early Struggles and Rejections

Some friends got into Google, but I didn't. At that time, I thought maybe I didn't deserve that much, but I cried a lot about why I couldn't get in. Later, I realized that life isn't the same for everyone. The first off-campus job I landed was for over 5+ lakhs per annum. If I had spent another year preparing for Google, maybe I would have gotten it, or maybe not. When you want something with intense passion, it feels like the universe conspires to not give it to you. I don't know where that saying came from, but it often feels true.

I just didn't have faith. Even when people told me, "Brother, have faith, it will be good," nothing was happening. We face rejection after rejection in life, so what can we do? It's hard to have faith when you desperately need a job. You see a friend get a job, someone who you felt was less skilled than you, and the pressure of that need becomes so overwhelming that it's hard to understand life's path.

Discovering the Spark in Development

I remember writing my first HTML code; I thought, "Wow, my whole screen turned red!" It was so exciting. But the front end never quite shined for me. In the process of trying to learn the full stack, many of us end up not mastering the back end or the front end properly. This becomes a big problem.

There are students who get disheartened, asking, "Why should I join with a package of 4 lakhs?" They might end up sitting idle for a year because of this mindset.

Frontend vs. Backend: Which is Tougher?

Many people find the back end tough. Honestly, the front end is tougher. You have to use your mind to decide which UI component goes where, how it will look on mobile versus the web, when to add a scroll bar, and which colors to use. There are numerous things to consider.

In the back end, it might seem simpler: you create a record, it goes to the database, and you provide an API. That's it. But as a developer, I find creating the back end more fulfilling. In the front end, my button will be visible, but the core functionality behind that click is what matters. When you're creating a back end, there's a database layer, a business layer, and hundreds of types of validations. You prepare the entire endpoint, whether it's a web service or a GraphQL service, which the front end then consumes. There are a lot of learnings at the system level in the back end.

Both are crucial. If the back end isn't there, the front end is incomplete, and vice versa. However, in today's time, the front end has become so advanced that you can handle all sorts of validations at the front-end level itself using libraries like React. Still, some business cases can't be fully achieved in the front end, which is why we have a database layer and proper end-to-end coding in the back end.

The Role of Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA)

How important is DSA for back-end development? Honestly, only a little bit. When you do DSA, your ability to understand data and play with numbers improves. You learn how to work at the optimization level. Without DSA, it's difficult to determine if a query will take O(n) or O(1) time. When that concept is clear, you write better database queries.

In my regular work, how much logic optimization is there through DSA? Honestly speaking, zero. It happens that we need to optimize data to reduce time complexity, and at that moment, we might use advanced data structures like graphs. But this is rare.

However, if you are in college, you must do DSA very well. It will open up your mind. The fundamentals and algorithms help immensely in creating logic. You write the code, but optimizing, refining, and refactoring it is very important. That optimization comes from DSA and strong fundamentals.

The Journey to a High-Paying Career

I was not a top student. I didn't know what a big company like Google or Microsoft was. We just knew that someone's son worked in a big company with a 20-lakh package, and we wanted that. We were told that DSA was the way to get it, so we did DSA. I did competitive programming because everyone else was doing it. The advantage was that I was on the right track and learned, but I didn't enjoy it that much. I wanted to build something I could see.

I wasn't getting placed in my college. I did competitive programming and development, but I struggled with aptitude tests. I didn't get any interviews in college. So, I started applying off-campus. The problem today is that many people don't want to apply off-campus. They assume it won't work out. You have to use platforms like Naukri.com, Instahyre, TopHire, and LinkedIn Jobs. An opportunity will come from somewhere.

My first off-campus job interview lasted two days. I was given a Node.js problem statement and had to create an entire API infrastructure. I built it, submitted it, and got an offer of more than 5+ lakhs. I worked there for six months, learned a lot about the industry, and then switched from a package of 7 lakhs to 23 lakhs. The work culture at the new place was toxic, so after about eight months, I switched again. Today, I'm earning double or triple that. Opportunities keep coming if you maintain a learning attitude.

Choosing Your Tech Stack for 2025

Which is the first programming language to learn? JavaScript. Trust me, JavaScript is booming. People can say what they want about Go, Java, or C++, but a person learns what has job opportunities. If you go to LinkedIn Jobs today and search for Node.js jobs, you will find over 80,000+ listings. For Django, you might find thousands. The demand for JavaScript is the highest.

Even if you want to get into AI, you can. I recently integrated Google's Gemini API with Node.js. Think about the level at which projects are being built. You can integrate any AI service with Node.js and adapt it to your use case.

The database is also an important factor. College students should focus a little more on SQL because all the big companies still work on SQL databases. New startups work more on NoSQL like MongoDB, but SQL is essential. The best combo is learning both.

A Roadmap to Becoming a Backend Developer

If you want to start your journey, don't think too much. 1. Pick a Programming Language: I'd say pick up JavaScript. Cover the basics well from a reliable source like W3Schools. 2. Learn a Framework: Shift to Node.js. Start with the basics and cover Express.js. 3. Master Databases: Learn how schemas are created and how to set up a server with MongoDB, at least on your local system. 4. Build APIs: Understand how to create and host APIs. 5. Keep Practicing DSA: Simultaneously, keep doing DSA. Solve one or two questions regularly. As long as you are in IT, you should keep practicing to solve good problems.

To succeed in a company long-term, you need development skills. To crack most company interviews, you need DSA.

Common Mistakes and Final Advice

Many people study back end but don't do well in it because they forget the concepts. There are many packages and basic things to remember, like how a server is created, what a .env file is, and how to connect to a database. We learn these things and then forget them.

Revision is not a sin. You memorized the alphabet; you didn't "understand" it. You remember it by default from childhood. Remember things with understanding. Make notes. There's no problem with that. Revise them, and the concepts will stay in your mind.

Don't be afraid of learning. The extra things you learn will be useful in life. If you enjoy coding, it doesn't matter if you are doing front end or back end. A good developer is one who can solve any problem statement with passion.

Finally, don't consider tools like ChatGPT as an enemy that will take your job. Use it for learning. I've stopped using Google for learning; I ask ChatGPT to explain things to me until I understand. It has made a developer's life much easier. The work I used to complete in seven days, I can now do in four. It helps a lot with optimization.