Career Compass
Education path
Path to Business Analyst
software / IT · typical entry: Junior Software Engineer / SDE-1
Education path
Degrees, exams, and milestones for Indian industry roles.
- 1
12th (PCM or CS)
Math + logic foundation; CS in 11–12 helps but is not mandatory everywhere.
- 2
B.Tech CSE / IT / MCA
4-year degree or equivalent — DSA, OS, DBMS, projects matter more than branch name alone.
- 3
Projects & internships
GitHub portfolio, hackathons, or summer SDE internship before final year.
- 4
Campus / off-campus SDE-1
Typical entry title in Indian product and service companies.
- 5
GATE / GRE (optional)Optional
Only if you are targeting higher studies — not needed for most industry SDE roles.
Career ladder
India designation ladder for Software / IT.
- 2–5 yrsJunior Software Engineer / SDE-1
- 2–5 yrsSoftware Engineer / SDE-2
- 4–7 yrsSenior Software Engineer
- 6–9 yrsTech Lead / SDE-3
- 8–12 yrsEngineering Manager / Principal Engineer
- 10–14 yrsSenior Engineering Manager
- 13–18 yrsDirector of Engineering / VP
Years are typical bands from entry — your path may vary by company and sector.