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Very High demand Excellent for remote

Software Engineer roadmap

The foundation track — DSA, backend fundamentals, and shipping real software.

Every AI product still needs engineers to build, integrate, and scale it. Remote SWE roles are the largest single category on every remote job board, and India-based remote engineers routinely earn 3–5x local salaries.

What it pays

India: ₹6–12 LPA entry → ₹25–60 LPA experienced

Remote worldwide: $80k–$180k remote

Before you start

  • Basic programming in any one language
  • Comfort with the command line

The plan, phase by phase

1

Programming fluency + DSA core

Weeks 1–10

Skills

Python or JavaScript/TypeScript fluencyBig-O analysisArrays, strings, hashingTwo pointers, sliding windowRecursion, trees, graphs (BFS/DFS)Heaps, binary search

Learn it free

Build: Solve 120+ NeetCode problems and track patterns (not just solutions) in a notebook.

Interview angle: 90% of fresher screens are DSA. Interviewers watch your thinking aloud, not just the answer.

2

Backend + databases

Weeks 11–18

Skills

REST API designNode.js/Express or Spring BootPostgreSQL — schema design, indexes, joinsRedis caching basicsAuth (JWT, OAuth2)Testing (unit + integration)

Learn it free

Build: A full REST API with auth, pagination, caching, and tests — deployed, with a README that explains your design decisions.

Interview angle: Expect 'design a URL shortener / rate limiter' and deep-dives into YOUR project's choices.

3

System design foundations

Weeks 19–26

Skills

Load balancing, CDNsDatabase sharding vs replicationMessage queues (Kafka/RabbitMQ concepts)Caching strategiesCAP theorem tradeoffsDesigning TinyURL, Instagram feed, Uber matching

Learn it free

Build: Write 3 full system-design docs (with diagrams) for classic problems; present one on video to practice talking through tradeoffs.

Interview angle: Mid-level+ interviews are 50% system design. They grade tradeoff reasoning, not 'correct' answers.

4

Ship, polish, apply

Weeks 27–32

Skills

GitHub profile as portfolioCI/CD basics (GitHub Actions)DockerWriting an ATS-proof resumeBehavioral interview prep (STAR)

Learn it free

Build: 2 polished portfolio projects with live demos, READMEs, and tests. Contribute 1 PR to an open-source repo.

Interview angle: Remote employers screen async communication hard — your GitHub READMEs and written answers ARE the interview.

Remote-readiness checklist

  • GitHub with green activity and readable READMEs
  • Can write a clear async status update in English
  • Comfortable with overlap hours (IST evening ↔ US morning)
  • Portfolio projects deployed with live URLs, not just code

Portfolio proof you need

  • 2 deployed full-stack projects
  • 120+ DSA problems with pattern notes
  • 1 open-source PR
  • 3 system-design write-ups

Roadmap done? Now get the job.

Browse verified-active remote software engineer roles, tailoryour resume to each one, and track every application to offer.