Job Switch Hub

Goal: 50+ LPA offer | Plan window: May 11 → Nov 11, 2026 (26 weeks) | Current week: see [[Coach/project_current_week]]

LLM: update this page when DSA progress changes, SD problems completed, applications sent, or weekly retros done.

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Status snapshot

• Plan: revised May 11, 2026 — single track (DSA + SD + behavioral + apply). Kill list confirmed.
• Notice period: 90 days at HCLTech, buyback available after 30 days — leverage at offer stage
• Current comp: 26 LPA → Target 50+ LPA → Floor TBD at offer stage
• Interview reps last 12 months: 0 (3 total in 5 years — extreme rep deficit)
• Network unlocks: Splunk (conf24 contacts) + Amazon (referral channels) — use BEFORE cold apps

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Honest Profile

Primary identity: AI-Native Python Engineer with backend performance chops + AI integration + full-stack experience. Lead stories: AskTGE (DynamoDB 2s→200ms + RAG) for backend/AI roles. WebSocket geo (250 concurrent drivers, sub-second) for distributed systems roles.

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Phase Map (REPLANNED Jun 21 — 8-week sprint)

May 11 ──── Jun 7 ──── Jun 22 ──────── Aug 15 ──────── Nov 11
| Done                | 8-WEEK SPRINT (S1–S8)   | APPLY PHASE
| W1–W4               | DSA + HLD/SD + Redis    | apps + loops + close
| ~50 NeetCode        | ~90 NeetCode (→150)     | revision/mock weak-patch
| Trees done          | 8 HLD problems          | onsites + negotiate
| theory thru Essentl | Redis playlist + theory | offers

Sprint goal (Jun 22 → Aug 15): finish NeetCode 150 + ~8 HLD/SD problems + full Redis playlist + remaining SD theory. Then flip to apply.

Key principle: Apply from W3 → Apps + referral DMs start mid-August after the sprint (Vatsal decision, Jun 21). Referrals first (Splunk + Amazon), then cold. ⚠️ Risk: 90-day notice + Aug apps → offers land ~Dec, tight vs Nov 11 target. Full week-by-week: [[Coach/project_dsa_sd_curriculum]].

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DSA Progress

Patterns completed (pre-W1)

• Arrays & Hashing
• Two Pointers
• Sliding Window
• Stack
• Binary Search
• SQL (separate track — done)

Patterns ahead (W1–W16)

• W1 (May 11–17): Validation gate — 15/15 PASS STRONG (~192 min / 420 min target)
• W2: Linked List — 13/15 PASS STRONG (1 FAIL 328, 1 asterisked 23)
• W3 (May 25–31): Trees pt 1 — 13/13 PASS STRONG (~86 min / 265 min target)
• W4 (Jun 1–7): Trees pt 2 — 6/7 PASS STRONG (1 FAIL 450) + 3 bonus
• W5/S1 (Jun 22–28): Tries + Heap — 8/10 PASS STRONG (fail 621 formula, 355 merge)
• W6/S2 (Jun 29–Jul 5): Backtracking (9) — in progress
• W7–W8: Graphs (BFS/DFS + Advanced)
• W9–W12: DP 1-D + DP 2-D
• W13–W14: Greedy + Intervals
• W15: Math & Geometry
• W16: Bit Manipulation
• W17–W22: Revision pass (re-solve hardest 20 per bucket)

Target: NeetCode 150 done by Aug 30, 2026 (W16). Then revision + mocks.

Standing rule — every new pattern week: Day 1 starts with a 1–2h theory block before any problems. Read the vault technique page (DSA/DSA Techniques for Interviews/) + NeetCode pattern intro. Cover core operations, key techniques, common gotchas. Problems start Day 1 evening or Day 2 morning.

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SD Theory Foundation

Structured theory curriculum before tackling design problems. Full tracker: [[System Design/SD Theory Curriculum]]. DDIA depth track + chapter→interview map: [[synthesis/DDIA Interview Map]].

DDIA depth (folded into SD track, Jun 21): Ch1 ✅ complete, Ch2 ✅ complete. Pace: 1 ch / 2 wks, lunch slot only — no marathons. See [[synthesis/DDIA Interview Map]].

Target: full theory done by W6 (Jun 21) before SD problem practice starts.

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System Design Progress

Interview-ready = whiteboard cold in 45 min + defend trade-offs.

Re-sequenced 2026-07-02 (user call): KV Store + Consistent Hashing this week, URL Shortener + Unique ID next.

SD detailed deep dives: see [[synthesis/Interview Prep Hub]] for problem templates.

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Target Companies & Job Links

Tier 1 — Best Fit (AI / backend / distributed systems)

Tier 2 — Indian product companies

Tier 3 — Reach / FAANG (post W12 / after 90 NeetCode + 8 SD)

Remote US (mid-tier)

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Network outreach — referral-first

Referrals → 5× screen rate vs cold. Use this unlock before mass cold apps.

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Behavioral Stories — Interview Ready

Rules:

• HCLTech code stays private — stories only, no public code
• Quantify all stories
• AskTGE for AI cos, WebSocket geo for distributed cos
• Drill STAR format 10 reps per story

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Pre-screen Q Answers (drill in W1)

• "Why are you leaving HCLTech after 1 year?" — frame growth ceiling, not complaint
• "What's your expected CTC?" — range 55–75 LPA, anchor high, never single number
• "Walk me through your background (2 min)" — Who am I now + lead story (AskTGE or geo) + why switching + what I bring. 90 sec max.

Full drafts will be drilled in W1 (May 16) — see [[Coach/project_current_week]].

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Interview Sprint Checklist (live from W3)

• Resume rewrite to 1 page (W1 — May 17)
• LinkedIn rewrite + "Open to work" private (W1)
• 30-company target list (W1)
• STAR drilled — all 4 war stories (W1–W2)
• Pre-screen Q answers fluent (W1–W2)
• First 5 applications sent (W3 → August)
• Splunk + Amazon referral DMs sent (W3 → August)
• First paid mock done (W5 → realign with Aug apps)
• 20 cumulative apps (shifted with Aug start)
• First screen received (W6–W7)
• First onsite reached (W10–W12)
• First offer (W15+ realistic)

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What was KILLED (don't pivot back)

• AWS MLA-C01 cert (post-offer)
• LangChain deep dive (existing experience sufficient)
• vectorbuilds.dev articles / blog (post-offer)
• Backend portfolio project to "fill gap" (war stories enough)
• LLD / Machine Coding deep prep (covered by SD problems)
• FastAPI internals as dedicated track (war story has it)
• Go mastery deep track (talking point, not differentiator)
• Frontend SD deep prep (only if specifically asked)
• NeetCode 150 grind-only (revision-heavy approach instead)
• FDE pivot (no India FDE roles; senior in US ≠ your path)

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Related Pages

• [[synthesis/Interview Prep Hub]] — full interview content, technical templates, behavioral
• [[synthesis/DDIA Interview Map]] — DDIA chapter → SD-topic map + reading protocol
• [[synthesis/Tech Stack Overview]] — positioning guide
• [[synthesis/Concurrency Deep Dive]] — Go differentiator
• [[synthesis/LLM & AI Stack]] — AI company targeting
• [[Coach/project_job_switch_2026]] — live plan (auto-updated)
• [[Coach/project_dsa_sd_curriculum]] — full 26-week table
• [[Coach/project_current_week]] — this week's problems + decision gate
• [[Private/Resume/Vatsal_Vora_Resume (3).pdf]] — latest resume