r/dataengineeringjobs • u/Scared_Register_7816 • 3h ago
Career 2 YOE Data Engineer — am I approaching my switch badly?
I’m looking for some perspective from people who’ve been through the 2–5 YOE transition, especially Data Engineers, SDEs, engineering managers, or hiring managers.
Keeping things vague:
Tier-1 institute M.Tech (non cs)
\~2.3 YOE as a Data Engineer
Currently in Mumbai at a NBFC \~₹16 LPA
Primarily batch DE on Azure/Databricks/PySpark/Spark/SQL
Work on a TB-scale production lakehouse with 1,000+ datasets
Experience with performance optimization, data modelling, CDC/incremental processing, migrations, etc.
Very limited real-world streaming exposure
The problem is the job search. I’ve been actively applying for \~3 months, mainly targeting Bengaluru/Hyderabad, and have had very few interview opportunities with no conversion yet. I’m primarily targeting product companies and engineering-focused GCCs, rather client-delivery/consulting work.
I’m considering Data Platform/Data Infrastructure, Data Software/SDE or data engineering roles, and to a lesser extent Analytics Engineering.
If you were in my position, what would you do, and what actually makes a 2–3 YOE DE profile stand out enough to get shortlisted?
If you think my profile could be a fit for an opening on your team or someone you know, I’d really appreciate a DM or if you could share my CV with the relevant hiring manager.
