Log inSign up
From the team

Career notes, Guide playbooks and field reports.

Writing on career clarity, negotiation and the economics of per-minute expertise, narrow enough to act on. Every post ends in an answer, not in five things to consider.

How-to9 min read

QA to Developer Transition in India: A 6-Month Plan

A 6-month plan to move from QA to developer in India: internal transfer vs job-hop, the real skill gap, SDET, and the honest salary reset math.

Neera Raina ·

38 posts

Checklist13 min read

Job Offer Checklist India: 7 Lines to Check Before You Sign (2026)

A 7-line checklist for reading a job offer in India: Labour Codes, PF, gratuity, ESOP tax, notice period and probation - what to check before you sign.

Neera Raina ·

How-to13 min read

Coding Interview Preparation in India: What Changed in 2026

Coding interview preparation in India in 2026: the machine coding round, when AI is allowed, and how service and product company interviews now differ.

Neera Raina ·

Framework12 min read

Low Appraisal Hike: Should You Fix It or Switch? (India, 2026)

Got a low appraisal hike in India? A calm framework for fix-internally vs switch - the diagnosis, the internal-fix scripts, and the real switch maths for 2026.

Neera Raina ·

Playbook13 min read

Laid Off in India: What to Do in the First 30 Days (2026)

Just laid off in India? A calm first-30-days plan: what to sign and screenshot, the money you are owed, and the interview script.

Neera Raina ·

Framework13 min read

IC vs Manager in India: How to Choose Your Track (2026)

Staying an IC or moving to manager in India? Compare pay by track and company tier, a 10-question self-test, plus what family pressure and AI change in 2026.

Neera Raina ·

How-to13 min read

How to Switch Jobs with a 90-Day Notice Period in India (2026)

Switch jobs with a 90-day notice period in India: early-release scripts for manager and HR, buyout maths, and keeping your offer alive.

Neera Raina ·

Framework12 min read

Should You Accept a Counter Offer? An India Decision Framework (2026)

Should you accept a counter offer in India? The 4-part test (money, role, promise, trust), the truth about the 80% statistic, and when staying actually works.

Neera Raina ·

Templates13 min read

Salary Negotiation Email Templates for India (With Examples)

8 copy-paste salary negotiation email templates for India: counter offers, expectations, joining bonus, ESOPs and raises.

Neera Raina ·

Guide14 min read

Domain Switch in India: The Complete 2026 Guide for Working Professionals

Domain switch in India, mapped: adjacent vs leap moves, 8 common paths with timelines and salary impact, and a 6-month playbook.

Neera Raina ·

Guide14 min read

Salary Negotiation in India: The Complete 2026 Guide

Salary negotiation in India, end to end: CTC decoded, a one-page prep worksheet, and playbooks for first offers, raises, switch offers, ESOPs and walking away.

Neera Raina ·

Framework12 min read

Will AI Replace Software Engineers in India? A 2026 Reality Check

Will AI replace software engineers in India? What 2026 data shows, role-by-role exposure, and a 90-day plan - with no course to sell you.

Neera Raina ·

Framework13 min read

Career Decision Framework for Indian Professionals: How to Choose When Everything Feels Uncertain

A career decision framework for India: five questions, a weighted matrix for Indian realities, and the four traps that distort the choice.

Neera Raina ·

Career decisions8 min read

Is It Too Late to Switch Careers at 28 in India? Data, Stories, and a 6-Month Plan

Career change at 28 in India: average switcher age, real timelines, salary impact, and a 6-month plan. Plus two first-person stories.

Neera Raina ·

Career decisions10 min read

How to Evaluate a Startup Offer in India (2026)

Evaluate a startup offer in India with a 5-lens framework: cash, equity, role, growth, risk. Includes the ESOP cash-flow trap and tax deferral.

Amigzo ·

Career decisions9 min read

MBA or Not in India 2026: A Track-Based Decision Guide for Working Professionals

Should you do an MBA in India in 2026? A track-based guide with real ROI by MBA tier, online options, and profiles of people who skipped it.

Neera Raina ·

Career decisions7 min read

When to Leave Your First Job in India: A 3-Factor Test

When to leave your first job in India: a 3-factor test (learning, pay, health), timing traps, and a decision checklist.

Neera Raina ·

Playbook14 min read

How to Switch from Service to Product Company in India (2026)

A 6-month plan for Indian engineers moving from service companies to product companies. Includes real stories, tiered targets, and common mistakes.

Neera Raina ·

POV10 min read

Career Change at 30 in India: Real Timelines, Data, and Outcomes

Career change at 30+ in India: data from 12 professionals, real timelines, salary impact, and whether they'd do it again. With a 6-month checklist.

Neera Raina ·

Salary8 min read

What Is a Good Salary for a Senior Engineer in India? (2026 Data by City & Company Tier)

2026 senior engineer salary guide with bands by company tier and city in India. Includes profiles from Razorpay, CRED, and Swiggy.

Neera Raina ·

Mentorship11 min read

Should You Become a Career Mentor? 7 Honest Questions Before You Start

Thinking of becoming a paid mentor? Answer these 7 questions first - 3 of them should make you pause. Honest guide for working professionals in India.

Amigzo ·

Career growth12 min read

First 30 Days as an Engineering Manager in India: The Honest Playbook

Week-by-week playbook for your first month as an engineering manager in India. From 3 EMs who made the switch, including their week 1-3 mistakes.

Amigzo ·

Salary12 min read

ESOP vs Cash: How to Evaluate Startup Offers in India (2026)

Should you take ESOPs or higher cash? Decision framework with Indian tax rules, vesting schedules, and a 5-minute evaluation. For startup offers in 2026.

Amigzo ·

Salary11 min read

How to Negotiate Salary in India: Scripts and Timelines That Work (2026)

Exact scripts for every stage of salary negotiation in India, from recruiter screen to final acceptance email. Day-by-day timeline.

Amigzo ·

Mentorship8 min read

How to Find a Mentor in India: A Step-by-Step Guide (That Actually Works)

A practical, India-specific guide to finding a mentor. Where to look, what to say, and how to turn one conversation into a real relationship.

Amigzo ·

Career switch9 min read

How to Switch from SDE to PM in India: The 90-Day Playbook (2026)

A week-by-week playbook for Indian software engineers switching to product management without quitting. Timelines, 2026 data, and 3 case studies.

Amigzo ·

POV6 min read

Career Coach vs. Mentor: What's the Difference (And Which Do You Actually Need?)

Career coach vs mentor: when each makes sense, what they cost, and a 4-question framework to pick the right one for your situation.

Amigzo ·

How-to8 min read

How to Choose Between Two Job Offers in India: A Decision Framework (2026)

A structured framework for choosing between two job offers in India. Covers salary, PF, ESOPs, notice periods, city costs, manager quality, and growth.

Amigzo ·

Salary7 min read

7 Salary Negotiation Mistakes Indians Make (And What to Say Instead)

The culturally specific salary negotiation mistakes Indian professionals make, from gratitude guilt to family pressure, with scripts to fix them.

Amigzo ·

Career growth8 min read

How to build career authority in 90 days (without LinkedIn cringe)

A 90-day playbook to build career authority without daily LinkedIn posts. Three pillars: pick one specialty, build public proof, help others publicly.

Amigzo ·

POV7 min read

How to build trust with a mentor: the 3-phase timeline (0–6 months)

How trust builds with a mentor: initial rapport, working trust, and deep trust. The 4 C's framework and what breaks it.

Amigzo ·

POV7 min read

Your first software internship: what to expect in the first 90 days

What actually happens in your first software internship: the imposter syndrome curve, the 4 skills that matter more than coding, and when to walk away.

Amigzo ·

Career growth7 min read

How to be memorable at work: 5 tactics for junior professionals

Five tactics to be memorable at work as a junior: the strategic question, useful email, documented failure, warm intro, and public tool.

Amigzo ·

Playbook9 min read

Software internship India: month-by-month playbook (2027 edition)

Month-by-month playbook for Summer 2027 software internships in India. Prep, application timelines, stipends, referrals, and the resume mistake to avoid.

Amigzo ·

POV5 min read

What 20 minutes with the right person actually changes (and what it doesn't).

What a 20-minute career conversation can and cannot do. Five things it changes, three it won't, and the question that earns the most value.

Amigzo ·

Mentorship6 min read

How to spot a good mentor in 30 minutes (or less).

Five signals that separate a real mentor from a polished one, the questions that surface them, red flags to watch for, and a post-call rubric.

Amigzo ·

Career switch8 min read

IC to Manager: 9 questions to ask someone who's already made the jump.

Nine questions that surface what moving from IC to manager actually feels like, plus the kind of answer to listen for.

Amigzo ·

POV6 min read

The 47-tabs problem: why Googling your career question makes things worse.

When career research stops adding clarity and starts manufacturing confusion. How to close the laptop and ask the right person instead.

Amigzo ·

How-to7 min read

How to actually ask for career advice (and stop getting useless answers).

How to ask career questions that earn real answers. Includes a copy-paste template, how to handle conflicting advice, and how to keep the door open.

Amigzo ·

Reading gets you frameworks. A Guide gets you an answer.

Twenty minutes with someone who has made the exact move beats another week of tabs. Browse Guides free, or sign up for founding-member pricing.

Browse GuidesSign up