Accepted TCS Ninja (3.4 LPA), But My Goal Is IIT M.Tech Through GATE — Need Advice from Working Professionals

I'm from UEM Kolkata, and I just cracked TCS Ninja in July 2026. The offer is 3.4 LPA. I received and accepted the offer letter because my college follows a one-student-one-job policy. Rejecting it felt too risky given the current job market.

However, I know salary growth will likely be limited for the first couple of years since I'll be joining as a trainee. At the same time, my goal is to crack GATE CSE and pursue an M.Tech from one of the IITs. It may sound ambitious, but that's the path I want to take.

I genuinely believe I'm a good student. I ended up with Ninja partly because I was down with severe period cramps on the second day of the TCS NQT, and the company visit was announced suddenly, so I didn't get enough time to prepare. Most of my time in the coding round also went into figuring out how their compiler worked—it was literally a blank black screen at first.

I don't want my career to stop at TCS. On the bright side, at least I won't have a career gap or be unemployed. My final year of B.Tech starts this August.

I'm looking for advice from people who cracked a good GATE CSE rank while working at TCS or any other company. How did you manage your preparation alongside a full-time job? What was your daily or weekly study schedule like? Which coaching platforms, books, notes, or institutions did you use? How did you approach mock tests and revision?

I'd also appreciate recommendations for the best free and paid resources, as well as YouTube channels that genuinely helped you.

Thanks in advance! If anyone needs help for cracking TCS, wants to know about the entire process from nqt till interviews and selection , you can ask me too!!!