Hey everyone, I’m a lead developer with 8 years of experience, primarily working with Java, distributed systems, and cloud infrastructure. Throughout my career, I’ve handled multiple complex projects and mentored/solved over 500 client issues through various mentoring platforms.

I consider myself quite practical good at solving real-world problems in context, not just textbook cases. Outside of my full-time role, I’ve managed to consistently earn over 2L+ per month through side gigs, mentoring, and freelance work.

Here’s the problem: I’ve recently started looking for new job opportunities, and the interview patterns are getting frustrating. Most interviews are heavily focused on DSA (which rarely gets used in my day-to-day work), or Java-specific questions that seem more academic than practical. System design rounds often feel rigid there's one expected "right" answer, and there's little room for practical alternatives or trade-offs.

I'm not complaining that interviews test these things they have their place. But it feels like something is going wrong on my end since I’m consistently not clearing interviews, despite having the experience and skills that align well with the actual work.

Has anyone else gone through something similar recently? Would really appreciate insights or advice from folks who are navigating or have just gone through the mid-to-senior level job market.

Thanks in advance!