Complete RoadMap For Second Year College Students – B.Tech/BCA/B.Sc

So far you’ve got the basics of your B.Tech life and maybe the fundamentals would have got a clear picture. Moving ahead in this roadmap, after successful completion of the first year in B.Tech, now is the time to get into the 2^nd Year of B.Tech life to explore the goals that are yet to cover in the third and fourth semesters. 

For First Year Roadmap, refer to the article – Complete RoadMap For First Year College Students – B.Tech/BCA/B.Sc

The roadmap of the second year to answer to clarify your doubts and guidance towards this journey.

2^nd Year (III^rd Semester)

Now, when you have completed your first year and have gained little knowledge of the basics, let’s move ahead. During your first year, you would have given ample time to your studies with coding. Students who aren’t yet clear with the basics of programming language need to start working on the structural base of the language as soon as possible, they have to jump down to data structure and algorithm. 

*Note: This is the part when you’re entering the advanced level in DSA, and most important they’re the topics that will help you to crack the interviews too. So, make sure to learn them properly and ensure to dedicate sufficient time for practicing on a daily basis.

Basics & Advanced Topics to cover in Data Structure & Algorithm

1. Searching & Sorting 
2. Linked List
3. Stack
4. Queue
5. Heap

Those who have made grip over the basic concept of DSA & their topics can now move further to cover Tree Data Structure, Tree Traversal, Binary Tree, Hashing, and Graph, etc. need to work on different patterns to get insight into complex problems. Once you’ve got the basics, now is the time for you to start solving the conceptual questions of different topics. 

to learn DSA from basics to advanced.

Don’t forget to check out the DSA Self-Paced Course By Sandeep Jain. If you want to language-specific DSA course, do check out these which are at affordable prices:

• Data Structures Using Python Programming – Self Paced
• Data Structures in C Programming – Self Paced

Right after this, start learning the basics of OOPs *It is one of the most important concepts in programming, and also OOPS is being frequently asked during interviews.

 2^nd Year (IV^th Semester)

OOPs (Object-Oriented Programming) is a model which is all about creating objects that contain data and methods. It gives a clear structure for the program and makes reusable components in applications.

Procedural programming is about writing procedures or methods that perform operations on the data, while object-oriented programming is about creating objects that contain both data and methods. let’s read about what is an object, class, methods, and attributes

• Objects are instances of a class that are created with defined data. 
• Classes are user-defined data types acting as prototypes for objects.
• Methods are functions describing the behavior of an object defined in a class.
• Attributes represent the state of an object

What are you going to learn in OOPS?

OOPs follows four basics principles which are:

1. Abstraction
2. Polymorphism
3. Inheritance
4. Encapsulation

For a clear idea of OOPs, read these which are based on various programming languages

• OOPs in Java
• OOPs in C++
• OOPs in Python
• OOPs in C#

So, you’re all set with DSA and OOPs, Right? Let’s solve some questions using GFG Practice Portal where you’ll get numerous questions based on topics, companies, and difficulty levels. Try to give your maximum time here and solve questions to become industry-ready.  

Once the grip of the technicalities is strong enough by the end of 2^nd year now is the time to start exploring other skills. (you can work on some projects of your interest).

*Note: If you’re really interested then you should probably move into Machine Learning, Web Development, or App Development for more exposure to see how programming works.

Action Plan

• By the end of the 4^th semester, students who have not made good commands need to work and focus more on data structure and algorithm and keep investing 3-4 hours a day.
• You can also create your account on LinkedIn during your second year (a great platform to build a professional network and connect with companies, their CEOs, and also your friends) to stay aware of the hiring or internships offered by companies.
• The second phase of making yourself visible is by building a strong resume and posting it on portals like GitHub, LinkedIn, etc. Being visible and highly active is what is required to do and understand the market trend and since the technology is much more advanced now so it becomes your responsibility and necessity to keep a follow up on trends and utilize the features of technology in the right direction.
• Try to make and get yourself involved in as many projects as you can (throughout the end of the 4^th semester) and keep them posted on GitHub. Also, ensure that you’re taking the right ownership in that project among others. All of your team members should be holding up the tasks as per their interests so that everyone will give their best in the project.
• Make sure you’re not missing out on attendance shortage and try not to get involved in irrelevant activities (such as bunking, not paying attention, copying the assignments, and so on)
• After involving in multiple small projects, you’re now passing the barricade of going into some big projects (live). This will not only add spark to your resume but will also showcase where you’re standing at the moment. However, it is not mandatory to jump off from a small to a major project in the 2^nd Year but yes, if you feel like you can do this and have ample time for other activities as well then you should consider this to move further.
• You can also start working on a big project by adjoining multiple features and add-ons to your minor project. This will save your time and will also enable you to justify your efforts. Moreover, by doing this, you’ll not be required to align your mindset in a different direction by then.

*PS: Try to get yourself enrolled in a STEP (Student Training in Engineering Program) Internship program. The more you’ll dive in, the more it will be beneficial for you in working on live projects.

Internship Opportunities

Internships give you opportunities to explore your talent and allow you to gain a competitive edge. It provides you with experience and also the required skills that you need to get a job in the future.

Here are some Internships offered by companies you would love to work with:

• Microsoft Internship (It is a 12-week, paid internship) 
• Google STEP Intern (It is a 12-week, paid internship) 
• Google Summer of Code (It is a ten-week internship program)

Things to Keep in Mind:

• Always ensure to keep healthy contact with OOPS and DSA. This flow is mandated and should not be ignored or broken at any point in time. These are the only backbone of your concepts, interview, and logical building.
• Start working on some live projects where you can get users engaged with it. It will give you broader exposure to understanding the concept and technical “know-how”
• You should always follow the 3:6 ratio by the end of your 2 Years in B.Tech where 3 stands for the number of dedicated hours that you have to invest and 6 is the number of the day.
• Make libraries your best hangout place (not for gossip but for reading and exploring different varieties of books).
• Take a break (you deserve a day for yourself) i.e. Sunday (spend time with your family, and friends, and enjoy this day completely).

If you’ll look closely, by this time, you’ve accomplished your half journey of B.Tech life in college. From picking up the primary programming language to setting up accounts to start with DSA & OOPS to getting hands-on practice on projects and building resumes. This indicates that if you follow the right path, you’re not far from achieving your goal and choosing the job that you admire the most.

*Note: Now you can engage yourself by participating in technical content writing and get assured payment on each successful “Published” article.

You can also engage yourself by participating in Technical Content Writing (GeeksForGeeks) at GeeksForGeeks and get assured payment on each successful “Published” article. For that, we offer the following benefits:

• We offer exciting payment (best in the industry), and the billing cycle goes every month.
• You get the chance to commute with our review team and get to know the insights and learn more about different domains.

And the best part, you also get an opportunity to place your name in the GeeksForGeeks “Hall of Fame” through: 

• Geek of the Month: Here, you can contribute your articles and they will be reviewed by the review team. Depending on the number of quality content, you’ll be titled “Geek of the Month”. You get the opportunity to grab prizes along with Internship offers.
  
• Geek of the Year: Geek of the Year is selected by the end of every year on the basis of quality and the number of published articles or videos. You can also win this reputed title and add stars to your resume.