Guys please help me out 🙏 Experienced devs/Tech leads/Hiring managers

Experienced devs/Tech leads/Hiring managers and people who understand the market please help 🙏

I’m a frontend dev from Tier-3 college (~2 YOE, React, have a few years of gaps, unemployed, out of money). I want to upskill(while interviewing) with a clear path, not explore endlessly. Apart from FE I have some understanding of Node and Python.

I’m deciding between:

• Backend / Fullstack → Node vs Java vs Python

• AI/Data roles → Data Eng / Data Science / GenAI(inclining to this) / any other which IDK

Please give me realistic advice for my situation(I need a job as soon as I can):

• If your goal was fastest path to interviews + offers in India today, what would you pick?

• Backend: which stack actually converts better right now (Node vs Java vs Python) for someone with FE background?

• AI/Data: Which role is realistically enterable without starting from zero?

• What minimum skill set + 1–2 projects would make you shortlist a candidate like me?

Looking for ground reality (demand vs supply).

Thank you 🙏