Market Demand and salary expectation

Hello everyone,

I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer with 4+ years of experience primarily in Manual Testing. I have some foundational knowledge in Selenium Automation but am now determined to make a full transition and switch jobs into a dedicated Automation/SDET role.

I’m looking for actionable advice from the community:

Upskilling Priority: What specific skills or tools should I focus on learning right now to secure a new automation job quickly.

Market Demand: What are the most in-demand trends and critical testing updates that I should be aware of and learn?

Salary Expectation: Given my 4+ YOE and Senior title, what is a realistic salary expectation (CTC in ₹ Lakhs) I can target in the current market for an SDET role?