update students\career_guidance\career_paths

students/career_guidance/career_paths/10-Quality_Assurance_Engineer.md

@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ lang: en
 
 **Common Responsibilities:** Executing test cases (manual and automated), reporting defects, assisting senior QA engineers in test planning, learning testing methodologies and tools, creating basic test scripts, participating in test execution and defect triage. Entry-level roles focus on learning the fundamentals of software testing and gaining hands-on experience.
 
-**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level QA salaries can vary depending on location, company size, and industry. In the US, starting salaries for Junior QA Testers/Engineers can range from $50,000 to $70,000 per year. Certifications and any prior technical experience (even if not directly in QA) can influence entry-level pay.
+**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level QA salaries can vary depending on location, company size, and industry. In the US, starting salaries for Junior QA Testers/Engineers can range from 14,736,500 LKR to 20,631,100 LKR per year. Certifications and any prior technical experience (even if not directly in QA) can influence entry-level pay.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/11-Software_Engineer.md

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ lang: en
 
 **Common Responsibilities:** Writing code under supervision, implementing specific software modules or features, fixing bugs, conducting unit tests, participating in code reviews, assisting senior developers with tasks, learning codebase and development processes, documenting code. Entry-level roles are focused on learning, skill development, and contributing to smaller parts of larger projects.
 
-**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Software Engineers are generally competitive, reflecting the high demand for software development skills. In the US, starting salaries can range from $60,000 to $90,000+ per year, depending on location, company size, industry, and specific skills and technologies.  Salaries can vary significantly geographically and by specialization.
+**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Software Engineers are generally competitive, reflecting the high demand for software development skills. In the US, starting salaries can range from 17,679,000 LKR to 26,518,500 LKR per year, depending on location, company size, industry, and specific skills and technologies.  Salaries can vary significantly geographically and by specialization.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/12-Mobile_Developer.md

@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ lang: en
 
 **Common Responsibilities:** Writing code for specific app features, implementing UI components, fixing bugs, conducting basic testing on mobile devices, assisting senior mobile developers, learning mobile platform SDKs and development tools, working on smaller app modules, contributing to code reviews, documenting code. Entry-level roles are focused on learning mobile development fundamentals and gaining practical experience within a team environment.
 
-**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Mobile Developers are generally competitive due to high demand. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Mobile Developers can range from $65,000 to $95,000 per year, depending on location, company size, platform specialization (iOS, Android), and specific skills. Geographic location and cost of living significantly influence salary ranges.
+**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Mobile Developers are generally competitive due to high demand. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Mobile Developers can range from 19,142,500 LKR to 28,000,000 LKR per year, depending on location, company size, platform specialization (iOS, Android), and specific skills. Geographic location and cost of living significantly influence salary ranges.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/13-Systems_Engineer.md

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ lang: en
 
 **Common Responsibilities:** Assisting senior systems engineers with system maintenance and administration tasks, monitoring system performance, troubleshooting basic system issues, configuring servers under supervision, performing routine system checks, documenting system configurations, providing technical support to internal users related to systems issues. Entry-level roles focus on learning system administration fundamentals and gaining hands-on experience in a managed environment.
 
-**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Systems Administrators/Engineers vary depending on location, company size, and industry. In the US, starting salaries can range from $50,000 to $70,000 per year. Certifications and specific technical skills (like Linux administration or cloud knowledge) can influence entry-level pay.
+**Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Systems Administrators/Engineers vary depending on location, company size, and industry. In the US, starting salaries can range from 14,732,500 LKR to 20,625,500 LKR per year. Certifications and specific technical skills (like Linux administration or cloud knowledge) can influence entry-level pay.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/14-Machine_Learning_Engineer.md

@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ lang: en
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior Machine Learning Engineer, Associate Machine Learning Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer Intern, AI Engineer Intern, Applied Scientist (entry-level, sometimes with more engineering focus), AI Developer, Data Scientist with ML Engineering focus (entry-level, in some companies).
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Assisting senior ML engineers in deploying models, building ML pipelines, setting up infrastructure, writing code for data preprocessing and feature engineering pipelines, monitoring model performance under supervision, learning ML engineering tools and platforms, contributing to documentation, and implementing specific components of ML systems. Entry-level roles focus on learning the practical aspects of machine learning engineering and gaining experience in real-world ML projects.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Machine Learning Engineers are generally high, reflecting the specialized skills and demand in the field. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Machine Learning Engineers can range from $80,000 to $120,000+ per year, and potentially higher in high cost-of-living areas or for companies in competitive industries. Master's degrees or relevant internships can positively influence starting salaries.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Machine Learning Engineers are generally high, reflecting the specialized skills and demand in the field. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Machine Learning Engineers can range from 23,572,000 LKR to 35,358,000 LKR + per year, and potentially higher in high cost-of-living areas or for companies in competitive industries. Master's degrees or relevant internships can positively influence starting salaries.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/15-Web_Developer.md

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ lang: en
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior Web Developer, Associate Web Developer, Web Developer Intern, Frontend Developer Intern, Backend Developer Intern, Web Developer Trainee, Junior Frontend Developer, Junior Backend Developer.
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code for website features, implementing UI components based on designs, writing basic backend code under supervision, assisting senior developers with tasks, fixing frontend bugs, conducting basic testing, learning codebase and development processes, documenting code, working on smaller website modules or features. Entry-level roles focus on building foundational web development skills and contributing to parts of larger web projects.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Web Developers are generally competitive, especially in areas with high tech demand. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Web Developers can range from $55,000 to $80,000+ per year, depending on location, company size, industry, and specific skills (e.g., framework knowledge). Salaries can vary significantly geographically.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Web Developers are generally competitive, especially in areas with high tech demand. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Web Developers can range from 16,205,750 LKR to 23,572,000 LKR + per year, depending on location, company size, industry, and specific skills (e.g., framework knowledge). Salaries can vary significantly geographically.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/16-Engineering_Manager.md

@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ lang: en
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Engineering Team Lead, Software Development Team Lead, Lead Software Engineer, Engineering Manager (entry-level, in smaller companies or startups), Manager, Software Development.  Note: Engineering Manager roles almost always require prior experience as a Senior Software Engineer or in a related technical leadership role. Direct entry into an Engineering Manager role without prior technical leadership experience is very rare.
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Managing a smaller team of engineers (typically 3-7), overseeing a specific project or component, conducting 1:1s with team members, participating in project planning and execution, providing technical guidance to the team, resolving basic team conflicts, reporting team progress to higher management, hiring and onboarding new team members, and contributing to process improvement within their team. Entry-level management roles are focused on developing core management skills while still being closely connected to the technical work of the team.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Salaries for entry-level Engineering Managers are generally higher than senior individual contributor engineer roles, reflecting the increased responsibility and leadership expectations. In the US, starting salaries for entry-level Engineering Managers can range from $120,000 to $180,000+ per year, depending on location, company size, industry, team size managed, and the manager's prior experience and skills. Salary ranges are highly variable based on location, company size, and industry.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Salaries for entry-level Engineering Managers are generally higher than senior individual contributor engineer roles, reflecting the increased responsibility and leadership expectations. In the US, starting salaries for entry-level Engineering Managers can range from 35,358,000 LKR to 53,037,000 LKR + per year, depending on location, company size, industry, team size managed, and the manager's prior experience and skills. Salary ranges are highly variable based on location, company size, and industry.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/17-IT_Security_Specialist.md

@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ Industry certifications are extremely valuable and often essential for Security
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior Security Analyst, Associate Security Analyst, Security Analyst Intern, IT Security Specialist Trainee, Cybersecurity Analyst Intern, Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst (entry-level), Security Engineer Intern, Junior Cybersecurity Engineer.
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Monitoring security alerts and events in a Security Operations Center (SOC), assisting in security incident response, performing vulnerability scans and basic penetration testing under supervision, contributing to security policy documentation, conducting security awareness training, assisting with security tool deployment and management, analyzing security logs, performing security audits of basic systems, and learning security technologies and methodologies. Entry-level roles focus on gaining foundational security skills and experience within a security team environment, often in a SOC or security analyst role.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Security Analysts/Engineers are generally competitive due to high demand and skill shortages in cybersecurity. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Security Analysts/Engineers can range from $60,000 to $90,000+ per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with relevant certifications or degrees. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific skills and certifications.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Security Analysts/Engineers are generally competitive due to high demand and skill shortages in cybersecurity. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Security Analysts/Engineers can range from 17,679,000 LKR to 26,518,500 LKR + per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with relevant certifications or degrees. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific skills and certifications.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/19-Software_Tester.md

@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ Software testing certifications are highly relevant and often valued by employer
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior QA Tester, Associate QA Analyst, QA Tester Intern, Software Test Engineer Intern, QA Analyst Trainee, Entry-Level Software Tester, Quality Assurance Analyst, Junior Test Automation Engineer (if automation skills are present).
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Executing manual test cases, writing simple test cases under guidance, reporting defects, assisting senior testers with test planning and execution, running regression tests, learning testing methodologies and tools, participating in test reviews, documenting test results, setting up basic test environments, and focusing on learning the fundamentals of software testing and quality assurance. Entry-level roles are focused on building a foundation in manual testing and learning the QA processes within a team.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Software Testers/QA Analysts are generally in line with other entry-level IT roles. In the US, starting salaries can range from $50,000 to $75,000+ per year, potentially higher in areas with high tech demand or for roles requiring some automation skills from the start. Salaries vary geographically and by industry and company size.  SDET roles, even at entry level, often command higher salaries than pure manual testing roles due to the programming and automation skillset.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Software Testers/QA Analysts are generally in line with other entry-level IT roles. In the US, starting salaries can range from 14,732,500 LKR to 22,098,750 LKR + per year, potentially higher in areas with high tech demand or for roles requiring some automation skills from the start. Salaries vary geographically and by industry and company size.  SDET roles, even at entry level, often command higher salaries than pure manual testing roles due to the programming and automation skillset.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/20-Business_Analyst.md

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Business Analysis certifications are highly regarded and can significantly enhan
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior Business Analyst, Associate Business Analyst, Business Analyst Intern, Business Systems Analyst (entry-level), Analyst - Business Analysis, Requirements Analyst, Entry-Level IT Business Analyst.
 * **Common Responsibilities:**  Assisting senior Business Analysts with requirements gathering, documenting meeting minutes, creating basic process flows, conducting research, performing data analysis under supervision, creating presentations, supporting user acceptance testing, and learning Business Analysis methodologies and tools. Entry-level roles are focused on building foundational Business Analysis skills and supporting more experienced BAs on projects.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Business Analysts are generally in line with other entry-level professional roles in business and IT. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Business Analysts can range from $55,000 to $80,000+ per year, depending on location, industry, company size, and the specific role requirements. Salaries vary geographically and by industry.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Business Analysts are generally in line with other entry-level professional roles in business and IT. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Business Analysts can range from 16,205,750 LKR to 23,572,000 LKR + per year, depending on location, industry, company size, and the specific role requirements. Salaries vary geographically and by industry.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/21-Backend_Developer.md

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ Coding bootcamps and vocational training programs focused on backend development
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior Backend Developer, Associate Backend Developer, Backend Developer Intern, Junior Software Engineer (Backend Focused), Entry-Level Backend Engineer, Backend Developer Trainee, Server-Side Developer Intern, API Developer (entry-level).
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Writing basic backend code, implementing API endpoints under supervision, writing database queries, assisting senior developers with backend tasks, writing unit tests, debugging backend code, learning backend frameworks and technologies, contributing to code reviews, and working on smaller features or bug fixes in backend systems. Entry-level roles focus on building foundational backend development skills and contributing to backend projects under guidance.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Backend Developers are generally competitive due to high demand for server-side skills. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Backend Developers can range from $70,000 to $110,000+ per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with strong computer science fundamentals or specific in-demand backend technology skills. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific skills and technologies.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Backend Developers are generally competitive due to high demand for server-side skills. In the US, starting salaries for Junior Backend Developers can range from 20,625,500 LKR to 32,411,500 LKR + per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with strong computer science fundamentals or specific in-demand backend technology skills. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific skills and technologies.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips:
 

students/career_guidance/career_paths/22-Business_Intelligence_Developer.md

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Industry certifications specific to Business Intelligence tools and data warehou
 
 * **Typical Entry-Level Job Titles:** Junior BI Developer, Associate BI Developer, BI Developer Intern, Data Analyst (BI focused), Report Developer, ETL Developer (entry-level), Business Intelligence Analyst (entry-level), Junior Data Warehouse Developer.
 * **Common Responsibilities:** Developing basic reports and dashboards using BI tools under guidance, writing SQL queries, assisting with ETL process development, performing data quality checks, documenting BI solutions, learning BI tools and data warehousing concepts, supporting senior BI developers on projects, and working on smaller components of BI systems. Entry-level roles focus on building foundational BI development skills and learning the BI development lifecycle within a team environment.
-* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Business Intelligence Developers are generally competitive due to the demand for data skills. In the US, starting salaries for Junior BI Developers can range from $65,000 to $95,000+ per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with strong data skills and relevant certifications. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific BI tool skills.
+* **Expected Initial Salary Ranges:** Entry-level salaries for Business Intelligence Developers are generally competitive due to the demand for data skills. In the US, starting salaries for Junior BI Developers can range from19,152,250 LKR to 28,000,000 LKR + per year, potentially higher in high-demand locations or for candidates with strong data skills and relevant certifications. Salaries are influenced by location, industry, company size, and specific BI tool skills.
 
 ### Portfolio Building Tips: