Especially for generalist programmer with no specific expertise. Assuming they do extensive LeetCode practice, but how are they going to fill the gaps they have in System design and overall experience because of having worked on Mediocre companies with low end processes and problems?
You can’t come in as sde1 because you have too much experience, and you can’t come in as sde2 because you haven’t designed anything in those 10 years. Your best bet is to take a lower level engineering role such as systems engineer, support engineer, qae, sdet, wde, etc. then get ranked top tier and have a good manager that will coach you into an sde2
Agreed about SDE1, but I've seen people get SDE2 because they do OK (not amazing, not bad) at system design. Doesn't matter so much your experience as your ability. Granted it's hard to get good without the experience, but not impossible.
It can happen for sure, provided you show the ability. Mention this to the recruiter and they should talk to the hiring manager(s) to make sure that's something they're open to working with you on.
As good odds as anyone else. The key is to get a referral, then crush the leetcode interviews. That's really it! Prior experience is heavily discounted for generalists, who are usually evaluated for aptitude solely based on interview performance. Specialized folks _can_ get bit of a boost, e.g. the lead Android engineer of a popular app will be helped by app rating, install base, etc. Fundamentally though, your odds are just as good as someone from a FANG, assuming you can get a referral.
depends on your interview performance. high chance of getting down leveled though
Yes, do well on the interview and get an l4 offer. Then just start getting stuff done and learning for a couple of years and you could be ready for promo. This is what I did. The singling didn't bother me because it was a substantial pay bump... Both at first and then it ramped up quickly year over year as stock refreshes pile on top of one another.
Oh, you can easily get a FANG offer. Don't let these people discourage you. You may get downleveled but you'll probably still be making more money than you are now and your career will accelerate.
If only there was some website that can help me build my career the way you describe...
The system design rounds will prob cause you to get down leveled but totally doable
SDE2 at Amazon is def achievable. My background is very similar to yours and was able to get through the interview with some studying. I assume you’ve at least participated in design discussions over the past several years, and even if it wasn’t for a massive scale system it’s still applicable.
Assume you did good in the coding rounds. Now if you didn’t do well in system design you’ll either get rejected or get a lower level than expected which will affect how much you make. Practice interviewing at other companies first.