I didn’t get to intern at FB or Google so I didn’t get the “easy way” into them. If I work at lower end companies like Amazon for a few years does it become easier to pass interviews or harder because of higher expectations?
“Lower end companies like Amazon” Lmao, Amazon may not be prestigious as Google or FB, but it’s very respectable. There are tons of engineers there doing better, harder work. Interviews can be harder to pass if your skills don’t line up with your experience level. (I’m mostly referring to the career/behavioral and design interviews). Anyone can do well on the coding interviews with some Leetcode.
Idk man, I don’t know if I’m gonna get better at leetcode than I am right now. I basically overfit for the questions FB asks now anyway.
I didn’t do any Leetcode and yet cleared Google. I rejected the offer but that’s another story. Don’t box yourself thinking there is one way to proverbially “skin the cat” (I love cats). Get your fundamentals right and practice coding if Leetcode is that way, and give your best. There are many ways to have a successful career - FANG is not the only way. I have said here before - if you walk down to nearby cemetery or walk down university alumni sites, no where it says “he was a great engineer at FANG or any other company”. Do your best! Good luck
Not at all. I went from second-rate small start up, to a unicorn, to FB as a senior eng. It's all about aptitude and capabilities. It also helps when someone can refer you since they're vouching for you.
It's easier to get into a "top company" if you've previously worked at a top company: more likely to work connections; recruiter and hiring manager bias, etc. Also, being a new grad is a great opportunity to get into a top company since many companies make specific efforts to hire new graduates.
“lower end companies like Amazon” Amazon is not a lower end company. I have not worked there but I have respect for the stuff Amazon has built so far. Don’t undersell yourself. Big companies, longer tenure and interesting product line does help you stand out but you still need to prove your worth in interviews. Look at profiles of Google or FB CVPs on LinkedIn and some had humble beginnings. Good luck!
Amazon is definitely not a low end company. I think they get that reputation sometimes because of the frugality principle, and maybe slightly lower salaries than Google / Facebook, but the technical skill required for the job is still just as high level as any Google / Facebook. I also don’t think it’s harder to join a FANG later in your career. I had 8 YOE in startups before being hired as an SDE2 at Amazon. I think the startup experience aligns well with a lot of the LPs. That said, if I started my career at Amazon I probably would have been SDE3 by now, so I’m probably a couple years behind career wise.
The bar is a lot Lower at Amazon now, specially for intern converts. That’s not that bad but it’s not FB or Google level. Also pay gap is widening.
U can always just interview for level 3, the new grad position. Comp would still be higher than SDE2 at Amazon
Amazon is not a low end company. Most of the senior engineers I have worked with are very smart. Problem is sde1 hiring bar has become a joke. But sde 2 onwards it gets weeded out and the only problem is some of the externally hired sde 2s are not good enough. Having said that I am jumping ship to FB, after working at Amazon for about 2 years.
declined google for an internship, declined them again to work at some garbage startup, wasted a few years there and finally joined google
I failed Amazon phone screen 4 separate times in 3 years and 2 years later got an offer from Google on first try. You be the judge
Did u study/prep a lot in those 2 years?
Congrats! Are you trying to ask if we think a) Amazon phone screeners are inept b) you have improved in last 2 years c) Google hiring standards have fallen that they hired you after Amazon’s rejections Don’t know you so I am going with (b).
What's harder is getting in at increasingly senior positions. It may seem increasingly harder, but it's really only increased difficulty that comes with expectations from your previous experiences. Note that getting in isn't the only challenge, if one is not good enough, they'll have a slower career progression or worse, get shown the door eventually. Background, rejected for internship at FB, declined FB offer for full time, now joining FB after 2 years of working. Definitely got harder as time passed, but so did the seniority.
You declined FB for Amazon? Why??
Better team and pay. Big mistake now that I think about it. Thankfully I could crack the interviews again, though it was really close this time around.