I'm a college student about to graduate university. I'm going to accept a job offer with a place I really don't think I'll enjoy working at. The environment seems dreary, it doesn't seem like I'll learn too much, and taking the position will mean moving back home with my parents after graduating (they're extremely religious people; I'm a closeted atheist) I'm dreading working there but don't really have any competing offers. My plan is to work there for about a year, then jump ship. I've partially been considering just turning down the offer to keep looking, but that's likely a stupid idea since who knows how long it will be before the next offer comes along. So my question is, what can I do over the past year to increase my chances of being able to get a job with a tech company? (as opposed to working in the small software team of a non-tech company like I'll be doing) Throughout my senior year, I applied to about 100 companies and got 4 interviews. Bizarrely I seem to be having more luck with companies known to be more selective- two of the 4 companies are Google and Bloomberg. However, I was rejected from both after the onsite. I have many side projects, hackathon wins, and research experience, yet I can't really get any bites. I worry that it'll be even harder a year later, as I suspect taking this job will weaken my resume further. My current game plan is to spend the next year contributing to open source and entering kaggle competitions. Does this sound like a good plan of action?
Small teams can mean freedom to run. Since you're talking Kaggle, I assume you're aiming for DS jobs. Perfect combo so long as they don't slave you. Use your free time to build something killer for them that adds business value. Make it add to your resume, not weaken it. In the process, you might even find you like it and that you want to stay afterall. And move out while you're at it, because you're probably not doing anyone any favors by staying Still, Kaggle is a good place to practice. Supplement with leetcode. Open source contribution is cool, but nothing forces you to write cleanly there, which is what helps interviews at tech companies much more.
Won't they struggle to get DS roles with just an undergrad. Contributing to open source and entering kaggle seem like they're targeting different job families.
If OP is more SW heavy, like a CS undergrad, he might make it. Going into a SW team anyway. Will struggle with stats, but we can't just send OP to grad school... Or can we, OP? And there is a lot of open source project volunteering to be done in DS. Not analysis side, but building out DS tools.
This. The vast majority of graduating college students don’t get a super appealing job right out of college. Do your time at whatever company you can get. Use the time to practice your skills and jump when you can to a company and role that really interests you
New grads can easily struggle to garner attention from recruiters. But with 1-2 years of experience and proof that you are employable and productive will open doors to new positions and employers. It's really late in the game to try and find a new grad position. The longer it takes to land that first job, the more it marks you as unemployable. I would accept the job offer and continue interviewing, as it gives you confidence that you definitely have a backup plan.
Honestly don't worry about staying there a year. My friend was at a shithole company interviewed and left in a couple months to Dropbox (also had a google offer). Don't feel like you have to stay there if you have other options
Shitty job is better than no job, and most people don't land on a dream job right when they graduate. Leetcode, learn as much as you can from a shit hole, even if it means you are just mopping the floor, don't act like you dislike the job, do ask and learn what others do and see if you can move up in skill, even if it is just for yourself and not getting paid more. You'll realized you grow and so will the hiring managers, recruiters, etc. Then you are ready when the opportunity comes.