Hi Everyone, I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer with 3.5+ years of experience at a midscale startup in India. I was not compensated good so started looking to do something else and that's how I applied for MSCS (Masters in Computer Science) at Syracuse University, NY. I got the admit letter and the whole process is complete along with the VISA. Also recently, I was interviewing with Amazon for a SDE 2 position for Pune office Devices team and got the offer worth Rs. 70 Lakhs ($ 91k). And just to make it more clear whenever I will have to search for a job after my graduation, most likely it is going to be a fresh SDE role and I will take roughly 2-3 years to get promoted as SDE 2 again which might put me 2-3 years behind in my career. Now that I have both the options open I'm totally confused. And in the midst of all of this, everyone is talking about the recession which is due corner and not very far from now. What should I go for? PS. My soul purpose of going for MSCS in USA was to get an entry to the States and later work for ~5-6 years, earn good amount of money and then come back to India. #engineering #software #amazon
Considering the fact that recession has reached India, it's a bit safer to go for MS. You'll graduate with a valuable degree after 2 yrs.
Recession is there in Unites States as well. In fact, the inflation has reached a new heights, freaking 9.1%. But good suggestion anyway.
Yep, and we are seeing a wave of layoffs and hiring freeze. l It's a high risk bet since education is expensive and there's a chance that one might now get a job after graduation. I have seen many of my friends return back to India due to covid recession. On the other hand, if your main motive is to earn money, have you applied to offices in Dublin, London etc? I think you might've a chance there as well.
Been there, done that. Unless you want to relive your student life, or most of your friends/family is in the US and you want to be with them, I would not recommend moving to the states when you have an offer like this. With 70 lpa, you're going to live like a king in India. For the 5-6 years you stay in the US, since your purpose is to save a lot of money, you'll end up living like a student for those years, which can get miserable. Or you'll have to increase the number of years you stay in the states, at which point you're definitely not returning to India. SU takes excellent care of its students but it had a couple of stellar professors retire recently and I'm not sure about the quality of education now. You'll also be paying a hefty amount of money for your education which you'll need at least 1.5 years on your job to recover that money. If you really want to enter the US, L1 would probably be better than F1 in my opinion. US offers better work culture, smart and sensible people to work with, and the adjustments to your mindset by being in a developed country. With a bit of luck, you can find the first two in India as well. Feel free to DM me if you need more info
If you live in US for 6 years, you ain't saving more than India
If working in USA is something you aspire to , you can also try for international relocation in Amazon(you would be eligible for such things after completing one year I think). Once you are there, you can look into ms/mba options as well(full-time/part-time)
Folks from Amazon, On OP not being able to get sde-2 after graduation, won't Amazon atleast consider interviewing for the level ? Given op would have a frickin offer letter for the level from couple years back. What if he joins and leaves ? Any chance of offer without interview at the same level or atleast a better shot at interviewing ? Surely they won't ask an ex L5 to interview for L4 right ?
It's very unlikely that Amazon will offer L5.
Op what is your gre and toefl score? How did you manage to prepare?
GRE - waived off, TOEFL - 113
If you can get into Waterloo, it's a straight 5 year citizenship path from there. If you are ready to go to Syracuse, Waterloo weather shouldn't deter you too. Also, you will not develop the inferiority complex many develop with H1B lottery and being on a visa forever. (A lot of people develop it, not everyone). Salary for big tech is 25% less after taking everything into consideration. If you hate the weather, you can pretty much go to Florida how many ever times you want. It's an option. Think about it!!
Thanks, this is really a great suggestion. I will take this into account for sure
You should be able to get a sde2 role directly post graduation or at least interview for one.
Even I'm thinking the same way but the problem is folks say it's a very rare case when you get a SDE 2 interview just after the graduation. Thanks, this helps.
Talk to at least 10 people from different universities on LinkedIn to find out. Actually a lot of people get PPOs from internships, which are sde1 offers only.