Deciding between a Qualcomm SWE or Capital One PDP role as a new grad
I am a senior who will be graduating college next year and I am trying to decide between a software engineering role at Qualcomm and an associate product manager role at Capital One's Product Development Program. For the Qualcomm role, I will be working with the modem software team to apply machine learning algorithms to optimize modem processes. I do not know what team I will be joining at Capital One since it is a rotational program. My long term goals are to pursue my own start-up, join a startup in a high impact role that involves both engineering or product, or become a technical product manager at FAANG or similar tech companies. Pros and cons of each: QUALCOMM Pros 1. More exciting work. My potential manager said that the team is working with cutting edge machine learning technology, patented work, etc. Plus, I feel like ML and AI are hot topics right now in the tech startup ecosystem, so having some ML background may be beneficial if I want to join some startup working in that domain. I will definitely grow as an engineer in this role. 2. Excellent compensation package at 100k base, 25k sign-on, 10k relocation, 13k/yr RSUs, 10k retention bonus. Not as impressive compared to FAANG salaries but it will still feel weird turning down this money. Cons 1. If I start off as an engineer, it may be difficult for me to transfer to product management. I asked my manager how difficult it would be for me to try out PM at Qualcomm and he said it would be like applying to an entirely separate organization since his team is an engineering focused-team. I will definitely grow a lot as an engineer, but if I want to develop those leadership and collaboration skills for me to be an effective startup leader, I may not find that at Qualcomm. 2. Progression. Looking at my colleagues' profiles, it seems like most of them have master's and PhD degrees in ML, EE, CS, etc. I definitely know I won't be doing a PhD, and I am still contemplating on whether I should do a master's in engineering. Based on my performance in school, I know I won't be a hotshot engineer, which is why I have started looking into product management and am considering an MBA in the future. I think a mix of engineering and business background will propel me further in my career than if I just stayed a pure engineer. So I am concerned I won't be promoted as quickly as my colleagues given this. 3. Distance. My family lives on the east coast and this position is in San Diego. I asked my manager if it would be possible to work remotely for 2-3 weeks for several (4-5) times a year (i.e. during Christmas, Mother's/Father's Days, birthdays, etc.) but it doesn't sound like he wants this to happen too often. He did say he would be flexible on this during holiday seasons and summer, but that's it. I won't have as much of a problem with distance if the job is really worth it (eng/PM job at FAANG or a high growth pre-IPO startup), but I don't think Qualcomm is worth the distance. CAPITAL ONE Pros 1. Flexibility. Since it is a rotational program, if I find that I don't like product management as much as I had thought, I can apply to join their technology development program (TDP) for my second rotation. 2. Location. I am considering their offices in McLean, VA or Wilmington, DE, which will make visiting home less of a hassle. Cons 1. I am concerned their product program may not have as much of a technical focus since on LinkedIn I see a bunch of business and psychology majors in the program. I don't want to lose my technical edge or become rusty in my technical skills when it comes time for me to apply for FAANG or tech startup jobs in the future. However, they do send out a form for new hires to indicate if they want a more customer-facing or a more technical role, which is a relief. 2. I am not as enthusiastic about the pay (87k base/9k sign-on/1.5k relo at Wilmington and 96k base/same sign-on and relo at McLean. No RSUs.) as I am about Qualcomm's pay. But honestly, I think the difference would be marginal, as plane tickets would be expensive coming from San Diego to the east coast, and San Diego has a high cost of living. Given my career goals and what I believe each position has to offer, I would love to hear people's thoughts on this. #softwareengineer #productmanagement
Sounds like you should try for faang, since both jobs are not worthy for you enough to give all anyway.
Qualcomm is a good opportunity to learn new things and I think your knowledge maybe valuable for you to jump to a company like FRL or Nvidia with better pay. I don’t see that opportunity in Capital One tbh
I think jumping to companies like FRL and Nvidia would be great, but tbh I don't think my technical skills are the strongest, which is why I am looking to diversify my skillsets by becoming a PM. So even if I don't pass the technical bars at these companies, perhaps I would have a chance at TPM roles.
PDP program here barely has any technical aspect to it. Most of the associates in this program did humanities / business in college and do not know how to code. It’s a lot easier to go from SWE to product than it is from product to SWE. Take the Qualcomm offer and then jump to FAANG.
Were you in the PDP program? My recruiter told me that they will give us a form to fill out to indicate if we want a more customer facing project or a technical one. I was hoping that if I select the technical option, I will be able to land a PM role that will allow me to grow my technical skills as well. Based on what you have seen, do you think technical PM projects are rare?
Qualcomm. You’ll learn more and your family will love visiting San Diego for the time you’re there
Based on end goals I’d go to Qual. Former PM at C1 (engineering not tech background) -> Amazon PMT -> startup (currently doing the OMCS program) I think it’s more important to get exposure and keep those tech chops. As mentioned before you can still swap over to PM at a later time/ even in technical products the skill set you pick up as a PM is very different. If you think C1 wants you As a PDP now, I definitely think they’ll want you with ML experience as long as you continue to seek internally roles that get you in a product space
What do you think of starting off as a PDP then transferring to TDP? I think I prefer C1's TDP program compared to Qualcomm just because they have that full stack exposure, while the Qualcomm position is siloed to ML. I think I fear that I will regret not pursuing a PM position early on just because I have been interested in trying out PM for some time now, but based on what I've been seeing PDP may not be worth it for someone with a technical background.
At the end of the day, it spends on what you’re trying to do. If you want to be a PM through and through, sure start now and join PDP. But this isn’t a one-way door meaning it’s very easily reversible. At your stage in career, id optimize for learning/ skill development vs role title. I don’t really understand the whole PDP-> TDP and then you say you want to do product though lol. Don’t FOMO into product, if you go to C1 you can definitely internally transfer as a SWE to Product as well. I know a couple of peeps that did that. If you have a Product lean, there will be roles at these big companies that you can flex into/ learn/apprentice or whatever. Like nothing stops you from asking your PM as a SWE to take on some of his/her duties if you wanted to get a flavor. I personally think that you may just earn more credibility if you spent some time as a SWE before swapping vs just holding a degree in it
I would Take Qualcomm in that case, learn as much as possible from experienced engineers as a new grad.