Currently an SDE @ Microsoft, have an offer for SETI @ Google. Recruiter swears that it's just a regular developer role with focus on internal tooling. When Microsoft used to have testers, the recruiter similarly swore up and down that Test was same as Dev, but of course this was not the case - all the testers were 2nd class citizens and Test role collected all the people that were to lazy / incapable of being Dev's. Is this what is going on with SETI @ Google ? Specifically : - Are SETI's @Google 2nd class citizens , like Testers use to be @ Microsoft ? - Do people move from SWE to SETI @ Google ? Or is it wayyy more common from SETI to SWE ? - Is this a career killing move (pls only with supporting evidence, not opinions), will FB / Apple / Lyft recruiters be like "Oh this guy was a SETI, he obviously couldn't make SWE, we don't want these people ...." - How easy is it to move SETI->SWE ? I know @Microsoft it was rather difficult, do SWE managers look down upon SETI ? - Would I be able to talk the recruiter into offering me an SWE role, even though I originally interviewed for SETI ?
You are asking so many questions about SETI. That itself tells me to stay away from it.
how was your Seti interview ? was it as difficult as Swe?
I dunno how difficult SWE interview is, but it was very difficult - Leetcode Hard . I also think I did well. That is not an accurate indicator though - I might have not done so well and the SETI people might have been "we'll take what we can get".
hmm.. ok. I get your point. Thanks!
Xoogler here. Yes seti is second class. I don't no any swe who moved to seti, but serval seti who tried the opposite.
Lyft has prev google seti, he is pretty successful here
The key here is that he WAS a SETI, and he switched. I would expect all good engineers who found themselves in a test career to eventually switch to a career that actually makes sense.
Not a Googler or Xoogler, but here are couple of my stories, you can draw your own conclusions. 1. I had a SDE/SWE interview at Google and didn't do all that great. It wasn't totally bad, but bad enough that I myself knew I had no chance. 3-4 days later the recruiter called me and asked me if I am open to considering a SETI role. I said no because it didn't feel right to me. 2. I know a Xoogler SETI at Amazon and a Xoogler SETI at FB who are both devs and are kicking ass in their respective roles.
One reason for (1) is that seti is a different ladder and hence you're allowed to interview immediately without waiting period if you re-interview as swe). If you had a decent enough interview without clearing it, say borderline, recruiter would want to get you hired given that you might be able to crack it in retry. There is a lot of variability in interviews. I know people who interviewed 3 times before they got the swe offer. Part of it is luck. This is just one data point/correlation.
I see, that makes sense though. Although I do believe SETI is not for everyone. It requires a different mindset, at least from what I understand about that role. Not to say it's not challenging, but your customers are different, the way you get feedback is different, sometimes it's hard to get visibility because people might under estimate your work etc etc.
What do Seti’s put on their LinkedIn profile? I’m sure they word it so that it doesn’t have test in it? Do recruiters and hiring managers care if they are hiring a G seti if they are able to pass the interview?
SETI = Software Engineer, Tools and Infrastructure. There is no “test” in it.
Am I the only one disappointed that Google wasn't hiring someone to work on the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence?
Reviewing candidates resume I am weary of tooling teams because of the average type of engineers they produce. Too many times tools are bridges to nowhere in utter disconnect with users, too many times tooling is half vendor'ed out with terrible quality.
Tooling at Google is way better than at MSFT based on my experience from multiple MSFT divisions.
Switching is doable, just that you have to interview again.
If you fail do they fire you bc you supposedly had the same level of interview when you were first hired for seti? Do swe have to interview for other swe positions? Do swe have to interview again if they want to become a seti?
I was an sdet a long time ago, it was hard after to get sde interviews. I’ll never go back to that type of role. Also, take what recruiters say with a grain a salt.
I 100% know and agree with what you are saying, the question here isn't if SDET < SDE - that is obvious, the question is if SETI = SDET or SETI = SDE ( with just product focus being different )
Why would doing an sdet job make getting a sde position hard? What's the rationale for that?