Confused about career decision between TSE and SWE

Red Hat / Eng
xtryhard

Go to company page Red Hat Eng

xtryhard
Jan 21, 2021 7 Comments

Edit - Just heard back, I got the Google CTR role. Also, heard back from Amazon and need to take a decision within 3-4 days.

Hey everyone,
I have in my last semester of my masters, and I am looking for some advice about starting as a new grad. I have interviewed with Google for the Cloud Technical Resident role which could translate to a TSE role in a year and also have interviewed with Amazon for new graduate SWE.
I enjoy coding, but over the span of last year, it was a pretty lonely experience, which made me wonder if I would enjoy a role that would involve interacting with people more (hence I applied for the cloud residency).
I am confused if taking the residency role and then becoming a TSE would have the same career growth as an SWE career path?
Is it easy to jump around to other companies as a Solutions Engineer considering visa implications?

The CTR role would probably have a lower pay in the first year (maybe second year even), that is something to consider as well.

#career-advise #amazon #google

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TOP 7 Comments
  • New
    hugh jarse

    New

    hugh jarse
    within the confines of TSE no the career growth is tiny relative to SWE. but you MUST do what you love. TSE will set you up better for OTHER types of roles in the future.

    even without those considerations it’s G vs A. no contest. one of them is 100% nope no matter what. the other is most people’s wet dream. there’s not really a question here
    Jan 21, 2021 4
  • Just my 2 cents.
    I personally chose a SWE offer from Msft over the CTR at Google. For the below reasons:
    1. The only role that I was really interested in for CTR was the technical consulting role (I think the most cs heavy one).
    2. CTR TC is much lower than SWE TC even after the program.
    3. SWE -> TSE is probably easier than TSE -> SWE if I realize I hate it later.
    If you know you want to be less technical, it could be worth to try out CTR. Also, if company culture is important to you, avoid Amazon.
    Jan 28, 2021 1
    • Red Hat / Eng
      xtryhard

      Go to company page Red Hat Eng

      xtryhard
      OP
      Thanks for the reply. I was thinking of CTR role just for Technical Consultant role, but there seems to be no guarantee of ending up there after the program.
      CTR does seem like a less stressful job than Amazon SDE but I am not able to find any clear information on career path.
      Jan 28, 2021