mechanical student trying to get into software
I am a mechanical engineering (19 M) student currently in my sophomore year in a reputed Indian College. However, I am very interested in a career in software and tech. I am using leetcode and interviewbit for my preparation for internships but every now and then I get discouraged thinking about whether I would be allowed to sit in the interviews or not. Background : My internships include : 1. a backend developer internship in my first year in an e-commerce startup where I worked on Elastic Search 2. currently a virtual research internship in multi-objective optimization (genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization and stuff) from an old IIT I have won 2 hackathons 1. Was a route optimization challenge (MOEA (java), Spring BOOT 2 + Reactjs) 2. was a recommender system challenge (Apache Mahout) Questions 1. Would I be allowed to sit for an internship in companies like Microsoft, Amazon or Walmart off-campus considering I cant sit for them on campus if not what else can do or is there any way around? 2. Major companies should I aim for? 3. Should I start learning Machine Learning and Deep learning or concentrate on algorithms and data structures and get certifications 4. Will the Coronavirus affect internship opportunities 5. any other tips would be very helpful. #tech #walmartlabs #swe #engineering #microsoft
That's okay, not a problem. The diversity program would've been a cakewalk looking at your prior experience. But even without it, you stand a good chance. 1) Yes, if you apply to these companies with a referral, you stand a chance at landing an interview. Try to pick up computer science courses or a minor in it, to spruce up your profile. However, this is only important for the initial screening. Nobody cares about it in the interview. 2) Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart, well-funded startups (Cred), Flipkart etc. I'm sure there's a lot more companies that I'm missing out here. 3) Primarily, focus on DSA and perfect it. Along with that, projects and certifications, GSoC will help too. If you haven't started machine learning, don't start now as it's not worth the small reward that comes from being familiar with basic ML. 4) Yes. Not sure how impacted the companies will be, that depends on the next 5 months. 5) A lot of non-CS/EEE IIT folks go to investment banks for their Strats & Quant roles. These are very well-compensated roles. You could look into these as well. Also, never lose focus on DSA. In India, as a new grad, DSA is what 95% of your interview will be for any role. When Uber came to my college for internships, the interviewers didn't glance the the resumé even once throughout the interview. It was all DSA. Also, apart from InterviewBit, if you like DSA, do dabble in competitive coding(Codechef/Codeforces) as well. Often this rating is a good metric for the off-campus recruiter to get you an interview. Also, lastly, build your LinkedIn like crazy. Add all your internships, projects and skills to it, in all its gory detail. Get a decent-sized network by sending out a lot of connection requests. It'll be helpful to have a strong LinkedIn when you post on it seeking internships. You look like you're quite motivated, so I'm sure you're gonna do well. Best of luck!
Thanks ! This really means a lot
Can't you just switch majors? Considering you're gonna lose like two year's it maybe worth it to take foundations. Software Engineering is different from computer science. If not then start actively involving in open source.
I'm afraid I can't Thankyou for the suggestion . I am involved in open source though not much. Ill try to contribute more
I was a mechanical engineer and I am certain the skills of future would require some deeper understanding of OS and Computer architecture. You can live with by reading about it but it's hard to read everything without a focus and some yardstick to guide you. If you have already decided then consider doing some for credit courses in computing foundations. This is applicable only it you want to be a computer science engineer may not be if you want to be another software engineer.
MathWorks might be a good company for you
It's more like technical math here making use of kinematics and CFD to write codes. OP wants to develop software not C libraries I think.
Not too much intersted in research and mathematics Thanks for the suggestion though
You're doing everything right so far, and can apply anywhere. Do searches on Blind about specific large companies to see if they are hiring or if there's a freeze. Should apply either way so that they have your resume when things relax. You're right to be leetcoding. Don't stress about ML unless you want to do ML. If you want to do ML, you'll need both ML and leetcode. That is unless you want to work on the business side where leetcode isn't king, but pay is less. Either way be sure you are solid on linear algebra and statistics before you take the ML classes. Virus effect doesn't matter, you want whatever experience and pay you can get either way. Biggest tip is reach out to recruiters. LinkedIn is a good place for that.
Thanks a Lot !
Bro you are 19. You should enjoy college. Join blind later.
male :(