I just finished my third month at Amazon and it's been a living hell. I truly felt like I was hired in a rush to replace the people who were pip'd. During my first two months, 2 people "left to pursue other opportunities outside of Amazon". They didn't say anything before they "left", we didn't even say goodbye, my manager just announced that they have left when they stopped showing up. I think another person is "leaving" soon. She basically stops showing up to meetings, stops delivering, and occasionally takes week off at a time. I have been working 60+ hours a week, got paged at 2 am almost everyday during my on call. I'm stressed out, got hives broke out all over my body. I was assigned a mid size project a month and a half in, but usually got pulled into smaller tasks to meet the deadlines for the projects of the people who have "left". My manager always preached "I don't want you guys to work after hours", but he also messaged people asking for stuff at 9pm. I don't think i'm performing badly right now to be put on a dev list, but I can't keep up with working 60+ hr a week and be constantly afraid that I have to watch my back or I will eventually be on a dev list. I really want to leave Amazon. I thought about changing teams, but with my luck I will get another bad team. When should I start applying to other places considering I only have 3 months of experience at Amazon? I also applied to Facebook and Google when I applied to Amazon, but my phone interviews were cancelled in April 2020 because of covid. I applied to them again a few days back but either got rejected right away or no responses. Rants over, thanks for reading. TC: 250k YOE 2.5
DM me I can refer you in Google. We are hiring
Thank you, but I applied to a role at Google for general SDE with 3+ YOE requirement and got rejected right away. Does referral still work?
250k That’s with stock appreciation?
My first year is mostly cash. 155k base + 85k bonus + 3 stocks by the end of the year if I stay.
DM me if you’re interested in an early stage startup. TC won’t be the same, but upside is still there since these are seed/Series A. I have a few I can refer you to
It's never too early to leave Amazon. Do your best to find another offer. Don't waste your time switching teams internally. It's very likely that your manager will block the switch (once he knows) with 1000 excuses and puts you on a dev plan to make it official.
What org do you work for?
Also curious of this. I’ve heard it’s not difficult to move around in most cases, but I guess it’s manager-dependent like everything.
Don't try to change team before you find someone ready to back you up. Seen some managers in this situation will put you on dev list without a real reason.
Are you in AWS?
3 month is little early to judge. But if you are not feeling well, jump ship. Life is too short anyway
I'm just stressed out seeing so many people on my teams leaving with no explanations, it could be PIP'd, it could be other reasons. But I'm afraid the moment I am slacking off (working less than 60hr a week), that when my PIP starts.
I wouldn’t worry too much of that people leaving issue. But do try to unofficially find why they left. Check with them in a casual chat. Regarding the work, Its always complicated for new joiners, try to take help from some buddy or mentor from team.
If you got hives all over the body, I would first attend a therapist. I also had problems on my skin, and I think my emotional state affected my interviews. After a few sessions, I felt better and was able to pursue a new path. Pm me if you need help.
Try to keep your head up for now until you find something else. I know the culture can be very toxic depending on what org you’re in. Keep applying to jobs you’re interested in at other companies. Lots of job openings right now. Or try to find another team at Amazon. Good luck 😊
Thank you. I think I'll just playing it by ear. I don't mind working long hours as long as there is a reward. But it's more like if you don't work long hours you'll be punished at Amazon.