TL:DR; liked interning at Facebook, got good rating but no offer, joined an HFT full-time, Meta recruiter reached out right before joining HFT, considering trying to rejoin Meta. Basically OP is a whiner who's not happy while making 400k out of school, and wants advice. This past summer I interned at FB on a FRL team R&Ding new XR glasses. I loved it; probably the happiest 3 months of my life. I really loved living in the Bay Area (lost 25 lbs from biking/hiking so much), liked my team, worked relaxed hours. I got "Greatly Exceed Expectations" but my manager mentioned they were still allocating headcount and couldn't guarantee they'd have a full-time role for my specialization next year (which seems reasonable, since the product is still under development). I assumed if I don't get matched to this team, I'll get to interview for other teams. I got an Apple offer in the meantime, but wasn't too impressed My FB recruiter kept saying: "we'll let you know in another week, just need to finalize HC" over the next 3 months, so I interviewed some other places, partly out of boredom. I ended up with an offer from an HFT paying almost double my Apple offer, and my FB recruiter just ghosted me. I was annoyed, but decided to take the HFT offer. I started at the HFT this year, and so far the work is okay, and my teammates are nice, but I hate living in NYC and I'm expected to work 10 hour days (and people don't even take lunch breaks). It doesn't sound too bad, but I'm really not able to enjoy hobbies much with only ~2 hr free time per day after commute, hygiene, and gym, and I definitely don't want to stay in this situation for more than a year or 2. A different Meta recruiter reached out the week before my start date and asked if I wanted to talk to people from her team, but I didn't want to back out of an offer at the last minute, so I explained my situation. After being in the HFT for a month, I'm wondering whether I should email her back and ask if I can change my mind; I think I'd trade the difference in TC for a happier lifestyle, but I'm afraid to quit a job so soon after starting. If I stick it out here for a year, will I be able to join Meta (or Google, Snap, etc.) at a higher level than right now? Is quitting a job within the first 6 months a huge red flag in the future? I think I can tough it out for a year no problem, but if all I have to show for it is an extra 60k (according to my estimate, post-taxes) I'm not sure it's worth delaying, since promos are supposed to be quick at Meta. P.S. if you're considering HFT vs tech, consider that working 25% extra for ~75% extra pay may sound great, but in practice it's no fun, swe's are 2nd class to traders/quants, and the culture is all overachievers so it's harder to standout. I probably would have ignored this advice till I tried it too though, HFT offers are just too big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ TC: ~180 base, ~100k annual bonus, ~150k signing bonus (slightly anonymized) #Meta #Google #HRT #citadelsecurities #fiveringscapital #imc
If you value wlb (<8h/day), maybe you shouldn’t consider meta.
We need your advice, not the other way around LoL
Intern life != full time life. Expectations are higher, as is the stress. That said if you can find the same balance on the okd team, it may be worth it. Promos are not guaranteed to be fast — it all depends on if you have a good relationship with your manager
As you get older you realize your time is the most valuable thing you have
Do what makes you happy! On another note, you only have a few months experience at a company, not to mention you’re a complete new grad. You really don’t know much until after a year or 2.
My advice is to stay for a year than switch , if you are smart enough to make it to a top HFt , you can clear FAANG interviews anytime
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Go back ASAP if you want to. You can’t earn back happiness but can always earn back money. If you’re really unsure, flip a coin and you’ll know which outcome you want more while it’s in the air