Is it possible to go far in tech without good systems background?

New
FeVc55

New

FeVc55
Dec 14, 2020 5 Comments

YOE: 3
TC: 250k

I did non-CS major in college and went into a quant hedge fund after graduation. I had to prep Leetcode for this job so my basic coding skills were okay. On the job, I found that I had a quite strong passion for software engineering in a real world context. Finding finance a bit boring, I'm considering a career switch to tech as an SWE.

However, I am getting cold feet since I don't have a good core OS background. Is it a reasonable concern that this would be a bottleneck for a tech career? If I would frequently run into mental blocks working on common problems, I'd rather stay in current job a bit more and study something like the CS:APP book than making a premature switch and doing poorly on the job.

Thanks for the career advice!

#tech #netflix #amazon #microsoft

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TOP 5 Comments
  • New
    lEVb07

    New

    lEVb07
    I think you’d be able to get an offer lots of places as SWE because many places just do leetcode plus behavior, no systems. As you become more senior you’ll need to have a better understanding of systems.
    Dec 14, 2020 2
    • New
      FeVc55

      New

      FeVc55
      OP
      Yeah not that I think that the Leetcode interviews will be particularly difficult. Just don't wanna get PIP'ed after I get in ;)
      Dec 14, 2020
    • There is a crazy number of coding monkeys and boot camp newbies that have great careers without knowing how an os /computer works. Don't worry
      Dec 15, 2020
  • Airbnb
    wise taco°

    Go to company page Airbnb

    wise taco°
    You can learn on the job
    Dec 14, 2020 0
  • Oracle
    ghi456

    Go to company page Oracle

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    Microsoft
    ghi456
    Your TC is great for 3 years
    Dec 14, 2020 0