SWE Accelerator Podcast

"Engineers are doing everything they can to look indispensable, because they're terrified." A Google senior engineer and top tech comedian breaks down what's really happening inside big tech right now. Nobody is saying this out loud.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=AlbertaComedian&video=YBmcGUJvXeo

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Alberta's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@albertatech?si=0kcUH9UWp83hZ3U2
👉 Alberta's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alberta.tech?igsh=NWQ3cTBjNDlrajBo
👉 Alberta's TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@alberta.nyc?_r=1&_t=ZS-95ktVmTKGpA

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⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:27 Job Hugging Explained
02:30 The Great Compliance & Lost Leverage
04:00 The Moment The Vibe Shifted
06:11 Return To Office: Who Actually Wins?
07:05 Broken Processes Inside Big Tech
08:53 AI Slop Is Everywhere: Even Senior Engineers
11:22 What Is Vibe Coding Really?
12:20 What Coding Actually Looks Like In 2026
13:40 Is Learning To Code Still Worth It?
14:25 Does DSA Even Matter Anymore?
16:14 Software Engineering Accelerator 
17:05 The 10x Engineer Myth
18:35 How AI Fluency Varies Across Engineers
19:48 The Cloudbot Saga Explained
22:23 Did Cloudbot Actually Work?
23:24 Why Non-Technical People Went All In
24:50 Roy Lee & AI In Coding Interviews
26:53 Why LeetCode Is Broken
29:53 How Interviews Are Changing In 2026
31:51 The OpenAI vs Anthropic Cold War
32:40 Anthropic's Red Lines & The Government Contract
35:52 Why The Government Still Uses Anthropic
36:25 Layoffs: The Real Reason Nobody Says Out Loud
39:53 Does AI Actually Make Engineers More Productive?
41:57 The Comedian Behind The Code
43:14 How Alberta Comes Up With Ideas
45:59 Why Comedy Over Advice-Giving?
47:23 Free Engineering Resource to 10X Your Career
47:53 How Alberta Gets Inspired
50:15 Being Copied As A Creator
54:04 How To Find Alberta Online
54:25 Outro

From a village in Pakistan to Microsoft engineer and chapter one of the LinkedIn CEO's book, Ume's path broke every rule.
She dropped her CS degree, scored a 12% on an exam, and still landed 7 internships without a single personal project. In this episode she and Aman break down toxic CS culture, why GPA doesn't matter, how LinkedIn got her a Cisco internship she never applied for, and why soft skills are now the only real edge you have in tech.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Ume_BigTech&video=70xW2JHE59U

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Ume's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umxe?igsh=MWtwcGtzYzl3MnN6OQ==
👉 Ume's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umehabiba?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:20 Growing Up in Pakistan, Dreaming of New York
03:21 No Roadmap, No Playbook, Just Grit
03:42 The CS Teacher Who Changed Everything
05:01 Imposter Syndrome Every Single Day
07:09 Why She Dropped Her CS Degree
10:33 Toxic CS Culture Is Real
13:33 Why CS Students Turn on Each Other
16:16 Gatekeeping Kills Careers, Openness Creates Them
19:06 12% on an Exam, 7 Internships Anyway
19:21 How to Build a Non-Linear Career
23:38 GPA Is Overrated, Here's the Truth
25:13 No Personal Projects, Still Got Microsoft
29:39 Unpaid Internships: When They're Worth It
31:53 How to Sell Any Experience on a Resume
33:34 Soft Skills Are the New Hard Skills
38:34 AI Democratizes Hard Skills, So What's Left
39:28 How a Recruiter Slid Into Her DMs
42:24 What Is an Employee Creator at Microsoft
43:43 AI Won't Kill Tech, It'll Create New Jobs
46:46 Why You Should Still Learn to Code
49:57 How to Build Your Personal Brand Early
50:11 LinkedIn Is More Underrated Than You Think
54:52 Where to Find Ume Online

He got an Amazon internship before he even took data structures. Here's how.

Sajjaad Khader — Georgia Tech BS + MS by age 20, former Amazon and Splunk engineer, and the guy who interviewed Satya Nadella — breaks down exactly how to break into top tech in 2026. From freshman internships to LinkedIn referrals to the future of software engineering interviews, this one is packed.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Sajjaad_TechInfluencer&video=nccemvR4-RE

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Sajjaad's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sajjaadkhader?si=LDGGahtZatodYJM6 
👉 Sajjaad's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sajjaad.khader?igsh=MTJyOHY0bGhtd21iZA== 
👉 Sajjaad's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sajjaad-khader?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios 

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:55 Getting Amazon Before Taking DSA
03:29 Can Freshmen Get Internships Today?
04:45 How To Position Yourself To Get Hired
05:58 Find Problems, Solve Them, Post Online
07:50 The Degree Equals Job Lie Is Dead
09:25  The Reapplying Hack That Actually Works
10:05 How Amazon Set Everything Else Up
12:08 Finishing A BS And MS By Age 20
14:25 Should You Delay Graduation For Experience?
18:50 Masters vs Grinding LeetCode Full Time
21:00 The TA Strategy That Pays For Your Masters
25:50 Leading MSA And PSA At Georgia Tech
26:34 Software Engineering Accelerator 
27:27 How To Actually Crush Your Internship 
29:10 How To Ask Smart Questions Without Annoying People
31:55 The Playbook For Getting A Return Offer
33:58 The LinkedIn Networking Strategy That Gets Referrals
37:30 Why LinkedIn Is Non-Negotiable For CS Students
40:22 What Projects Actually Get You Hired
42:47 Hackathons vs Startups vs Generic Projects
44:30 Software Engineers Are Becoming Software Managers
49:05 Free Resource for Software Engineers
49:35 Should You Build AI Or Just Use It?
50:40 How Sajjad Interviewed Satya Nadella
54:20 What Reid Hoffman Said About Young Engineers
56:03 Is San Francisco Actually Worth It?
59:17 Are CS Students Cooked In 2026?
1:01:10 Is Computer Science Still Worth It?
1:03:57 How To Learn To Code From Scratch
1:06:11 How To Actually Learn DSA
1:07:30 Is LeetCode Dead? What Comes Next?
1:09:18 Why Companies Still Use LeetCode
1:10:27 The Future Of Software Engineering Interviews

Nina had an MIT CS degree, a growing online presence, and still called her job hunt the most stressful time of her life.

In this episode she breaks down consulting burnout, back to back rejections, and how she finally landed at Apple as a PM — plus exactly how a software engineer can make the same pivot.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=NinaAppleSWE&video=-BYuU6Q6hWc

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Nina's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@nnxwang
👉 Nina's Podcast: https://youtube.com/@hotyoungurbanprofessionalspod?si=Qr-SxYRLux83Iyj_

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:03 The Most Stressful Job Hunt Of Her Life
04:15 Sneaking Interviews While Fully Employed
07:32 Growing Up With No Real Passions
09:50 The Rhythmic Gymnastics Era
12:26 What Sports Actually Taught Her
13:53 The MIT Career Fair That Changed Everything
17:00 What MIT Culture Is Really Like
19:06 Imposter Syndrome At The World's Best School
20:49 Building Your Own Category Of One
24:30 Why She Chose A Hybrid Major
27:00 Should You Do A Hybrid Major
29:13 Software Engineering Accelerator
31:41 The Consulting vs PM Decision
34:09 The Brutal Truth About Consulting
36:26 When The Client Owns Your Time
38:48 The Two Mice Parable
40:28 So What's Even The Point Of Consulting
43:04 The Prestige Trap
45:59 When She Knew She'd Picked The Wrong Path
47:12 Pivot Now Or Tough It Out
49:20 What Rejection Actually Teaches You
1:01:00 How The Apple Opportunity Appeared
1:03:00 Manufacturing Confidence In Interviews
1:08:50  Product vs Project vs Program Manager
1:13:50 Are You Cut Out to Be a PM
1:20:39 What She'd Tell Her Freshman Self
1:23:39 Outro

Most people have never heard of him. But he's built something that trades 24/7, got backed by YC and PG Angel, and walked away from one of the most secretive industries on earth to do it.

Annanay pulls back the curtain on quant trading, the firms nobody talks about, why the golden era is ending, and exactly where the smartest people are moving next.

If you're building a career in tech — this is required listening.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Annanay_Quant&video=Yasib76zRjE

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Annanay's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annanay-kapila?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:35 UK vs US Ambition Culture
03:20 Why Americans Embrace Risk
09:30 Pulling Back the Quant Curtain
13:25 HFT, Market Making, Quant Defined
16:31 Software Engineering Accelerator
17:23 History of Trading Explained
22:50 Firms That Shaped the Industry
27:35 Why Quant Upside Has Faded
33:00 Signs an Industry Is Peaking
40:08 Robotics Is the Next Wave
44:04 Quantum Tech and Crypto's Future
47:51 Free Resource to Kickstart Engineering Journey
48:23 Advice for Young CS Grads
52:11 Losing Half a Million in 50ms
52:38 Lessons From a Costly Bug
1:00:24The Prestige Trap in Tech
1:03:26 The SF Secondary Playbook
1:06:30 Will the VC Bubble Last
1:07:49 How to Actually Get Into YC
1:11:24 What Would I Tell My Younger Self
1:16:11 Outro

Today I sit down with Ben Chen: a former Tesla AI recruiter who helped build the Optimus robotics team and has seen thousands of engineering applications from the inside.

We break down why the job market is cooked for some but wide open for others, how ATS systems actually work, the GPA scam no one talks about, and the exact psychological game most candidates don't know they're losing.

If you're a CS student or software engineer trying to land your dream job in 2026, this is a must-listen.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers who want to work with a former Tesla AI Recruiter to break into AI in 2026 👉 Apply here:  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=TeslaRecruiter_Ben&video=GjH2rbMm7tA

🚨 Enroll by March 15th to join a LIVE workshop where he’ll break down what actually gets you hired in AI — the resume signals that matter, the projects that stand out, and the fastest path to pivot.

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction & Tesla Optimus Origin Story
05:19 Building the Optimus Team From Scratch
06:11 Is the Job Market Actually Cooked?
07:46 Why Companies Stopped Training Junior Engineers
08:39 How Juniors Can Still Break In
10:19 Job Hopping: Meta or Career Killer?
13:47 What Universities Don't Teach You
17:46 The 3.2 GPA Student Fastest Path
18:57 Why GPA Is a Scam
21:43 Should You Even Chase a 4.0?
22:44 2026 Hiring Summarized in One Sentence
24:45 The Truth About ATS & AI Rejection
26:28 How Keywords Hurt More Than Help
27:23 How to Break Into AI in 2026  (Live Workshop With a Tesla AI Recruiter)
34:14 The Psychological Game Candidates Miss
36:14 How to Show You Actually Want the Job
37:07 Winning a System That Isn't Fair
40:55 First Date Mistakes in Interviews
41:50 Compensation Conversations That Kill Offers
45:05 What a Real AI Pivot Actually Looks Like
46:28 Specialists vs Generalists in AI Hiring
47:19 Actionable Steps to Break Into AI
48:09 What Signals AI Competence to Recruiters
48:40 Building a Network From Zero
49:45 Best Cold Outreach That Actually Works
52:21 What Recruiters Actually Want
53:19 Biggest Mistake at the Offer Finish Line
55:37 Salary Negotiation Hacks That Work

Today I sit down with Ritesh: a former Capital One engineer who made $180K from side hustles as a CS student—more than his six-figure salary.

We break down how he built profitable AI agents, landed a $15K client from one Reddit post, and the exact 30-day blueprint any CS student can follow. We also unpack his Reddit marketing system, the minimal-code tech stack he uses, why he quit after Amazon cut 30K jobs, and whether the AI agents space is a bubble.

If you're a software engineer or CS student looking to build recession-proof income before layoffs hit, this is a must-listen.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Ritesh_AIAgent&video=hU83uz1h0z4

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Ritesh's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@rkumarv?si=x69yN285NFW5fNPi
👉 Ritesh's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riteshkv_?igsh=MWdwbG1nYng2ZzdraQ==

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 
01:35 Side Hustles Beat Six Figures
03:53 Building YouTube Automation Business
04:33 Traditional CS Path at University of Maryland
06:16 First Big Contract: $25K Web App
07:24 Viral Checkout Bot Video Success
09:51 Making Six Figures with Bots
10:01Bots vs Agents
14:41 Defining Modern AI Agents
15:50 Why CS Students Have Huge Advantage
17:45 Software Engineering Accelerator
18:38 First AI Chatbot Sale: $1,250
21:10 Building First Profitable Agent in 30 Days
23:33 Friends Laid Off Once or Twice
26:35 Amazon Cuts 30K Jobs, Layoffs Worsening
27:23 Anyone Can Build Profitable AI Agents
30:50 Reddit Marketing: $15K Client One Post
33:50 Reddit Strategy: No Calls to Action
35:29 Everything You Need to Kickstart Your SWE Career
36:00 Common Mistakes on Reddit
38:16 Platforms to Learn Automations
39:28 Biggest Mistake: Copying Exact Replica
41:13 Creating Concepts From Ideas Over Copying
42:14 How Much Work Is Actually Passive?
43:58 Are We in an AI Bubble?
45:44 Entrepreneurship is the Better Route 
47:07 Personal Brand = 60-70% of Success
49:27 Always Find Out Target Demographic 
51:35 Documenting Your Personal Brand 
52:51 Why I Left My Six Figure Job
55:43 Nine-to-Five Not Safe Anymore
56:35 Building Business Alongside Full Time Job
57:45 It's All Mindset and Limiting Beliefs
59:43 Where to Connect With Ritesh 
1:00:00 Outro

Today I sit down with Shreyas Kulkarni: a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle who came from India and turned his US Master's into a $10K profit instead of debt.

We break down how he paid just $12K total through TA hacks, his LinkedIn spam strategy for referrals, and the interview system that got him through 80-100+ interviews at Netflix, Meta, Amazon, and Google—including Meta's brand-new AI coding round. We also unpack the promotion framework that got him to $300-400K by 27, why layoffs are now algorithmic, and whether the US is still worth it for international students in 2025.

If you're breaking into tech or navigating the brutal new economy as an international student, this is a must-listen.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Shreyas_Oracle&video=jY9_37WJFt4

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:30 Why Come to the US for a Master's?
03:04 India's Brutal Competition for CS Students
05:03 Dream Salary in India: $12K Per Year
07:18 Why People Stay in India vs Leave
08:34 The Real Cost of US Universities
10:58 How I Paid Almost Nothing for My Master's
12:23 Why I Chose SJSU Over Brand Name Schools
15:54 I Graduated Net Positive With Money Earned
17:17 Should You Go Private or Public University?
21:22 Getting 5+ Internship Offers: The Strategy
22:16 Resume Hacks That Actually Get You Interviews
25:22 LeetCode Addiction and Interview Prep Reality
26:16 Oracle Internship: $30K in 10 Weeks
28:16 Did I Get a Return Offer?
28:00 Spoon-Feeding Interviewers What to Write About You
31:10 I've Done 80–100+ Tech Interviews
31:13 What's Actually Changing in 2025 Interviews
34:00 Meta's New AI-Enabled Coding Round Explained
36:45 Why I Keep Interviewing Even With a Job
39:13 Interview Seasons and Strategic Timing
40:00 The New Economy: 15% of Engineers on PIPs
42:25 Layoffs Are Algorithmic Now—No One's Safe
44:36 7-Day Prep Plan for a Meta Interview
45:58 7-Day Free Prep to 10x Your Journey
46:29 My LeetCode Addiction Story
48:45 LeetCode Tips: Volume Over Quality
51:53 LinkedIn Spam Strategy for Getting Referrals
54:03 Don't Build Fake Relationships for Referrals
57:40 My Current TC at Oracle: $300–400K
58:10 How I Got Promoted in Just Two Years
1:00:56 Is It Still Worth Coming to the US Today?
1:02:52 H-1B Rules and What's Actually Changed
1:02:47 Life in the US: Ferraris, Planes, and 10 Countries
1:05:40 SF vs New York: Which City Is Better?
1:07:10 Why Everyone Moves From SF to New York
1:08:15 New York's Energy vs SF's Tech Bubble
1:12:33 Outro

Today I sit down with Ray: a former Meta software engineer who went from pre-med with a failing AP Comp Sci score to making $500K a year. We break down how he landed tech internships without a CS degree, used referrals to get offers from Google, Amazon, and Uber, and built an interview system after getting rejected by Microsoft.

We also unpack why you don't need full software skills to get hired at big tech, his LeetCode strategy, and why he walked away from $500K to pursue startups and content in his 20s.

If you're breaking into tech or questioning the 9-to-5, this episode is a must-listen.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Rui_MetaSWE&video=h3td0TPxZAc

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Rui's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raycfu?igsh=MWpvM3JwMDV2dWxhMA==
👉 Rui's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuchengrui?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:15 From Pre-Med to Computer Science
05:51 Landing Nordstrom Without CS Background
07:23 Exploring Different Career Paths
10:59 Getting Quant Trading Internship Offers
12:00 Microsoft Rejection to Multiple Offers
14:35 Learning from the Microsoft Failure
16:16 How to Get Interviews at Top Companies
20:12 You Don't Need Full Software Skills
21:37 The Power of Stubborn Problem Solving
23:27 My LeetCode System and Strategy
24:37 Is LeetCode Dying with AI
25:18 LeetCode as IQ Test for Engineers
28:56 System Design Matters More Than LeetCode
29:51 What Recruiters See in Six Seconds
32:00 Choosing Meta Over Google and Lyft
33:55 Starting Salary at Meta
36:17 $52 to $40K in My Bank Account
37:04 When Facebook Became Meta
40:05 Daily Life Inside Meta
42:31 Why Tech Companies Give These Benefits
45:14 Free Asset to 10x your Engineering Journey
45:42 Meeting Mark Zuckerberg as Intern
46:42 How to Get Promoted at Meta
50:33 Fast Promotions vs Stuck Engineers
51:45 Watching Layoffs Happen Around Me
52:50 Seeing AI Used in Interviews
56:01 Will There Be Fewer Engineers
57:09 Staying Relevant in AI Era
59:05 Meta Stock Going to the Moon
59:48 Why I Left $500K at Meta
1:05:00 The Next Chapter: Startup and Content
1:06:40 Where to Find Rui
1:07:50 Outro

Today I sit down with Morgan: a networking strategist who landed six internships, saved over $100K before graduating, and built her entire college trajectory around efficiency, not prestige. We break down how she negotiated scholarships, used social platforms to create career leverage, and built visibility that led to competitive offers most students never access.

We also unpack why GPA matters far less than people think, how to network without being cringe, the exact playbook she used to stand out on LinkedIn, and why internships, not degrees, are the real accelerator for CS students.

If you’re in college, breaking into tech, or trying to build a career through strategy instead of luck, this episode is a must-listen.

Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Morgan_NetworkingExpert_Internships&video=51lCdXLPWS4

🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer

🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazir

Listen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1

I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.

📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/

🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir

👉 Morgan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmorganashleigh?igsh=ODk2ZnVmZHNvcG1j
👉 Morgan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsmorganyoung?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

—

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:44 $100K Saved, Zero Debt
03:26 Paying Bills During School
04:23 Campus Culture at Elite Schools
07:20 Colleges as Businesses: Negotiate Offers
08:22 ROI of Conference Travel
09:53 Classes Are Basically the Same
10:46 Not Meeting Ambitious People
13:53 Why Classmates Hated Me
16:16 The GPA Lie
17:17 The Software Engineering Accelerator
18:37 Techniques for Landing Internships
19:02 Treating Recruiting Like Full-Time
24:43 Cover Letter Framework
27:54 Struggling with Stupid Tasks
30:46 The 80/20 Principle
31:53 Is CS Oversaturated?
36:00 Is Accounting The New CS?
36:29 Just Start Posting
39:30 Everything You Need to Kickstart Your SWE Career
40:00 Experts Don't Really Exist
46:28 Step-by-Step LinkedIn Playbook
57:06 My Viral Disney Post
58:30 Networking Hacks 
1:03:49 Are Referrals Worth It?
1:06:54 Where to Connect