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.
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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.
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⏱️ 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