What's the main reason for not applying to FAANG?
I have always thought like its impossible to get into FAANG companies, and when I got it, I felt also the imposter syndrome.
Now after sometime there, I look back and try to think about reasons that could prevent us from applying, I think mine was just thinking that I will not make it anyway, although now ai know I was mistaken.
What about you. What is your reason?
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Discussion
(4 comments)- 28 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
After talking to 100s of engineers about this exact topic, a few of the top reasons that come to mind:
- A dismissal of the standard Leetcode (Data Structure & Algorithms) interview process. These engineers hate the process of interviewing at FAANG companies so much that they convince themselves that they don't want the job.
- Lack of awareness that FAANG pays so well and is within reach.
- Assuming that FAANG doesn't hire in their city/state/country (this is usually not true anymore, since there are far more remote-friendly jobs compared to pre-COVID)
And, of course, imposter syndrome is all too common in our industry. I left a bunch of thoughts about that here: How to build up my confidence and overcome imposter syndrome with amazing teammates?
- 18 days agoanamazonsde [OP]SDE @ Amazon - www.anamazonsde.com
Agreed, as you mentioned, if one can cope with the initial process to pass the screening, it's well within reach, and the benefits outweigh the cons a lot.
I feel a lot of great talent are missing out, and the companies also missing out on them, as a result of them not applying.
- 1
5 days agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroRahul pretty much nailed it. There is 1 reason though that is decently prevalent (but obviously the minority): Love for startups + aversion to big companies
It's no secret that Big Tech is infamously bureaucratic and political, making it hard to find scope, get promoted, and even just land code for many FAANG teams. The most common use-case behind this reason is the engineer joined a top-tier startup early in their career and never looked back. For example, the people I know who started their career at early Robinhood have 0 intention of going to FAANG.
Big Tech has a lot of benefits, I do genuinely believe that startups are way more fun 😁
Here's a good discussion about startups vs. Big Tech: "What's the difference between Big Tech and startups in terms of learning and growth?"
- 05 days agoanamazonsde [OP]SDE @ Amazon - www.anamazonsde.com
Fair enough. This is a great benefit I would say.
I personally think though that joining a FAANG at least a few years in ones career gives a whole new perspective and scale into thinking that is hard to get from small companies.
