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This is a collection of the things I believe about software development. I have worked for years building backend and data processing systems, so read the below within that context.
tl;dr: I burned out as a developer at Amazon at the end of my second year. I’ve since found a healthy and sustainable work-life balance and enjoy work again. I write this to A) raise awareness, especially for new-hires and their families, and B) help give hope and advice to people going through the same at Amazon or other companies.
Hello, world
There’s been no shortage of anecdotes, opinions, and rebuttals regarding Amazon’s corporate culture as of late. I write this not to capitalize on the latest news-feed fad, but to share what I had already written and promptly deleted. I didn’t think anyone would want to hear my story, but it’s apparent people are going through a similar experience and don’t have a voice.
I’m a Software Development Engineer II at Amazon; SDE II basically means a software developer with at least 2–3 years of industry experience. I started at Amazon as an SDE I.
This is definitely not the first time I've written about this topic, but I haven't written formally about it in quite awhile. So I want to revisit why I think technical-position interviewing is so poorly designed, and lay out what I think would be a better process.
I'm just one guy, with a bunch of strong opinions and a bunch of flaws. So take these suggestions with a grain of salt. I'm sure there's a lot of talented, passionate folks with other thoughts, and some are probably a lot more interesting and useful than my own.
But at the same time, I hope you'll set aside the assumptions and status quo of how interviewing is always done. Just because you were hired a certain way, and even if you liked it, doesn't mean that it's a good interview process to repeat.
If you're happy with the way technical interviewing currently works at your company, fine. Just stop, don't read any further. I'm not going to spend any effort trying to convince you otherwise.