I was applying for one of the top 5 legal firms internationally and been doing 5-6 interviews. On my last manager interview which was supposed to be a seal the deal chit chat. He mentioned to me I should be a lead instead of a senior which I thought was very flattering but I explained I still have a passion to write code and wanted to stay active in my development career. Four days later after not replying to me or the recruiter, their HR follows up with my recruiter saying I am too overqualified for the position and they would not be extending the offer. A day after the manager reached out with the exact same explanation saying you are an excellect developer with impressive experince but was worried I would not be "satisfied" with the role given my experince. I couldn't believe it.

And so the quest continues I guess to find Lead Software Engineering roles :/

I’ve been stressing the hell out over this. Constantly, I see highly qualified (relative to me) people losing all ounces of their morale after their hundredth rejection. These people are into CS—they like it for what it is, they read books about it for fun, etc. I’m the opposite: I became a CS major primarily for the money, for the (seemingly) business applicable nature of it (as in CS knowledge is marketable), and for the (seemingly) good ROI a CS degree would offer in terms of money and time spent getting the degree. My lack of passion is starting to catch up to me—I want to vomit when I’m reading docs, I can’t help but not build projects when cursor can do it for me in a couple of hours, and I find the textbooks about the conceptual aspects mind numbing.

I’ve always been into fields like physics, math, and philosophy, and yes, these fields (generally) aren’t nearly as marketable as CS, but I think I’m starting to sway away from keeping that as my number one factor of decision.

Success isn’t going with the thing that gives you the highest chances of making a lot of money… success isn’t working at a big company (market wise) and bragging about your TC… success is doing something that you’re content with, doing something that you’re happy with, doing something you’re fulfilled with.

I can’t imagine being on my death bed and being happy with myself that, despite the absurdity of life, went to go spend a good portion of my consciousness learning CRUD and API integration, no matter how much money I’m leaving behind in my back account.

I’ve already spent a year in CS, and I’m not Oppenheimer levels of obsessed with fields like physics, but much more so than I am with CS. The worst thing that could happen is I stick it out and end up making no money—I’ll be stuck in a field I dislike and making little money regardless.

Do I flip the boat and go all in for academia (ie, the reasonable path in the fields I actually enjoy), or do I stick it out and suck it up, hoping for some realization or unfounded passion in CS?

Thanks so much, I really ask you guys for help.

I am sorry for language, it is my best in not using AI.

I want to tell you life after graduate. I want you to hear the message. I want you to not quit. Keep going my friend.

I graduate 2021, computer science. After school I take job in insurance company, mid size, nothing fancy. I never do leetcode, never chase big projects, never feel stress like school. I just want calm, slow life. I want peace. I want something real, not rush, not pressure, not constant panic like in school.

Now 4+ year later, I very happy. Work 9-5. Manager very nice, coworker good people. Work is calm but not boring. Technical problems sometimes interesting, small challenge make me feel good. I learn new things every day. I feel my skill grow little by little. Soon maybe become senior, later I want become architect at company. That dream give me something to look forward, something I feel proud, something that make me smile inside. I feel I build something with my own hands, with my own mind, in calm way.

Money enough. I rent own apartment, have car, save money. Can take my girlfriend out, she very special, I think she one for life. We laugh, we talk, do small things together. We cook, walk, watch small shows, talk about nothing and everything. I never feel lonely. Parents very proud. I help them money sometimes. Visit them often because I not move far. That feeling inside, warm, like I do something right, something real. I feel grounded, connected, safe.

Life simple, slow, calm. Wake up, code little, go home, cook, walk with girlfriend, visit parents, sleep good. I never feel rush. Never panic. I smile everyday. Sometimes I just sit with coffee, look outside, feel wind, watch people, feel life move but I calm inside. Quiet evening, soft music, girlfriend beside, small laugh, small talk, heart feel light. I feel lucky. I feel lucky I have simple happiness, small things that make life full.

I feel lucky I pick computer science. I enjoy work. I enjoy life outside work. Small progress, small joy, calm heart. Help parents. Love someone. Share moments. Grow slowly. Learn slowly. Think about things, reflect, sleep good at night. Feel peaceful.

Sometimes I remember school. Projects, exam, stress, panic. I feel I survive. And now I feel alive in different way. Every day I wake up, I feel I have something I love. Something to look forward. Something I build. Something I give to someone I love. Life feel meaningful.

To anyone studying CS, starting job, feeling lost, worried: it okay. You can find your own way. Your calm way. You can grow, learn, enjoy work, enjoy life, and still feel peace. Happiness can be small, quiet, slow, but very real. Small things make life full. Laugh, coffee, talk, help someone, share moment, feel wind, watch sunset. These things matter.

I happy I did CS. I happy life I build. Please do not give up. Be patient. Focus on what you love. Enjoy moment you have. Life is not only big projects, big money, big stress. Life can be calm, slow, full, beautiful. Market will get better. Keep going. Do not quit.

Everyday I feel grateful. Grateful for work I enjoy. Grateful for people I love. Grateful for small moments. Grateful for calm inside chaos. Life is simple, slow, but very real. And I hope you find your own peace too.

Thank you for it.

Right when the AI slop started taking off exponentially.

Do you regret majoring in cs? If not how do you cope with it? Like when I tried programming, I knew I wanted to do CS and to some extent at research level as well, doing all the Complexity theory stuff, etc. But what exactly attracted you to CS and how do you look at your previous self before majoring in CS now, do you wish you could go back in time?

Hi everyone,

I’m set to graduate in May 2026 with my Computer Science degree. I’ve been applying to some full-time programs (rotational programs, new grad roles, etc.), but I’m also a little lost about what else I should be doing right now since I don’t have any offers yet.

A few questions I’m stuck on:

• Is it worth still applying for internships, or is that a waste of time since I’ll be post-grad by the time they start?
• Has anyone here done a post-grad internship and then converted that into a full-time role?
• For someone in my position, what’s the best use of my time right now to set myself up for full-time offers?

Any advice, experiences, or tips would help a ton. Thanks in advance!

Feels good to start on a journey where money can be found!

Taking a class in distributed systems this fall, any youtubers I should check out that cover the subject in an understandable way?

Edit: mostly the coding side of things

So, i am a first year engineering student in CS/IT branch. My college is just ok. They follow a lot of useless rules, just focus on theory and there is not much opportunity here. Some of my seniors who are good either went for further studies or they had to work a lot harder to get an off campus placement. Most others got a very basic job in a very basic company without much scope. I am aware that to get a good job that too in today's world, one need to work a lot harder. But i can't understand what to learn and how to start. the college professors won't say anything and there are too many roadmaps on youtube. So please, someone guide on what i can do in my first year apart from college studies. like what other skills should i learn? and from where? That would be a great help. Thanks.

I have worked 3 years in Software Engineering field in a decently big company. I am currently working towards my masters. I have been trying hard to apply for internships, did at least 1k applications for Summer 2025. But I didnt even get a single interview other than a few unpaid ones. Now I am trying for Fall and Winter but same. I don't understand what is wrong with me. I am also trying to improve my skills by regularly working on some projects. But everything is looking hopeless. Like not even an interview. Am I that bad?

I am an international student, so that does increase the difficulty but I see many other international students getting internships as well.

I tried asking people for advice, even at my university's career advising multiple times and they just give half ass useless advice that doesnt do anything. I just am feeling hopeless day by day.

Feels like my life is over. I dont know what I should be doing.

It feels like average new grad after 2022 is like 10x smarter more skilled than people who graduated before. While having much less opportunities. How is that possible that suddenly cs new grads became so much smarter snd skilled?

Most of them would easily get job before 2022 because they are much smarter than grads before 2022. And now these people who are 10x less smarter and skilled are keeping jobs when people who are so much smarter cant even break in.

How long do y’all think we have until interviewers encourage things like Claude Code or Cursor for technical interviews?

Heyyy i have visa new grad swe interviews on campus .Any idea how many rounds will it be and how to prepare for actual interview coding ques that are asked in visa? Any resources or tips for that..

Any suggestion on what and all to prepare ... Will be really great if u could reply..!!

I am currently working a Data analyst job. It’s nothing too crazy, and it pays pretty low unfortunately. I really want to leave this job but I am struggling to find a high paying job. So I guess we take what we get. The company is really small, we have 1 “HR” lady who is the bosses wife, and 2 Senior SWEs. Recently, we had to fulfill a project from a client but the workload is already too much for all of us to handle. so my manager told us to “focus” on the work we are currently doing and is planning to bring someone new on the team. He is honestly really annoying to work with, and the other contractors we hired quit because of him. He is very nit-picky about EVERYTHING which is really frustrating at times. On Friday, he emailed me saying they were going to hire another individual to join the company to take some of the workload. He wanted me to sit in the interview, but before I do that I have to go through the “vetted” candidates by the HR. He told me she would be calling and schedules ~20 people for interviews once I gave her the list. As soon as I get access to these resumes I got so frustrated . There are 500+ resumes to go through. She didn’t even BOTHER to do anything. She just handed her work to me. I am so pissed because just increased my workload for no reason. When, I saw this I tried telling my boss in the nicest way possible and try to tell the senior SWES to do it. However he assures me, it will be a panel interview and I just need to help with the vetting process. He also said he thinks my “technical knowledge” is good enough and it would be a good “learning experience” for me. I also do not have the experience to do this. I haven’t even opened the resumes yet, and I can’t even argue with him especially in this job market. Just because I can solve some hard bugs in a software application doesn’t make me good to help hire a guy. How do I proceed with finding a candidate? What do I look for in a resume? Should I not move forward candidates who don’t have a github?

Hey everyone,

I’m preparing for the Microsoft technical interview soon. From what I’ve gathered (and heard from some fellow interns), the process is like a continuous 3-hour session — 45 mins behavioral, 45 mins technical coding, 45 mins about Microsoft (all separated by 15 min breaks).

I wanted to come here and get some real talk about how these interviews go down:

• What’s your overall experience? Did it feel super stressful or more chill than expected?
• How strict are they about getting the coding questions completely right? Is there room for partial credit or discussion if you get stuck?
• Do they focus more on problem-solving approach, or do they expect clean, optimized code from the jump?
• What kind of behavioral questions should I really be ready for? Any common themes or curveball questions?
• What’s something you wish you knew before going into the interview?
• And finally, any must-know resources or practice problems that helped you crush it?

did anyone get the notion oa for the see internship posting? how was the difficulty?

what have you guys been upto this entire summer? internships? side projects? startups?

I’m a sophomore studying Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems. I chose this major because I genuinely had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Now I’m starting to feel that studying business is like learning about everything and nothing at the same time. We don’t go in depth on any specific subject, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to do much with the degree.

I’ve been thinking about taking programming courses and learning how to code so I can become a software engineer. So now I’m wondering if I should switch my major to Computer Science, or if it would be enough to finish my degree and just take additional courses to build specific knowledge and skills. Would I still be able to find a job afterwards?

Another option I’ve considered is finishing my BBA and then pursuing a Master’s in Software Engineering.

What are your thoughts? I honestly feel lost right now and don’t know what to do, or which path would put me in a better position for the future.

I’m a backend/platform engineer who’s spent the last 5 years scaling payment systems and cloud platforms - think high-volume transactions, AWS serverless, and distributed architectures that don’t break under pressure.

Here’s what I’m curious about:

• Are teams out there looking for engineers who can own critical payment/infra systems end-to-end?
• For remote roles: what makes a backend dev stand out globally?
• For relocation: what’s the best way to navigate visa-supported opportunities as a backend specialist?

I’m not actively “job hunting” in the needy sense - more exploring where I can add serious value. If your team is building something ambitious in fintech, proptech, or large-scale SaaS, I’d love to hear what challenges you’re tackling.

What would you say makes someone like me irresistible to hire? 👀

Has Anyone received an offer from MLH Fellowship for their next Fall cohort?

I’m a backend dev (~6 YOE). Had 50+ rejections. Thought it was my coding. Nope. It was how I told my stories. Kept saying stuff like “we implemented” it went well,” “I helped with” “as a team we..” etc. Always got rejected.

Switched it up to “I proposed and drove” my contribution was” “this reduced X by 47%” “I identified and fixed” “the business impact was”… Same projects, totally different framing. Suddenly started getting offers.

After ~20 rejections I remember thinking wtf else can I even study. I’d done 500+ LC problems, side projects, system design prep. None of it mattered because I couldn’t explain impact. Most devs think behavioral is BS. It’s not. They’re not testing honesty, they’re testing if you know what high performance looks like. And it’s not just about STAR… you can follow the structure perfectly and still fail if your phrasing makes you sound junior or lacking ownership .

Stop grinding more LC for a sec honestly.. Practice telling your stories like someone senior.

What’s the most cringe thing you’ve said in a behavioral? Mine was “we just figured it out.” Said it 4 times in a Google loop. Instant reject…

And if Masters is preferred what are the reasons why this is better than a BS in CS? I have no CS education so I first assume you have to start with the Bachelors

Just curious, did the company actually walk you through the workflow and tools, or were you just given the the repo and outdated docs and told to figure it all yourself?