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Explore every episode of the podcast SWE Accelerator Podcast

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TitlePub. DateDuration
#10: I Asked a Principle Engineer at Amazon How to Get Hired (ft. @ALifeEngineered)30 Jul 202501:10:28

Today, I talk with Steve from A Life Engineered ( @ALifeEngineered ) — a software engineering YouTuber with over 170,000+ subscribers who quit his job at Amazon after nearly 18 years to help others in their career journeys. We dive deep into how the field is evolving, what most engineers get wrong about interviews, and how to actually use AI as a superpower (instead of seeing it as a threat). If you’re a CS student, career switcher, or anyone trying to land a top-tier software engineering job, this episode of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast is a must-listen. Hope you enjoy!


Computer science students, career switchers, and aspiring engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=alifeengineered&video=jIj0rfU_hYc


🚀 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 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:


0:00 - How Steve Went From Drop Out to Dean’s List

5:54 - What Motivates Personal Change?

12:19 - The Value Of Your Interview Mindset

23:00 - What The Future of Coding Interviews Looks Like

33:52 - Is AI Killing Software Engineering?

39:00 - How Do I Leverage AI Tools To Become A Software Engineer?

44:55 - What Is The True Value Of A Computer Science Degree?

52:58 - Is Getting a College Degree Necessary To Achieve My Goals?

58:12 - The Biggest Mistake Software Engineers Make In Halting Their Careers

1:05:03 - Job Hopping Vs. Rooting At One Company


#9: NeetCode - How I Would Master LeetCode (If I Could Start Over)17 Jul 202501:23:15

Computer science students, new graduates, and bootcamp grads…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_description&utm_campaign=neetcode

Today, I talk with NeetCode ( @NeetCode ) — a software engineering YouTuber with over a million subscribers who completely changed how the world learns LeetCode. We talk about how he built his channel, what most people get wrong about LeetCode, how AI is changing interviews, and whether computer science is still worth it. If you’re a CS student, bootcamp grad, or anyone trying to land a top-tier software engineering job, you need to listen to this episode of Liftoff. Hope you enjoy!


🎧 Listen to all episodes of Lift Off with Aman Manazir on Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BAbr5KDWtI1nhmkwXczl9?si=8752638b2fa1459d&nd=1&dlsi=e29d5a5436cc47d0

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lift-off-with-aman-manazir/id1742843726


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 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 – Intro: How NeetCode Rewired LeetCode

00:34 – Is AI killing software engineering jobs?

05:40 – Why the job market feels impossible for new grads

16:19 – What NeetCode really did at Amazon

23:00 – Google vs Amazon: the truth about big tech

32:00 – The moment NeetCode knew he had to quit

37:14 – The real reason NeetCode started uploading LeetCode

40:16 – Is LeetCode still worth your time in 2025?

49:49 – Why LeetCode might be dead in 5 years

52:00 – How Roy Lee and AI are rewriting tech interviews

59:02 – The fastest way to become interview-ready

1:07:08 – How long it actually takes to master DSA

1:19:53 – Final thoughts: is comp sci still worth studying?


Let me know if you want a shorter version for Spotify or a custom pinned comment too.

#8: How She Got a 4.0 at the World’s Most Competitive University (ft. Amy Wang)05 Feb 202502:08:36

Today, I talk with Amy Wang ( @wamyy5 ) a Caltech graduate with a degree in arguably the hardest major, Chemical Engineering. Learn how she got a 4.0 at one of the hardest universities in the world while battling severe migraines, balancing a social life and starting a YouTube channel with 600k+ subscribers. She shares her tips and tricks on how to succeed academically and socially on this episode of Liftoff. Hope you enjoy!

Computer science students, new graduates, and bootcamp graduates...want to land your dream software engineering job/internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=amy_wang

🎧 Listen to all episodes of Lift Off with Aman Manazir on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2BAbr5KDWtI1nhmkwXczl9?si=8752638b2fa1459d&nd=1&dlsi=e29d5a5436cc47d0 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lift-off-with-aman-manazir/id1742843726

Listen 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 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 

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - 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

00:00 - Introduction

00:45 - Amy’s 4.0 GPA /Being Your Own Cheerleader

07:36 - The Yin & Yang Mindset

13:52 - Getting A’s The Cool Way

15:59 - The Software Engineering Accelerator

16:40 - What is The Point of Getting A's?

22:02 - Screen Time is Killing Your Social Life

31:38 - Social Media Addiction

41:56 - The Parasocial Relationship With Your Fans

44:49 - Practical Tips To Get That 4.0

51:45 - Battling Migraines

57:25 - Amy’s Childhood

1:04:04 - The Stanford Rejection

1:12:34 - The Caltech Experience

1:14:26 - Thoughtful Thursdays

1:14:43 - Amy’s YouTube Career

1:30:49 - The Plagiarism Outbreak on YouTube

1:47:02 - When Was It Time to do YouTube Full Time?

2:00:56 - Balancing Relationships & Career

2:07:10 - Conclusion

*location-adjusted

#7: Why My 21-Year-Old Brother Quit His $600,000 Quant Job29 Jan 202501:21:56

 Today, I talk with my brother Aadil who landed a $600,000 quant offer and decided to turn it down. We talk about why he made that decision, what got him there, and what a day in the life of a quant trader is actually like. Hope you enjoy!

Computer science students, new graduates, and bootcamp graduates...want to land your dream software engineering job/internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=shouldn't_be_engineer

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 and get your dream job offer. If you're a dedicated programmer who wants to land your dream internship or job in 2025 without spamming LeetCode, spending hours at career fairs, or applying to thousands of positions, join the Software Engineering Accelerator and work directly with me. Click this link to book a call: https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=shouldn't_be_engineer

📄 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

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - 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

00:00 - Introduction

01:00 - Aadil College Background

04:38 - Internship History

14:37 - Software Engineering Accelerator

15:06 - Getting The 600k Offer

26:52 - Aadil's Dream Job (Spoiler: It's Not Quant)

31:00 - Why Aadil Turned Down The Offer/Entrepreneurship

35:50 - What Would A Day In The Life Be For Quant?

43:42 - The Risks of A 9-5

45:57 - Thoughtful Thursdays

46:14 - Why Did You Leave Quant?

52:17 - Where Are You Now?

1:00:51 - Aadil's Next Step, Dating

1:03:36 - The Truth of Being in Quant

1:11:30 - Being In A Slump

1:15:59 - In What Situation Would You Go Back To Quant?

1:19:22 - Our Big Announcement

1:21:18 - Conclusion *location-adjusted

#6: Answering Uncomfortable Questions With My Best Friend27 Nov 202401:19:52

Today, I talk to my best friend from college, Vithi Peters. We talk about how to make friends in college, red flags in friendships, and if Vithi secretly hates me. Enjoy!

Computer science students, new graduates, and bootcamp graduates…want to land your dream software engineering job/internship?

Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/

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

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 and land your dream job.

If you’re a dedicated programmer who wants to land your dream internship or job in 2025 without spamming LeetCode, spending hours at career fairs, or applying to thousands of positions, join the Software Engineering Accelerator and work directly with me.

Click this link to book a call: https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching

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

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

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - 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

 

00:00 - Introduction

00:26 - Our First Time Meeting

01:56 - The Second Time Meeting

05:00 - Why Vithi Hated Aman

08:14 - The Difference Between A Discussion And An Argument

09:02 - The Heated Dinner Party Argument

10:46 - What Changed In Our Friendship

12:05 - Q1: How Do You Approach New People Without Coming Off Weird

22:38 - The Software Engineering Accelerator

23:08 - Q2: How Easy Is It To Make Friends At The Workplace?

33:45 - Q3: How Many Friends Are Optimal?

36:46 - Q4: Do You Feel Like You Fall Out Of Friendships?

38:14 - Q5: When Can You Be Vulnerable With Someone?

41:38 - Sign Up For Thoughtful Thursday

41:55 - Q6: How Do You Make Friends Without Drinking?

52:07 - Q7: What Did You Learn From The Friendships That Ended?

58:54 - Q8: How Do You Choose The Friends In Your Close Circle?

1:09:38 - Q9: How Do You Know The Friend Group You’re In Is The One You Want To Stay In?

1:16:40 - Q10: How Do Friendships Change As You Get Older?

1:19:18 - Conclusion

*location-adjusted

 

#5: How She Makes $1.9M/Year at Age 28 on AirBnB23 Oct 202401:23:33

Today, I talk to Karen Bello. We discuss how she started as a personal assistant making minimum wage to starting her own Air BnB empire with millions in revenue. Enjoy!

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

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

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

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

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

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

0:00 - Intro

0:45 - How Did She Become a Personal Assistant?

3:54 - What Did She Study in College?

4:07 - How Did Her Mindset Change?

6:02 - Rich Dad Poor Dad

7:40 - Transition After Being a Personal Assistant

9:22 - What Made Her Think She Could Start A Business?

10:25 - Working as a Therapist

16:00 - Airbnb Business

21:55 - Growing her Business in The First Year

23:18 - Getting The Confidence to Start

26:20 - Rental Arbitrage

30:53 - Managing Time Working Two Jobs

32:05 - Scaling Her Business

34:05 - How Does Cohosting Work?

40:02 - Profit From Year One

41:04 - Cohosting vs. Rental Arbitrage

45:05 - Balancing Two Full Time Jobs

46:10 - Where Did She get her Drive From?

48:30 - The Value of Networking

51:07 - 3rd Year Numbers

 54:50 - How is The Business Now?

58:45 - Where Does She Want to Take The Business?

1:00:00 - What Does The Team Look Like?

1:01:27 - How to Find an Assistant

1:04:15 - What Does an Assistant do?

1:09:04 - Advice for Airbnb Businesses

1:12:30 - How Does an Advanced Person Learn?

1:16:15 - What's The Next Step?

1:20:52 - Focusing on Your Niche

Karen's Contact Information:

bhstr.com karen@bellohomesstr.com

336-459-9756

I'm Aman Manazir, a career coach and former software engineer. I make videos about making it as a computer science student and landing your dream job. I post new videos regularly, run a tech interview podcast, and run an email newsletter (https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter).

#4: How This 22-Year-Old Got a $250,000/Year Job at TikTok (AI Engineer)09 Aug 202401:28:50

In episode 4 of Lift Off with Aman Manazir, I talk to Sourish Kundu. We discuss how he landed a machine learning systems engineer job at TikTok, what it's like to work there, and how AI will transform the software engineering industry. Enjoy!

If you're a dedicated programmer who wants to land your dream internship or job in 2024 without spamming LeetCode, spending hours at career fairs, or building a personal website, join the Software Engineering Accelerator and work directly with me. Click this link to book a call: https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching

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

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

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

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

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

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

0:00 - Introduction

0:58 - How Sourish got into Reinforcement Learning

6:29 - The Value of a Passionate High School Teacher

8:28 - Would Sourish Consider Teaching

9:59 - How did Sourish Land his First Software Engineering Internship

13:40 - Advice for Freshman/Sophomores Looking for Internships

16:55 - How to Supercharge your Experience with Personal Projects

18:40 - Recommendations for Contributing to Open Source

20:30 - How Sourish got Prestigious Internships at Amazon and Capital One

22:48 - Discord Bots Help to Prepare for Interviews

23:40 - How many Practice Problems do you need for an Interview?

26:05 - How Sourish Started at TikTok

28:02 - Advice for a Software Engineering Interview

30:00 - Sourish's Experience as a TikTok Intern

31:52 - Sourish's Advice for Getting a Return Offer

39:20 - Day in the Life as a TikTok Machine Learning Engineer

42:20 - How is Sourish's Time Allocated?

45:49 - How has Sourish Improved at TikTok

48:45 - How Engineers at TikTok are Different

51:12 - How is ML Different than Other Fields?

53:30 - Best Resources for getting Deep in ML

55:18 - Machine Learning Papers

57:18 - Advice to Prepare for an AI Future

59:12 - Sourish's Experience with Public Speaking

1:01:00 - @3blue1brown Inspiration

1:02:00 - Sourish's YouTube Channel

1:03:25 - How Sourish Gets Ideas for Videos

1:07:03 - How to Get Started on YouTube

1:09:31 - The Value of Mentors

1:11:24 - How did Exercise Help Sourish?

1:13:23 - Advice for People to Improve their Fitness

1:18:35 - How did Self-Improvement Content Help Sourish

1:20:42 - Living in California

1:22:40 - Starting a Social Life in a New City

1:25:31 - What Makes a Close Friend?

1:26:50 - Sourish's Advice for his Younger Self

1:27:40 - Where to Find Sourish

1:28:10 - Outro

I'm Aman Manazir, a career coach and former software engineer. I make videos about making it as a computer science student and landing your dream job. I post new videos regularly, run a tech interview podcast, and run an email newsletter (https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter).

#2: Why a 22-Year-Old Math Genius Turned Down a $500,000/Year Quant Research Job20 May 202401:31:58

Access the BeamJobs FREE AI resume checker here - https://www.beamjobs.com/resume-checker?via=aman

In episode 2 of Lift Off with Aman Manazir, I talk to math prodigy Sunny Sahu. We discuss how he got machine learning internships in high school, how he got a full scholarship to the University of California-Berkeley (and why he broke it), and why he turned down a $500,000/yr job offer at Headlands Technologies and so much more. Enjoy!

0:00 - Introduction

01:19 - Why Sunny Took Calculus At Age 11

05:19 - How Math Olympiad Changed Sunny’s Life

10:22 - Sunny’s Experience at USA Math Camp

11:36 - Writing a Great Software Resume: BeamJobs

12:51 - Sunny Gets Humbled at Math Camp

14:43 - How Sunny Landed Machine Learning Internships in High School

18:08 - Math Club at Rolling Meadows High School

19:34 - How Sunny's Father Changed His Life

21:30 - Why Sunny Chose to Pursue Computer Science

23:23 - How Sunny Landed a Full Ride Scholarship

30:44 - Breaking the Scholarship Contract

32:06 - Why Sunny Chose Berkeley Over Princeton

36:12 - Sunny Takes Graduate Classes as an Undergrad

39:42 - Sunny’s Advice for College Freshmen

44:09 - Which Path Should CS Students Pursue

51:54 - How Sunny Landed the $500,000 Quant Trading Offer

55:56 - How to Prepare for Quant Finance

59:30 - Where People Mess up Their Quant Interviews

1:02:16 - Will Sunny Take the $500,000 Quant Offer?

1:03:30 - Why Did Sunny Choose to Pursue a Statistics PhD?

1:08:17 - Sunny’s Research Experience & Advice

1:13:14 - Sunny’s Struggles With the Family Startup

1:16:05 - Sunny’s Advice to Tech Entrepreneurs

1:19:39 - Should You Create a Startup or Work in Industry First?

1:22:34 - Sunny's Biggest Challenge

1:25:22 - Sunny’s Advice for Young People

1:29:43 - Where Sunny Sees Himself in 10 years

1:31:16 - Outro

I'm Aman Manazir, a career coach and former software engineer. I make videos about making it as a computer science student and landing your dream job. I post new videos regularly, run a tech interview podcast, and run an email newsletter (https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter).

#1: How My 20-Year-Old Brother Made $550,000/Year in Quant Trading23 Apr 202401:38:17

Sponsored by BeamJobs — visit https://www.beamjobs.com/resume-checker?via=aman to access the free AI resume checker and take your resume to the next level.

Sign up to my email newsletter: https://www.amanmanazir.com/newsletter

Aadil Manazir is my younger brother. In this episode, we discuss how he landed a $500,000+/year job offer in quant trading at age 20, how he secured a Google software engineering internship (and turned it down) in his free time, and how he packed on 30+ lbs of muscle and much, much more.

00:00 - Introduction

01:00 - 8th Grade MathCounts

05:29 - American Mathematics Competition

06:16 - High School Math Club

08:29 - Elite Math Summer Camps

12:36 - Writing a Great Software Resume: BeamJobs

13:47 - Summer Research Camp

15:28 - Why Aadil Picked the University of California Berkeley

18:25 - Transition to College Life

23:20 - Aadil’s Introduction to Software and Quant Internships

27:18 - John Deere Software Internship

31:15 - Aadil’s Sophomore Year

32:10 - Aadil’s Grind to Land a Quant Internship: 60 Interviews

38:20 - Aadil’s Reaction at Getting a $130/hour Quant Internship at IMC Trading

43:40 - Aadil’s Experience Working at IMC Trading

47:30 - How Aadil Landed a Jump Trading Internship

54:50 - Aadil’s $500k+ Quant Salary

56:20 - How Aadil Got a Google Software Internship for Fun

58:22 - How to Become a Quant

1:00:55 - How to Prepare for Software Engineering Interviews

1:04:22 - The Value of Obsession

1:07:27 - You Don’t Need to Be a Genius

1:09:20 - How Self-Improvement Changed Our Lives

1:18:40 - Aadil’s Gym Transformation Story: Adding 30 lbs of Muscle

1:22:13 - How Looksmaxxing Changed Aadil’s Life

1:29:50 - Was Bodybuilding and Looksmaxxing Worth It?

1:35:30 - What’s Next for Aadil?

#13: BCG Consultant: How Software Engineers Can Outsmart the Tech Recession14 Nov 202501:10:23

Today, I talk with Kelly — a former BCG Project Leader who worked at Goldman Sachs and BCG before walking away at 25 after managing teams most people don't lead until their mid-30s. We dive into the strategies that helped her break into elite consulting: from leveraging coffee chats to land accelerated offers, to the communication frameworks and interview techniques that separate candidates who get hired from those who don't. We also break down what management consulting actually is, how AI is reshaping the industry, what it's really like working 60+ hour weeks with hourly deadlines, and why software engineers should consider consulting as a career path. If you're a CS student, software engineer, or anyone looking to accelerate their tech career through networking, interviewing, and strategic positioning, this episode of the SWE Accelerator Podcast 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=BCGConsultant_SWEOutsmart_TechRecession&video=Cnt9ljDyUdU


🚀 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 – Intro 
01:18 – Kelly's Background: From Canada to Goldman Sachs
04:03 – What is Management Consulting? Breaking Down BCG
05:54 – Types of Companies Consulting Firms Work With
06:54 – Can Anyone Get Into Consulting? Background Requirements
07:58 – Why Computer Science Majors Should Consider Consulting
10:00 – AI's Impact on the Consulting Job Market
12:59 – Software Engineering Accelerator 
13:53 – How Consulting Projects Actually Work (Entry-Level Perspective)
16:35 – ChatGPT Deep Research & The Future of Consulting Work
17:58 – Day in the Life of a Consultant
21:09 – The Reality of 55-70 Hour Work Weeks
23:25 – Hourly Deadlines & Same-Day Delivery Culture
24:51 – Managing 1000s of Messages Per Day as a Consultant
26:30 – Managing a Team at 25: Kelly's Fast-Track Promotion Story
28:22 – What is a Coffee Chat? (Definition for Tech/SWE Students)
30:19 – Coffee Chats: The "LeetCode" of Networking for Consultants
34:59 – Why SWE Students Are Under-Utilizing Coffee Chats
35:49 – How to Stand Out to Hiring Managers (From Someone Who Interviewed 200+ Candidates)
37:27 – Tactics to Maximize Your Coffee Chats
40:04 – Making People Feel Like Experts: The Interview Approach
42:09 – Networking for People Who Hate Small Talk
44:12 – How to Ask Smart Questions Even When You're Lost
46:55 – What Separates Candidates Who Get Offers from Those Who Don't
49:09 – The STAR Method: Common Mistakes to Avoid
50:37 – Beyond STAR: Adding Impact & Philosophy to Interview Answers
52:44 – Communication Frameworks Consultants Use (That SWE Students Should Learn)
55:07 – Zoom Out, Zoom In, Zoom Forward Framework
58:31 – What Do You Think About Quiet Quitting?
58:53 – The Great Lock-In: Gen Z's Shift from Quiet Quitting to Locking In
1:00:43 – Gen Z in the Workforce: A Millennial's Perspective
1:02:15 – Millennials vs Gen Z: Different Approaches to Work & Rules
1:04:42 – Social Media's Impact on Generational Work Styles
1:05:52 – Advice for Burnt-Out 22-Year-Old Software Engineers
1:08:57 – Where to Connect with Kelly (Sunday Chats on Instagram)
1:09:40 – Outro

#12: How She Got a Six-Figure LinkedIn Offer (When Everyone Else Was Rejected)17 Oct 202501:20:01

Today, I talk with Angel — a LinkedIn engineer who landed a $100K+ offer when almost everyone else was getting rejected. We dive into the five strategies that helped her stand out: from securing return offers and mastering brutal honesty, to building a powerful network and winning the mindset game. We also break down what separates candidates who actually get offers from those who don’t, the reality behind new grad deadlines, and how to market yourself like top engineers do. If you’re a CS student, new grad, or anyone aiming for a six-figure software engineering job in today’s competitive tech market, this episode of the SWE Accelerator Podcast 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=LinkedInEngineer_$100K+_EveryoneRejected&video=TTJgRG8HbIY


🚀 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 How Angel Landed a $100K+ Offer at LinkedIn and the Journey That Got Her There
10:12 The Software Engineering Accelerator That’s Helping Students Land Jobs Fast
20:49 How Angel Graduated Caltech With a 4.0 GPA: Her Exact Study Strategies
27:08 Does Your Algorithms Class Actually Help in Interviews?
30:52 The Moment Angel Realized No One Really Knows Everything (And That’s Okay)
39:04 Is Software Engineering Still Worth It in 2025? The Truth About AI Taking Over
53:13 Turning Passion Into Work — And Why It Can Sometimes Backfire
1:01:52 Moving to NYC? Here’s How to Find Events and Build Real Connections
1:12:39 Angel’s Take on Making Long-Distance Relationships Work
1:18:04 The Future of Angel’s Brand and YouTube Channel

#11: How This 24-Year-Old Made $900K+ in Quant (After Meta Layoff)09 Oct 202501:32:25

Meet Helen, a 24-year-old quant who’s earned over $900K and is here to reveal what life is really like inside the quant world. We dive into how she landed Meta as her first internship, exposed the company publicly, why she walked away from an S-tier job, and the exact systems that helped her build a seven-figure career. If you’ve ever wondered what ‘quant’ really means, how to break in, or what it takes to thrive in one of the world’s most competitive tech roles — this episode is your blueprint.

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=Quant_$900K+_MetaLayoff&video=KVyCKFk4hcQ


🚀 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

👉 Check out Helen’s app here: https://apps.apple.com/za/app/sceneit-discover-movies/id6744046280 
👉 Follow Helen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helen.pdf?igsh=ODJ1dmttYmpkeDlt 
👉 Follow Helen on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweintern?_t=ZS-90PheTpF8xG&_r=1



⏱️ Timestamps:


00:00 The Harsh Reality of Interns, Burnout, and Why Quant Pays So Much
07:16 Was Meta Trying to Silence Her?
14:51 How Helen Landed Meta as Her First Internship
20:41 Aman Reveals the Accelerator That Guarantees You a Tech Internship
24:26 What Is Quant, Really? Helen Breaks It Down
31:59 Aman’s Hypothetical: “How Would You Get Into Quant If You Were Me?”
45:00 Inside Quant Culture: The Truth Few Talk About
49:39 Aman Drops His Free Resource on Landing SWE Jobs
50:12 Helen’s Confession: The Borderline Unethical Tactics People Use
1:02:27 2020 vs 2025: How the Tech Market Has Transformed
1:08:04 AI Is Writing Code Now: Here’s What That Means for You
1:11:20 Why Helen Quit Her S-Tier Quant Job
1:19:37 How to Land Your First Internship with No Experience
1:31:43 Leave A Rating and Review

#14: ex-Citadel Quant: The Exact Blueprint To Make $750,000/Year! (in 2026)27 Nov 202501:31:25

Today I sit down with Kevin Zhu — former Citadel quant and Palantir developer, to unpack how he built an unconventional, accelerated career in tech. We break down the systems he used to go from a struggling freshman to landing top-tier quant offers, what Citadel was actually like, why he walked away, and how he’s now pivoting toward meaningful AI research.

We also dive into whether CS is still worth it, the real math needed for quant roles, and how to build a career that’s both competitive and fulfilling. A must-listen for CS students, aspiring quants, and anyone navigating elite tech recruiting.


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=KevinZhu_Quant_Palantir&video=Trop--U5ncs


🚀 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

👉 Kevin’s AI Research Program (Algoverse): https://www.algoverseairesearch.org/?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=amanmanazir%0A
👉 Kevin’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW00d0U-WhIbyPDdu_gihCA
👉 Kevin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinzhu.ai/

👉 Kevin's Website: https://kevinzhu.ai


⏱️ Timestamps:


00:00 Introduction - Kevin's Journey to Citadel
01:44 Mastering High School Math at Age 12
05:01 The Kumon Experience and Future Plans
08:27 Growing Up in Suburban Illinois Schools
10:06 Parents as Professors - Early Lab Experience
12:05 Childhood Research and Lasting Friendships
14:09 Arriving at Berkeley - Culture Shock
18:23 First Semester Struggles and Winter Recovery
20:38 Building Study Systems That Actually Work
22:00 Self-Help Books and Productivity Deep Dive
25:00 Time Blocking Changed Everything
27:00 CS70 Discrete Math Breakthrough Moment
29:36 Breaking Into Competitive Tech Recruiting
31:27 The Startup to Amazon Pipeline
33:29 Landing Multiple Quant Offers
36:26 Goldman Sachs Quant Experience
38:48 Software Engineering Accelerator
42:38 Citadel Interview Process Deep Dive
45:00 Super Day - Multiple Interview Rounds
47:20 DRW Offer and Negotiation Strategy
49:29 $154/Hour at Age 21
50:42 Jane Street and Top Firms
52:40 Ken Griffin Stories and Headphones
54:15 Joining Palantir After Citadel
55:27 Why I Left Palantir Early
57:13 Leaving Quant Entirely - The Decision
59:47 Money Isn't Everything - Finding Meaning
1:02:40 Starting Algorverse AI Research Program
1:05:00 Paper Featured by OpenAI
1:06:20 Bell Labs for AI - The Vision
1:07:15 Mentorship vs Self-Teaching Debate
1:10:00 Math Requirements for Quant Careers
1:15:00 Upper Division Classes Strategy
1:19:06 AGI Timelines and AI Safety
1:23:40 Functioning Despite AI Concerns
1:26:59 Is CS Still Worth It?
1:28:54 The Future of Software Engineering

#15: Networking Expert: "F*ck College, Do Internships Instead!"10 Dec 202501:09:21

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

#1 Tech Influencer Exposes the Brutal Truth About the 2026 Job Market03 Apr 202601:14:06

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

Apple PM: The Secret Playbook to Get Hired in 2026!23 Mar 202601:23:51

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

The Quant Historian: Quant Is Dying! This Is What’s Next15 Mar 202601:16:48

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

Tesla AI Recruiter Exposes Why Most Engineers Will Fail the AI Pivot24 Feb 202600:57:55

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

AI Agents Expert: How Every Software Engineer Can Make $20k/Month Passively!05 Feb 202601:00:37

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

Oracle Senior Software Engineer: The US Job Market is F*cked!21 Jan 202601:13:16

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

Meta Software Engineer: “Didn't Study CS, Still Made $500k/Year!”17 Jan 202601:08:54

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

TikTok AI Engineer: Anyone Can Break Into AI, But Most People Won’t!29 May 202601:03:33

Sourish walked away from a $250K TikTok ML job with no plan, self-studied AI, and landed at one of Silicon Valley's hottest AI labs. 
Now he interviews candidates himself and he's exposing exactly what it takes to get in.

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=SourishAI_TikTok&video=1kZDGkReE6w

🚀 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

👉 Sourish's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sourishk07 
👉 Sourish's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sourish07?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios


⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:30 Quitting TikTok With No Plan
05:57 The $250K Compensation Breakdown
07:10 What He Couldn't Say While Inside
08:15 Chinese-Only Culture At ByteDance
10:56 The TikTok Ban From The Inside
12:30 Life After Quitting: The Reset
14:26 Why Video Diffusion Changed Everything
16:51 When Job Hunting Actually Started
17:57 Second Recruiting Cycle Was Harder
20:15 Companies He Talked To
20:46 Why He Chose Luma AI
22:04 What Luma AI Actually Does
23:06 His Role: Optimizing The Inference Stack
23:33 Roadmap To Land At A Top AI Lab
26:14 How Long Should You Actually Study
27:23 Quit Or Study On The Side
28:14 How To Know When You're Ready
29:35 How To Get In Front Of Companies
30:26 Which Networking Events Are Worth It
32:20 What Startups Actually Ask In Interviews
33:10 How Many Interviews Before Luma
33:41 Why Experience Changes The Game
36:05 Breaking Down AI Company Types
41:23 Salary Ranges Across AI Companies
43:49 Highest Salaries He's Heard Of
44:31 What He Sees Interviewing Candidates
46:37 10 Years At Google Still Failed
47:43 The Harvard Candidate Who Got Caught Cheating
49:30 Should Interviews Go Back In Person
52:11 Philosophy On Learning Hard Things Fast
56:24 Are We Training Ourselves To Be Useless
58:01 Hot Takes: Are SWEs Cooked
58:22 Should You Still Major In CS
58:50 Big Tech Vs AI Startup In 2026
59:41 Is The Big Tech Dream Dead
1:00:09 Is LeetCode Still Relevant
1:00:31 The AI Belief He Got Totally Wrong

AI Interview Founder: Big Tech’s New Coding Interview Explained!22 May 202600:49:39

NeetCode just invested in the company trying to kill LeetCode. 
Aman sits down with Rounds founder Fardeen Khimani to break down why tech hiring is broken, which companies are ditching LeetCode, what's replacing it, and what every engineer needs to do to get hired in 2026.

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=RoundsLeetcode&video=Ld3vyudRY68

Stop sending hundreds of applications into the void. Take one free technical assessment and have companies reach out to YOU: startups to Fortune 500s, $100K-$300K+ roles 👉 https://www.rounds.so/partnerships/aman-manazir

🚀 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

👉 Round's Website: https://www.rounds.so
👉 Round's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fardeenkhimani/


⏱️ Timestamps:


00:00 Introduction
02:30 NeetCode Invested In His Competition
04:30 How Rounds Landed Fortune 500 Clients
07:41 Why Engineering Managers Hate LeetCode
08:55 The Cheating Epidemic Breaking Tech Hiring
09:21 What C-Suite vs Engineers Actually Want
10:30 Steel Manning LeetCode's Case
13:31 Why LeetCode Favors The Wealthy
17:30 Which Companies Are Killing LeetCode First
19:55 Meta, Google & Amazon Ranked
20:33 What's Actually Replacing LeetCode
21:53 The New Technical Interview Breakdown
22:48 Is LeetCode Completely Dead?
23:30 System Design, Behavioral & AI Rounds Explained
27:07 How To Prepare For The New Interview
27:55 Are Entry Level Roles Actually Cooked?
31:44 Why The Market Isn't As Bad As You Think
35:37 What A Successful Engineer Looks Like Now
37:30 Why CS Is Still Worth Studying
39:33 How To Actually Network (Do This Instead)
41:00 Startups vs Big Tech Hiring Differences
42:30 Big Tech Golden Handcuffs Warning
43:30 Where The Next Big Opportunities Are
45:28 The Story That Proves LeetCode Is Dead

How This Ex-Google Engineer Made $1.2M & Quit in the Worst Market Ever08 May 202601:06:54

She made $1.2M at Google, then quit with 4 offers in the worst market ever.

Ex-Google Senior Engineer Maddy Zhang breaks down how she escaped golden handcuffs, landed offers at OpenAI, Meta and Databricks, and what every engineer needs to know about promotions, AI engineering and surviving the AI takeover of SWE.

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=MaddyZhang_GoogleEngineer&video=7JwZHBfYFdk

🚀 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

👉 Maddy's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@maddyzhang?si=5QlcdxOXkeWYTriM 
👉 Maddy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeline.m.zhang?igsh=YmtjM2djN3Vid3Bj


⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:35 Why She Left Google After 4.5 Years
04:01 Her $315K Google Salary Revealed
04:28 The Golden Handcuffs Problem
04:56 The Moment She Decided To Leave
06:44 What She Was Looking For Next
07:32 12 Companies, 4 Offers, Full Time Job
09:34 Internal Promotion vs Jumping Ship
11:00 How She Managed Energy While Recruiting
12:42 What A Code Freeze Actually Is
14:03 Why Referrals Matter More Than Ever
15:21 Wildest Interview Stories
17:45 What Is A Frontier Model Lab
18:04 Who AI Engineers Actually Are
18:43 AI Researcher vs AI Engineer Explained
19:19 Do You Need A PhD For AI
20:01 Skills Nobody Talks About But Jobs Want
21:00 How To Break Into AI Engineering
22:08 How To Actually Get Interviews
22:58 What The Interview Loop Looks Like
25:05 AI Assisted Interviews Are Here
27:30 Why Google Rejected AI Interviews
28:48 How Different Companies Hire Differently
30:06 Honest AI Engineer Salary Ranges
32:32 47 Rejections Before Her First Internship
34:04 How She Stopped Taking Rejection Personally
35:24 How Important Is That First Internship
37:08 The Waterloo Co-op System Explained
38:13 Does GPA Actually Matter
41:09 Her Manager Pushed Her To Promote Early
44:22 What To Do With A Bad Manager
45:40 How To Ask For Promotion Packets
47:04 How Reorgs Affected Her Career
48:09 Why Reorgs Happen And How To Survive
49:58 Will Software Engineering Exist In 5 Years
51:34 Advice For Terrified CS Freshmen
52:27 Is Google Still The Top Dog
53:43 Is LeetCode Dead In 2026
54:20 Hot Take: Is LeetCode Actually Valuable
56:35 Why People Hate LeetCode
57:54 Has She Ever Used A Linked List
58:03 AI Cheating Is Everywhere Right Now
1:00:36 Does Anyone Actually Get Away With It
1:03:02 Do Personal Projects Actually Matter
1:03:55 The Truth About Job Hopping
1:05:13 She Outlasted 80% Of Google's Workforce

#1 Tech Comedian Reacts To The Most Viral Engineering News22 Apr 202600:54:59

"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


⏱️ 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

The Girl Who Did Everything Wrong and Still Landed Big Tech15 Apr 202600:55:38

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


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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
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

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