Finding a job in the US was (and still is) exceptionally cutthroat for Prinyanka Devi, especially when applying for STEM or computer science jobs.
A couple of months ago, Mohammed Wasim shared with us that it took him over 1,000 job applications to secure a job interview.
For PhD holder Ana María González Ángel, while she may have secured several positions in STEM in the US in the past, no one is willing to sponsor her work visa now.
But Devi has found a way to enter one of the toughest job markets in the US — by joining an industry less explored by computer science graduates.
Devi is currently a Business Intelligence Engineer II at Amazon. Source: Priyanka Devi Ramesh
The US is the place to be
It took playing a computer game for Devi to get curious about the instructions and systems behind computers.
“I loved how quickly everything moved in the game and how quickly your character responds to anything you ask for,” she says.
Devi has also watched family and friends who pursued computer science jobs find success in the field.
“Everything about the field fascinated me, and seeing how successful everyone was around me led me to choose this as my career path,” she gushes.
Fresh out of high school, Devi enrolled in a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering programme at Anna University, Chennai.
Towards the end of her undergraduate studies, she was given two choices: to pursue a master’s degree or apply for computer science jobs in India.
The answer was simple: move to the US, complete a master’s degree, and get a job.
“I stumbled upon stories of those who had moved abroad to the US for a better life than staying in India,” Devi says.
“Besides, my brother was completing his master’s in the US and was about to start his post-graduate job, and he told me what it was like. Hearing about it and seeing his success encouraged me to apply to US universities.”
She spent a year and a half prepping for the GRE and TOEFL. When she got her results, she started applying for master’s programmes in the US.
In 2018, Devi jetted off to Binghamton University (BingU), a public (and now a “new” Public Ivy League) university in New York, to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Science.
Devi is also a mentor on topmate.io. For every session booked, she’ll contribute to helping build digital libraries in underserved communities, distribute sanitary pads to girls in schools, and back young athletes to chase their dreams. Source: Priyanka Devi Ramesh
Taking a route less travelled in search of computer science jobs
Before moving to the US, Devi thought the country would give her better opportunities.
Instead, she felt disadvantaged. Everyone around me had three to four years of work experience before joining the master’s programme.
Devi didn’t — which spurred her to hunt for jobs.
“Back in the day, the diversity of computer science jobs wasn’t really known, so many folks were just going into data scientist or software engineer roles,” Devi recalls. “So many of the master’s students were specialising in roles they were already in.”
For Devi, her disadvantage became her greatest strength.
She completed all the computer science courses BingU offered, rather than specialising in one discipline.
“They focus on the specific discipline, and when they graduate, they only look for computer science jobs in that niche and not explore other opportunities,” she says. “And they only apply for computer science jobs in tech.”
That’s limiting. Devi took the opposite route — and found success.
Devi is also an Advisory Council Member for the Harvard Business Review. Source: Priyanka Devi Ramesh
A tip: Forget joining the tech industry, find experience elsewhere
Devi applied for a technical internship at Global Health Impact Project, a healthcare company, which she secured.
“Compared to the tech industry, I found that there were more opportunities in the healthcare industry for computer science students, so that’s why I applied for the role,” she shares.
She spent a year and a half in the role, and when it came time to graduate, she faced another bump in the road — she had 90 days to secure a job.
“Not only did I have to worry about my studies and paying off my loan, but I also had to look for a job,” she says. “The job didn’t necessarily have to sponsor me for a visa, as I would be given an Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work in the US legally, but to find a job in 90 days? It was a lot of pressure.”
Despite the pressure, she pulled through.
Applying her knowledge from what she learnt during her internship, Devi applied for a job in the healthcare industry, and yet again, secured a job as a Business Intelligence Analyst at Union Hospital.
Her time at Union Hospital did not end in vain — she built a dashboard that helped provide insights for the entire hospital, and it helped treat patients on time.
A third-party company working with the hospital caught wind of her success and contacted her to present her dashboard at their breakthrough conference, held every two years.
Thanks to her participation, Devi was invited to become an advisory council member at the Harvard Business Review, an extensively well-researched publication that covers almost every aspect of business.
However, after working at Union Hospital for two and a half years, she had to search for new computer science jobs that would sponsor her for an H1B visa.
“My three-year OPT was almost up, and I needed to look for a company to sponsor me,” Devi shares. “Besides, including my internship, I already have over three years of experience in the healthcare industry. I wanted to look for experience in a different industry.”
It was then that she stumbled upon a computer science job posting by Amazon for a business intelligence analyst role.
She applied, got the job, and got her H1B visa sponsorship.
Other than her computer science job, Devi is currently volunteering as a Women in Data Science Ambassador for WiDS Worldwide. Source: Priyanka Devi Ramesh
Want a job at Amazon? Here’s what to expect
Devi may seem like she has the dream computer science job but it wasn’t easy to get there.
It took her seven interviews.
“I have some friends who were working for Amazon before I joined, and I saw them prepare for the interviews,” Devi shares. “It took them days and nights to prepare, as the interviews are extremely tedious. It was for me as well.”
First round of interviews
For Amazon, the first round of the interview is an offline assessment.
“You’ll be asked to solve a set of questions,” Devi says. “You’ll be placed in a room to complete the assignment, and they will set a timer. Once it goes off, they’ll collect the assignment and evaluate your answers.”
If you pass, they’ll return to share the good news. If you don’t, well, that’s the end of the interviews for you.
Second round of interviews
“You’ll be moved to the next round, where it will be a one-on-one interview with a senior engineer or manager,” shares Devi. “You’ll be asked to solve a technical question.”
Devi was tasked with live coding.
“Personally, I don’t think they care much about whether you can solve the question, but they want to observe your thought process and how you solve the question,” she says.
The final five rounds
If you pass the second round of interviews, you’ll be invited for the last five rounds of the interview — also known as the “loop round.”
This is the hardest part of the interview.
“There will be five rooms and you’ll spend about 45 minutes in each room,” shares Devi. “The questions and tasks will be a mixture of technical and behavioural. Answering the behavioural questions was the hardest part for me.”
She was given a situation where she had to explain the task, what actions she would take, and what the outcome would be. And the answers she came up with could not be repeated.
The five interviews are done back-to-back too, with breaks given when needed.
“Once I got to the last round, I was so drained that I did not have the energy to continue, and I had to ask for a 10-minute break,” she laughs. “But no matter how hard it was, I realised it’s extremely important to answer the behavioural round well.”
And that’s how she was able to break her way into Amazon.
