SWE New Grad (USA)

Pivoted to tech via OMSCS (GA Tech). I did the Computing Systems specialization, 4.0 GPA, 0 YOE in tech but 5 YOE in an unrelated field (Philosophy undergrad). Not much GitHub activity aside from a fe

Pivoted to tech via OMSCS (GA Tech). I did the Computing Systems specialization, 4.0 GPA, 0 YOE in tech but 5 YOE in an unrelated field (Philosophy undergrad). Not much GitHub activity aside from a few minor hobby projects over the past few years. I applied to a couple of entry-level roles last fall during my final semester (depicted here). The one that I failed was still during school, so I didn't really have time to prepare. The other online assessment came in right after I finished my coursework, so I just focused entirely on preparing over the past 3 months instead of applying to other jobs (not sure I'd recommend doing that). This chart does not reflect the dozens of internships I applied to over the past couple of years and never heard back from. As an aside, the one role for which I got a referral ultimately led to a job; I think this shows how most applications are never even looked at by an actual person. Overall, it was definitely a mix of hard work, timing, and good luck. Hope this helps counteract a bit of the doom and gloom!