Oracle Senior Software Engineer: The US Job Market is F*cked!

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I sat down with Shreyas, a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle who walked out of his US Master’s $10,000 richer instead of drowning in debt. Shreyas came from India where “dream salaries” were $12K/year. He paid just $12K total for his Master’s through TA hacks, landed a $30K Oracle internship, and now makes $300-400K at 27. We break down his playbook: the LinkedIn spam strategy for referrals, why he’s done 80-100+ interviews to stay sharp, Meta’s new AI-enabled coding round he tested first, and the promotion system that 10x’d his salary in two years.

Then the real talk: layoffs are now algorithmic, 15% PIP quotas hit every team, his LeetCode addiction, and whether the US is still worth it for international students in 2025. Plus: why he ditched SF’s tech bubble for New York.

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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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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

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