Amazon will only hire students for entry level software engineering positions | Hacker News Reader

Amazon will only hire students for entry level software engineering positions

businessinsider.com

13 pointstparmar9 comments

Makes sense - they are cheaper, after all, and more willing to be exploited for longer hours and less pay due to their inexperience. Seems very much in line with Amazon's management practice in how they run their warehouses.

> The internal note said Amazon is making the change because of the "pipeline" of candidates available through student programs, but the memo nor Amazon's spokesperson clarified why the company believes campus hires are better than experienced industry candidates for entry-level positions.

> "For the foreseeable future, we are prioritizing ready-to-place candidates through Student Programs," the memo said.

I think what they are saying is its easier to recruit students as there is a pipeline but it's harder to find experienced people who would accept entry level comp at Amazon so they aren't going to bother. It's not that they think they are better, just easier to get.

Amazon is limiting who its considers for entry-level positions and will no longer take applications from experienced "industry" candidates.

In a way it makes sense. Entry-level work should be for entry-level developers. It's probably a fun experience for a new graduate exiting their program, and an opportunity if anything. I hope this inspires a company culture of promoting from within, and cultivating institutional knowledge and care for product. Sears used to be like that, though I guess in retrospect they're a terrible example as they failed - there was a time though where their model for the consumer just could not be beat, which I attribute that 'growing the employee' strategy. It all started with service to the consumer and enrichment of the team providing it.

But it ends up costlier for a company because you have to train them. Where as slightly experienced developers can be productive immediately at no extra cost.

ah yes, the curse of the new hire who needs training. a plight among us.

This is not new. Most orgs would only be allowed to take SDE1s directly out of college. In fact, things started sucking so bad for our ability to hire in the past few years that those new grads would go through a much more automated/lightweight process that included no bar raisers.

Everyone I’ve ever known who was exceptionally good at this had two qualities: they started very young and taught themselves. I can’t imagine anyone requiring the instruction as an adult to be exceptional.

https://archive.is/X1mG1

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