Cracked TOP Product based company with 5X Salary | From a Software Test Engineer to a Data Engineer!
Summary
TLDRIn this podcast, Mansa Nagraj interviews Sampriti Gupta, who transitioned from a software tester at Jio to a data engineer at Target. Sampriti shares her journey, discussing the challenges she faced, the preparation strategies she employed, and the importance of platforms like LinkedIn in her career advancement. She emphasizes the need for continuous learning, proper guidance, and leveraging LinkedIn for networking. Sampriti also highlights the significance of understanding interview questions, experimenting with career paths, and adapting to new technologies for achieving significant salary hikes and career growth.
Takeaways
- 😀 The speaker started with a package of 3.5 lakhs and experienced a significant salary increase after switching companies, highlighting the importance of continuous learning and skill development.
- 📚 Initially, the speaker referred to resources like Udemy and YouTube for learning but found them lacking in a structured approach, emphasizing the need for a clear learning path.
- 💼 The speaker's journey from a software tester to a data engineer involved self-preparation and internal interviews within the company, demonstrating the value of networking and internal opportunities.
- 🔍 The speaker found LinkedIn to be an effective tool for job applications and networking, receiving 90% of interview calls from LinkedIn, underscoring the platform's utility in professional development.
- 📈 The speaker's success in transitioning to a data engineer role was attributed to a combination of luck and preparation, highlighting the importance of being proactive in career development.
- 📘 The speaker recommended a structured learning path for big data technologies, citing the lack of clear resources in 2020 and the eventual discovery of a comprehensive course on LinkedIn.
- 📊 The speaker emphasized the importance of understanding the company's domain and projects before applying, as this knowledge can help in interviews by demonstrating how one can contribute to the team.
- 💡 Engaging on LinkedIn was a key strategy for the speaker, who connected with professionals in their domain and leveraged the platform to showcase their skills and interests.
- 📋 The speaker faced challenges in understanding interview questions and emphasized the need to comprehend questions fully before answering, suggesting a pause to think before responding.
- 🚀 The speaker's significant salary increase was attributed to learning new technologies at the right time and seizing opportunities when they arose, illustrating the impact of timing and adaptability in career growth.
Q & A
What was Sampriti's starting salary and how much did it increase after switching companies?
-Sampriti started with a salary of 3.5 lakh INR, and after switching companies, her salary increased by approximately 450 to 500 percent.
What resources did Sampriti use for learning new technologies when she was preparing for her role as a data engineer?
-Sampriti initially used Udemy and YouTube for learning but later found a more structured course on LinkedIn, which she found very helpful.
How did Sampriti prepare for transitioning from a software tester to a data engineer?
-Sampriti started preparing by learning new technologies on her own. She took a structured course on LinkedIn and spent significant time preparing for interviews and building relevant skills.
What strategies did Sampriti use to get interview calls from top companies?
-Sampriti actively engaged on LinkedIn, made good connections, asked for referrals, and applied to many companies. She received 90% of her interview calls through LinkedIn.
What types of interview rounds did Sampriti face for product-based companies?
-Sampriti faced rounds that included data structures and algorithms (DSA), SQL questions, technical discussions on Spark and Scala, system design, and a hiring manager round.
Which technologies were most commonly tested in Sampriti's interviews for data engineering roles?
-The most commonly tested technologies were Spark, SQL, Hive, Kafka, and both SQL and NoSQL databases.
What challenges did Sampriti face during her interviews?
-One major challenge was understanding the interview questions precisely. She had to learn to take a pause, understand the question, and then provide a concise and relevant answer.
How did Sampriti handle the preparation and application process for new job opportunities?
-Sampriti researched the companies she was applying to, understood their domains, and tailored her preparation to align with the company's needs and job requirements.
What advice does Sampriti have for individuals preparing for big data interviews?
-Sampriti advises having a clear and proper pathway, experimenting initially to find the right career fit, and then sticking to and mastering the chosen path. She also emphasizes the importance of showcasing oneself well, particularly on LinkedIn.
How did Sampriti manage her time to focus on her career development?
-Sampriti deactivated her Instagram account for six months and used that time to engage on LinkedIn, which helped her build valuable connections and prepare for new job opportunities.
Outlines
🚀 Career Transition from Software Tester to Data Engineer
The speaker, Gupta, shares her journey from being a software tester at Jio to becoming a data engineer at Target. She discusses her initial role as a test engineer and her decision to switch to the Big Data domain. Gupta emphasizes the importance of learning new technologies and the role of LinkedIn in her career progression. She also mentions her preparation for government exams and how she realized her preference for corporate life, leading her to explore different domains like Android and big data.
📚 Learning Pathways and Resources for Big Data
Gupta talks about her struggle to find a proper learning path for big data technologies. Initially, she relied on Udemy and YouTube, but found the resources lacking a comprehensive pathway. She eventually discovered a Big Data program on LinkedIn, which she found to be highly beneficial. Despite the initial hesitation due to the cost, she found the course to be a great investment, as it provided a clear roadmap and helped her secure interviews with top companies. Gupta also highlights the importance of engaging on LinkedIn to increase visibility and opportunities.
🔍 Strategies for Overcoming Interview Challenges
Gupta shares her strategies for getting interview calls and overcoming challenges as a tester transitioning to a data engineer role. She emphasizes the importance of networking on LinkedIn and leveraging connections for referrals. Gupta also discusses her approach to researching companies before interviews, understanding their domain, and preparing to demonstrate how she can contribute to their team. She mentions the differences in interview processes between service-based and product-based companies, highlighting the common requirement of Data Structure and Algorithm (DSA) rounds.
💼 Insights on Interview Experiences and Technology Focus
Gupta provides insights into her interview experiences, discussing the major technologies tested during interviews, such as Spark, SQL, Hive, and Kafka. She also mentions the importance of understanding the company's domain and conducting thorough background research. Gupta shares her strategy of engaging with professionals in her domain on LinkedIn, which helped her gain valuable advice and learn from their experiences. She advises job seekers to be prepared for technical discussions and to showcase their skills effectively.
💼 Significant Salary Hike and Advice for Aspiring Data Engineers
Gupta discusses her substantial salary increase, attributing it to continuous learning and seizing opportunities at the right time. She advises job seekers to have a clear pathway for learning and to be prepared to experiment with different roles. Gupta emphasizes the importance of showcasing oneself effectively, particularly on LinkedIn, and suggests focusing on engaging with professionals in one's domain. She also shares her personal strategy of deactivating social media to dedicate more time to professional networking and skill development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Software Tester
💡Data Engineer
💡Big Data
💡Udemy
💡Automation Test Engineer
💡Spark
💡SQL
💡Hive
💡Salary Hike
💡DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms)
Highlights
The speaker started with a package of 3.5 lakhs and experienced a significant salary hike of 450 to 500 percent after switching jobs.
Initially referred to Udemy and YouTube for learning resources but found them lacking a clear learning path for big data technologies.
90 percent of the interview calls were received from LinkedIn, emphasizing its importance in job hunting.
The speaker deleted Instagram for six months to focus time on LinkedIn, highlighting the strategy of prioritizing professional networking.
Engaged in various roles, starting as a software tester at Jio, then moving to a big data domain, and eventually becoming a data engineer at Target.
The journey from a software tester to a data engineer involved internal interviews and support from management within the company.
The speaker faced challenges in identifying the exact technologies needed to learn for a big data engineer role.
A significant turning point was the decision to invest in a Big Data course on LinkedIn, which was initially expensive but ultimately valuable.
The speaker emphasized the importance of a clear and concise learning path in big data technologies.
Engagement on LinkedIn was crucial, leading to interview calls from top companies including Google, Amazon, and Uber.
The speaker applied to numerous companies but received the majority of interview calls through LinkedIn, showcasing the platform's effectiveness.
Background research on companies before interviews was highlighted as a key strategy for understanding company domains and project work.
The interview process varied between service-based and product-based companies, with differences in initial technical rounds.
Major technologies tested in interviews included Spark, SQL, Hive, Kafka, and knowledge of cloud services.
The speaker faced challenges in understanding precise interview questions and emphasized the importance of clear comprehension.
The speaker advised on the importance of showcasing oneself effectively on platforms like LinkedIn.
Experimentation with different roles and technologies was encouraged, but once a path is chosen, it's crucial to stick to it and learn thoroughly.
Timing is crucial in learning new technologies, and being early in the adoption can lead to significant career advancements.
Transcripts
like I started with packages 3.5 lakh
but then when I switched here like if I
calculate the difference it's
approximately like 450 to 500 percent of
high I was very confused like what are
the exact technologies that I need to
learn at the beginning I refer to udemy
and YouTube but they want any many
resources ten percent of the companies I
applied to but 90 of the calls I got
from LinkedIn itself I deleted Instagram
for like six months and then I used to
spend that time on LinkedIn because like
you know ultimately you do not have that
much time so you have to come to myself
but hey folks welcome to trendy Tech
this is Mansa nagraj I hope you're all
doing great I'm back again with an
amazing podcast especially for those
buddies who are from testing domains
well if you are a software tester and
easily wanting to change your career
path then this podcast is just for you
well our test for today is who started
off her journey as a software tester in
jio and now successfully working in one
of the top product based companies
Target as a data engineer Shani listened
to her story let's Jump Right In hi
sampriti firstly a very warm welcome to
you and thank you for sparing some time
out and joining the podcast today to
share your experience which will be
helping a lot of our audience out here
um really looking forward to know your
journey it would be excellent if you
could uh give a brief introduction about
yourself and then we can get started
from there thanks Mansa for inviting me
and I'm really glad to share my
experiences over here in this platform
so I'll tell a little bit about myself
so my name is Gupta I graduated in 2019
and I joined uh jio platforms limited as
a test engineer and then I like I worked
for as a test engineer for like one and
a half years and then I switched to the
Big Data domain and I worked at Geo for
like for three years and then uh I
switched another company which is a
Target and right now I'm working as a
data engineer at Target that's um
excellent from a software tester to a
data engineer that's quite a journey I
suppose right awesome that's really nice
and um uh well I'm really curious to
know the reason for changing from a
testing profile to a big data developer
role if you could like State your reason
for it yeah like uh when I joined as a
tester I was actually uh at that time I
have exams also like government exams so
certain like uh and all all these exams
so I thought like uh if I join jio as
tester there won't be much workload and
I'll be able to prepare but then like
things took a turn and then I somehow I
realized that no I don't want to get
into that field so I started preparing
for the another domain which is like I I
thought that it will be suited to my
skill set so then I uh and after just
after that like in around May 2020 I got
into automation test engineer then I
worked as a automation test engineer for
like six months and then
um I started interviewing for the
different roles internally in my company
only and then luckily uh like I talked
to my manager and reached out to the VP
of that team which I wanted to get into
and then luckily they uh helped me to uh
find the role which was a data years old
and I was really looking forward to it
like I was also preparing for that role
so I interviewed and got selected over
there and this is how I switched to my
domain like you can say I also got lucky
but I was also preparing at the same
time to get into that role so yeah this
is how I got there
yeah so um how did you start preparing
yourself to get to the data engineering
field like as in did you learn through
the online resources or did you take up
any courses and uh how helpful were they
uh you know like in sharpening your
skills that is with the big data
Technologies
okay so firstly like when I got started
uh uh it was a team where the they just
told that you have to learn these
Technologies there was no training and
in any such thing so we were learning by
ourselves only and then I took some time
in like four or three four months I
started preparing myself from various
resources but uh you know like I was
getting one problem that uh I was
lacking a proper the path I was since
Victoria was very new to me and at that
time like around 2020 there were weren't
many courses which were which had a
proper Pathway to uh be a big data
engineer so I was very confused like
what are the exact technologies that I
need to learn and then um I was also
confused about like what kind of
resources how much is essential how what
I can eliminate and uh so these
questions are always there in mind so I
like I start at the beginning either
four to udemy and and YouTube but there
weren't any many resources like
um there was like partial trainings
small uh set of questions and all these
things so uh I was actually looking for
the proper pathway and then um I came
across this so uh some metal Source
course Big Data program on LinkedIn and
then I reached out to him but then when
I actually uh like when she'll be
reached out to me regarding this program
and then I heard the fees and I was like
this is quite much so I was a bit
hesitated but then after a few months I
I tried looking for other resources like
this like a proper pathway but I didn't
get any and then I uh saw his video on
YouTube so I was quite impressed like I
I as soon as I watched the video I was
like yeah I think this is worth spending
I can spend this much of money so um I
reached out to him again in January 2022
and then I purchased the Big Data course
and then I took the course and like in
April only I started applying to where
these companies like
um not much but most of the cases I was
getting calls from LinkedIn itself so I
started applying or rejected a few times
but uh yes the journey was great the
course was amazing like I I could not
get any uh such concise and clear
Concepts in any other course or any
other program oh yeah this was nice yeah
so that was a really a different um
experience that you shared and uh well a
course like that would have really
boosted your confidence I suppose with a
complete road map in itself like
um I mean like yeah that's something
that would give you the confidence to
attend uh or work on projects as well
yes excellent um samridi and um yeah for
moving on to the next question what I
wanted to know is um see um I have seen
that recruiters always look for
experienced folks right and um did you
kind of like face any challenges in
getting the interview calls or since you
were from the testing domain right if
yes then what strategies did you follow
to overcome those challenges or from is
it like you had a completely different
experience uh if you did then it'll be
nice if you could share it with us yeah
sure like uh as I told like I had
already switched to a data engineer role
in my company but uh when I was applying
the relevant experience was too less for
that so uh what I did was I started
engaging on LinkedIn I I like uh it
wasn't a creative account back then but
uh yeah I tried to make good connections
which have good reach so uh I connected
those people I asked for referrals from
some of those and then uh and somehow
gradually I started getting calls from
the LinkedIn itself like uh very good
companies you it's in including Fang and
a lot of companies like Google Amazon
Uber also Uber Karim from Dubai and then
now Flipkart
um these like these companies I got
calls from reached out from LinkedIn
itself so yeah this was my journey and
uh I did deployed to a lot of companies
but uh like nine ten percent of the
companies I applied to but 90 of the
calls I got from LinkedIn itself so I
would say like it's a great tool if you
use it to the fullest it's an amazing
tool I agree on that yeah yeah true true
I agree uh especially for people who are
focusing on specific companies um then
LinkedIn is a very good platform where
you can leverage and uh you know like
get good opportunities as well I totally
agree on that
um well so uh you said you got to it in
a lot of interviews uh how many
companies were you interviewed for and
uh I would also like to know how similar
or how different were they in their
interview process
okay so I uh I interviewed for like 20
25 companies and around 95 of them were
product patients like my company jio was
already a very good company I was like
enjoying the work over there so uh like
I when I was looking for the switch I
thought like it it had already set some
standards so I was looking for the much
like some where I can get to learn more
and Hike also these things I was taking
into consideration so uh I most of the
time I applied for the product based
companies also and I was looking for
specific domains like I had made a list
of the companies that I really want to
apply for I checked what kind of domain
they work on what kind of projects are
they working on currently and like uh
even if I'm applying for any company
like I always used to do a background
research of what how uh what is this
Revenue going on right now and how much
uh what kind of domains they are working
on and
where they stand in the World list of
Forbes in Fortune list so all these
things I used to do a background
resource and then I used to apply so
that I'm already aware of what kind of
questions I can expect and how can I
contribute to their team becoming a team
member so that is I think most of the
times recruiters are looking for like
how can how can you be helpful to their
team so this uh I took this part into
consideration and when at you know like
after every interview there's a feedback
session so like they ask you the
interviewers ask you to ask certain
questions so that is I guess a game
changer when you're applying for
companies so if you make them realize
that what they're looking for is
actually you what do you possess so um
that is really helpful when when you're
applying it's yeah that's nice like the
approach and the and your thought
process especially with that and your
work in like trying to understand the
company doing the research on before
giving the interviews that's really
excellent that's a good takeaway for
this session and also were there any
differences in the interview
um levels that they had like supposed
service based companies or product based
companies were there any major
differences or like all of them had the
similar kind of you know like um
interview rounds
so yeah that's
yeah that's the one major difference is
TSA like uh in 90 of the companies you
will have a DSA round and you'll have to
clear that so that is a major difference
and like you'll get this difference in
the first round itself like in service
ways when you're applying the first
round is generally uh the SQL and this
McQ questions whereas where in product
based they generally have BSA and if
you're applying for data rules then
you'll have SQL questions as well so
these are generally the first rounds and
then after that most of the rounds are
similar like technical discussions will
be there it'll be asked to write certain
code on spark and Scala and whatever
languages like you have worked on python
or anything and then there'll be two
three technical interviews
um one will definitely be the SQL round
which is uh where you'll be asked
complex SQL questions and the DSA round
and then next will be the hiring manager
down so uh and in some cases there was
also a system Design Round like uh this
is something I faced in Flipkart the
first round was the
um this round a data Design Round so
they asked like they gave me some
queries and they asked me to design a
system around those queries like find
out what kind of tables you'll be using
find out what kind of attributes you'll
be using in that and then build a whole
architecture so that the query fits in
that architecture and you're able to
find the solution so this kind of rounds
will uh can be expected for senior roles
also well my next question would be
somewhere around the interview rounds
itself like what were the major
technologies that you feel were tested
for in the interviews like
um the Technologies whether it is Park
high or cloud services what do you think
had the major
um attention for
okay so majorly it is Spark
spark is something which is very common
across all the companies using big data
technology so this is one thing and then
SQL is something basic that you need to
know uh for a big data engineer and then
it depends on company to company like
some companies are using Kafka some are
using Hive some are using both then I if
if somebody is applying for it like I
I'd say one is SQL then other is spark
and the third is uh like Hive is also
important Hive in Kafka and the next
would be one nosql database and one SQL
data basic you can take any like Oracle
is my Sequel and on the side you can
take any um like HPS or the mongodb
Cassandra any one or one or two so this
way the companies like this this is what
they're looking for and also like if you
know the cloud Technologies and if
they're working on it that is always a
plus were there any challenges that you
face during the interviews like um with
answering the questions or or anything
as such like if you would like to share
and the biggest challenge that I faced
during interviews was unable to identify
what people are actually looking for
like some it sometimes what the uh what
it has is like they ask you a question
which is very precise and you're not
able to comprehend it and you give uh
give some other answers like you're not
able to exactly understand the question
and and uh answer it uh in a way that it
doesn't you're just beating around the
post sometimes so that is very important
like you need to First understand the
questions really well like one of those
questions was um
um I I remember in one of the interviews
I faced this question why you should not
use a UDF so I I could not comprehend it
at that point and I I will I answered it
some like
um it's like it is not good for it
sometimes you have to use UDF it is not
good for uh like it uh it does affect
the performance but it is very important
sometimes so I answered it like that but
then uh at the in the feedback session
like he told me that you have to answer
the question in a certain way like what
you have to understand what they are
asking so what they were asking is why
you should avoid a UDF so it was the
answer could have been like
um uh it since it affects the
performance it affects uh the Catalyst
optimization so this kind of uh answer I
had to give but I was like I uh went to
some different path and then I answered
it a different way so then I started
keeping these things in my mind like how
I have to answer the certain question
and first I have to understand what they
exactly looking for then like I can take
a pause of two three seconds think
properly and then answer so this is
something I worked upon in in health
also I totally agree with you and I can
totally relate to that as well maybe
because of the nervousness or during the
interviews you might not be able to
comprehend it as you mentioned but yeah
that's a learning and you would be able
to get a better way of handling things
like as you mentioned take your time a
little bit of pause yourself and
understand what they're asking and then
respond that's a really nice approach
that you got to learn from that
interview nice yeah
um yes now coming to the most favorite
uh question by the audience um so they
would like to know like uh I mean most
of them would be interested in the high
percentage that you would have got like
um and how did you manage to get uh you
know a really commendable hike on your
salary
okay so like uh like most of the people
from Jersey colleges I also come from
tr3 college so I got uh like I started
with uh packages 3.5 lakhs but you're
like uh in my previous company also I
got very good hikes but then when I
switched here like if I calculate the
difference it's approximately like 450
to 500 percent of hike and uh it's just
like uh learning things and uh looking
for a proper pathway looking for proper
guidance and just keep on learning uh
things at the right time timing is very
important I'd say like if there's a new
technology and there is a there's an
immediate need for it and you learn it
and then you'll get very good hikes that
is for sure so these are the things like
you have to take uh immediate steps you
have to take quick steps to learn and
Implement things and I'm also very time
people to my previous company and why
cutting companies like they gave me
proper opportunities when I was looking
for it I got it so this is like uh this
was an advantage that I got Celine yeah
right
um well lastly um it was really nice uh
you know like talking to you and um
knowing your experience but um lucky I
would like to know if you have any
suggestions uh you know like for advice
or tips to the audience who are
preparing for the Big Data interviews oh
yeah like I I would say like uh find
something like uh have a proper pathway
like it's okay to experiment I was also
experimenting like initially when I
joined uh my first company I was uh
experimenting with like which kind of
jobs I should go to I Was preparing for
some government exams then I thought no
I think I the corporate life is quite
better like it suits me well so I
started preparing for that I learned I
was in testing then I learned Android
then I learned big data so it is always
good to experiment when you're not clear
with things but then like when you
decide something just just stick to it
and learn it properly and then appear
for interviews so that would be a very
helpful I guess and the second thing is
if you are the like looking for
opportunities learn to Showcase your
self well so this is very important like
uh in my case I chose LinkedIn so uh I
used to like engage with the people I
used to
um like interact with connect with
people from my domain and uh you know it
gives you some perspective like uh when
you are actually talking to a person who
is the at the position you want to reach
you will definitely get some more the
other advice some good advices and you
can also learn from their mistakes like
what can what they did at their time so
that they they could not achieve it uh
sooner so these uh the things that are
really helpful I guess so at the same
time when you're preparing you can just
like uh in my case also like I deleted
Instagram for like six months and then I
used to spend that time on LinkedIn
because like you know ultimately you do
not have that much time so you have to
compromise a little bit on some or the
other part so I thought like let's like
properly deactivate it and then use that
one or a half an hour or one on on right
engaging on LinkedIn so it helped me a
lot like for me it worked so these are
the two things yeah it was it was really
great to know your journey your story
and um uh our audience have got a lot of
information from your in a lot of advice
as to how they can prepare themselves
and how to uh you know like strategize
and learn um the new technologies as and
when there are new technologies um and
that will help you in boosting your
career as well so um thanks a lot for
your time and thank you so much for uh
joining us today and um wishing you all
the very best and lots of successes
ahead in your career thank you so much
thank you thank you so much man so for
inviting me over here well if you
haven't subscribed to the channel yet do
subscribe and hit on the Bell icon for
more such notifications on interesting
podcasts and Big Data trends
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