SDE-1 Job Role at Amazon

Introduction

So you want to be a software developer at Amazon? You are at the right place :) 

Amazon is one of the best places to work and is well known for its startup culture despite being a well-established tech giant. You get to learn in a highly competitive environment, improve your skill sets while building tech solutions that impact billions of people across the globe, and, most importantly, work alongside brilliant people. These are just a few of the amazing perks you get as an Amazonian. 

Just like the services for which Amazon is known(which one is your favourite, though?), it also provides a fine working experience to its employees. 

You have set a goal to become Amazon SDE 1, and now it's time to plan and achieve it. Let’s do it. 😎  

In this article, we will cover everything you would probably need to know to land the Amazon SDE-1 role. So, hang tight till the end of this article.

What is the role of SDE 1 in Amazon?👩🏻‍💻

An SDE 1 is usually a new and amateur junior engineer and, most of the time, a college hire/fresher.

The potential candidates for the SDE 1 role should have a basic knowledge of computers and programming languages and an interest in learning and exploring. 

The key responsibilities of the SDE 1 position in Amazon are

• Work closely with the senior and principal engineers to deliver quality products. 
   
• Deliver high-quality and working production code.
   
• Contribute to tech talks, design discussions, patents, and innovation drives.
   
• Own development in multiple layers of the stack.
   
• Improve and measure the success metrics of the tech product built.

Salary of SDE 1💸

The salary for the SDE 1 role as per 2022 at Amazon for a fresher(Year of experience:0) can be broken down into the following components:

• Base salary - 15.5LPA INR
   
• Sign-on bonus first-year - 9.5LPA INR
   
• Sign-on bonus second year - 6LPA INR
   
• Stock Bonus  - INR 13,14,713 (Vested over 4 years in standard Amazon weightage(5%+15%+40%+40%))
   
• Relocation Bonus - 1.5L INR
   
• CTC - ~ 45,64,000 INR
   
• First-year Inhand: ~ 25,00,000 INR
   

( The figures presented above are subject to change by Amazon )

Skills Required🤹

The skills required for amazon SDE 1 are given below:

• Sound understanding of basic areas of Computer Science such as Algorithms, Data Structures, Object-Oriented Programming, and Databases.
   
• Excellent coding skills in an object-oriented language.
   
• Great problem-solving skills and propensity to learn and develop tech talent.
   
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
   
• Ability to think big about problem statements, recommend alternative technical approaches and build optimal solutions.
   

Note: The skills needed may vary depending on the nature of the project. 

Roadmap for SDE1 📈

Everything starts with preparation. In this section, we will discuss the complete roadmap to achieve the goal.🎯

It will help you put efforts in the right direction and remain consistent throughout the preparation.

Building Strong Foundation

Start by building your foundations strong. This is the most important and critical step which has the power to change your entire course of the future progress of your preparation. 

• Learn to code in any programming language of your choice like C++, Java or Python.
   
• Build a strong grasp of data structures and algorithms(DSA) concepts. You can check out this video below to gain more insights.
  
  Commonly used data structures, you should be familiar with are Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, HashMaps, Trees, Graphs and Heaps.
  Some of the important algorithms which are also commonly asked are String Manipulation, Two Pointers, Searching, Sorting, Backtracking, Bit Manipulation, and Dynamic Programming.

• While coding, always try to think about the time and space complexity of your solutions and try more than one approach.
   
• Prepare Computer Science fundamentals like OS, Computer Networks, and DBMS and understand the concepts intuitively rather than mugging up the terms. Prepare notes to revise quickly when interviews get closer.
   
• OOPS is very important from the interview point of view. Learn to code in any language of your choice using the OOPs paradigm and practice OOP features like Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance and  Polymorphism.

Practice for Interviews (~Last 6 Months)

Now that you are done with the fundamentals of coding and have built a strong grasp of the concepts, it's time to practice for the interviews. Yes, you got it right! 

Like coding tests, you also need to practice for interviews to ace them smoothly and give your best. 

You should:

• Focus on solving Data Structure and Algorithms Problems.
   
• Try to cover 100 % of all the topics. 
   
• Learn and apply good coding practices(most important) regularly. You can go through the design principles like DRY(Don’t Repeat Yourself), naming conventions for functions and variables, etc.

Check out Amazon Interview Experience and Amazon Interview Bundle to practice the curated list of programming questions asked in the technical rounds of Amazon.

Get Ready for Interviews(~Last 2 months)

In this section, you will learn what to do in the last 2 months to prepare for the interview. 

• Develop confidence in all the topics of data structures and algorithms.
   
• Work on the concepts you find difficult and revise them.
   
• Practice a few machine coding problems with readable code and proper design within a time limit. After attempting the question independently, go through the standard solutions and apply the learnings to future problems.
   
• Revise the notes of CS fundamentals.
   
• Try solving coding problems with pen and paper or a whiteboard to become familiar with the process.
   
• Give mock interviews to overcome nervousness during the actual interviews. It also builds self-confidence and helps you perform better. Here is a video you must watch which explains the 7 Best Ways To Do Well In Data Structures and Algorithms Interviews.

Ta-dah!

Now, You are all set to go 🚀

Bonus Tips as Icing on the Cake🧁

There are some skills which are always good to have and add a significant value to your resume hence increasing your chances of getting shortlisted over other candidates.

They also play an important role in making you a better programmer/developer. 

Apart from DSA and computer fundamentals, if you have sufficient time, you must explore at least one or all of these fields-

• Competitive programming (CP)
  CP is a buzzword when a student enters college. You may get varied opinions about whether to pursue it or not. But you should definitely give it a shot once, as it will sharpen your problem-solving skills and help you write working and bug-free code within a time limit in an online test like environment. Check out Competitive Programming, which contains a curated list of blogs to help you master CP from scratch.
   
• Open Source
  Try contributing to open-source projects, which will help you develop the skill to read and understand large codebases and collaborate with others on the same project.
   
• Good Projects
  Build some amazing personal projects to explore multiple fields: web development, app development, machine learning, etc. It also adds value to your resume and gives you an edge.
   
• Internships
  Try to grab an internship if possible, as it allows you to apply the skills you have learned and prepares you ahead. 

What after SDE 1? 🤔

You should know that Software Development Engineers are usually at 5 levels, namely SDE 1, SDE 2, SDE 3, Architect and Principal Architect. To be promoted to the next level, i.e. from SDE 1 to SDE 2 and even further, lots of hard work is required. One should have a crystal clear understanding of their domain, several design approaches and should be able to identify problems and write solutions.

Though technical skills are important, soft skills do play a pertinent role in increasing your chances of success, like the ability to work independently as well as in a team and having good working relationships with your peers. 

Must Read Product Based Companies in India.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many rounds are there in the Amazon SDE 1 interview?

There are a total of 5 rounds (1 online coding test + 4 interviews).

What is the role of SDE 1 in Amazon?

As an SDE 1, you will work with Senior Engineers at Amazon to evolve the design and architecture of the products owned by this team.

What does SDE 1 mean?

The candidate is assumed to have basic knowledge of computers with the intent to learn anything s/he is told and follow orders with reason and do them whether s/he likes them or not but does them.

Are Amazon Interviews hard?

Amazon's interview process can be hectic. However, the interview structure is quite the same every time, making it much easier to prepare and minimising surprises.

Does Bar Raiser ask technical questions?

No, technical interview questions are asked during other rounds of interviews during the Amazon interview process. Amazon's Bar Raiser Interview doesn't focus on technical questions. Bar Raisers focus on questions based on Amazon's leadership principles and other cultural-based aspects.