SF vs New York: Lifestyle Differences

Today I sit down with Shreyas Kulkarni: a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle who came from India and turned his US Master's into a $10K profit instead of debt.

We break down how he paid just $12K total through TA hacks, his LinkedIn spam strategy for referrals, and the interview system that got him through 80-100+ interviews at Netflix, Meta, Amazon, and Google—including Meta's brand-new AI coding round. We also unpack the promotion framework that got him to $300-400K by 27, why layoffs are now algorithmic, and whether the US is still worth it for international students in 2025.

If you're breaking into tech or navigating the brutal new economy as an international student, this is a must-listen.

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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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⏱️ Timestamps:

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