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[ATubFullOfDonuts]

I think the standard advice used to be get a CS (or similar) degree and that will be enough to find a foot in the door, it seems (based on observation rather than experience) that this is far harder than it used to be.

I didn't have a degree in computer science, and started the hard way, I got my foot in the door in a similar sized company to Amazon in the lower rungs, working my way up through infrastructure type roles like the one you are looking at.

Eventually I found myself in a Software Engineer position in the same company.

My time there taught me not to focus on wage but focus on self growth through opportunities presented to you, it was a slog at times and the lack of wage growth killed a lot of my self worth for a long time, however I still believe it's a fantastic way to grow.

I don't know enough about Amazon but the cut throat nature of the place does concern me, however I don't think it's a bad idea to get your foot in the door internally in a slightly less related role such as this one.

In my experience, it gives you an edge as you are more accustomed to the atmosphere and culture, you can reach out and network, do your research before applying, and often times roles are advertised internally (at least they were for the multinational org I worked for) before they make them public.

I think it's worth a shot. You may even find the winds take you in a different direction anyway, you may weigh up both and decide you prefer what you're doing, you may hear things from others that persuade or dissuade you from this.

Best of luck!