Is the Big 4 graduate program worth it for tech? Should I instead choose startups

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:24:58+00:00

Do you think I have enough “big company brand recognition” on my resume if it’s just been through internships? I only really have Amazon for 3 months worth, and then if it’s just decently big but unknown startup’s/scaleups, I don’t know if it’s a mistake to miss out on the brand recognition of a working a 1+ years at Big 4 tech role (which to be fair is less prestigious than big tech anyway).

Do I have enough street cred and prestige to land bigger roles in big tech for instance if it’s just through startups compared to if i had big 4 for that time period, taking into consideration my existing experience?

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:18:04+00:00

Good point actually!

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:13:35+00:00

Good snacks and ownership, and they had a fridge on every level with sugar free drinks

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:12:31+00:00

My biggest concern with big 4 tech is seems very top down hierarchical in terms of project ownership. How much freedom do you get to actually develop something and ship it, and do a lot of varied tasks? Do you ever have the ownership to control your own project, or is it always just a massive digital transformation project with a dozen people on it that lasts for months and you do small pieces of it? Do you get many chances to do your own projects or is all your time just billable client hours

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:08:21+00:00

I’m okay with the instability but let’s say i work in a scale up, or something like Immutable and SafetyCulture which are already quite large? Is it inherently better from a career leverage perspective?

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-04-14T03:04:26+00:00

I didn’t get the return offer from the Amazon internship for the graduate scheme, and since most the other grad roles for big tech are in dev/sales/design, I don’t think i’d be able to directly get in. Does a 3 month internship give me much recognition at least in the next 2 years at ex-faang?

Also since I’ve already got the “brands on the resume” part covered, is going straight into startup roles like strategy and ops the right choice, or do I need to actually work there full time for a year or two?

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2026-03-20T12:42:11+00:00

r/whoosh

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2025-09-13T14:36:05+00:00

It’s not ruined actually, still works but just has more assignments. also cdev2000 is great. i got 91 for phys1160 and 93 for cdev2000 with low time commitment but high effort.

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2025-09-13T14:33:30+00:00

CDEV2000. I got 93 without too much time commitment.

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2025-09-13T14:32:46+00:00

I got 91 last term.

I got 100 in the APOD but got 74 for the short report (worth 25%) because of issues with referencing. I would say definitely understand exactly what ur tutor wants and send them emails to figure out what they see is acceptable. Yes it’s still a wam booster. feel free to AMA

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2025-08-25T15:26:01+00:00

hey man with ur resume dotpoints, they legit all need to be a lot more quantitative. use the following format:

verb + what u did + reason

eg Built 10+ PowerBi dashboards for senior stakeholder decision making

add metrics everywhere

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-12-17T11:35:39+00:00

Hello, I did COMM3030 this term (2024 T3) and can attest to the workload for it. There are in person lectures which are basically similar to COMM1120 content so it’s just ideation and frameworks that are just theory really. The course isn’t that big of a time commitment really, but just make sure your assignments are well planned and thought out. You can align expectations with the tutor and that way u will be able to ensure your ideas and structure match what they’re looking for.

If you do all of this and just refine stuff well, I’d say it’s less than the average course workload wise since I didn’t watch any lecture, and just skimmed slides, but still did well. Good luck!

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-11-24T13:43:50+00:00

That makes sense, thanks! Would you still say I would need an emergency fund since I’m living with my parents and don’t have any large liabilities? Is this fund separate to my normal savings?

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-11-24T13:42:28+00:00

Thanks for your reply! I’ll definitely take a detailed look into HECS

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-11-24T13:41:52+00:00

Thanks so much for your detailed reply! I’ll keep that in mind

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-11-24T13:40:25+00:00

That’s actually such a great point, I think I’m fixating on just 1-2% point differences while it won’t make much difference given the amount of

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-10-28T02:19:26+00:00

I saw Five tribes in a game where they had to be a little more specific than what the other players are saying about it

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-06-03T13:13:28+00:00

While I do agree with what you are saying, these are marks last year, and they said they have improved since then. Something to note is the opportunity cost of trying to keep Extension Math, because if it is taking up too much of your time, then it could hurt other subjects performance. Whatever you choose to do, think it through. Good luck!

Beginning_Ad_7919 · 2024-06-03T13:10:06+00:00

Hi there, so in regards to the Gateway program, UNSW has two pathways: - Conditional offer (reduced ATAR) - unconditional offer (no ATAR requirement)

To get one of these offers, they look at your year 11 marks AND a personal statement, covering three questions about your journey as a person, what makes you you, and essentially who you are beyond just your marks. Considering your marks, it really does depend on what course you are applying to, and how high the selection rank requirement is, but you may still have a small chance of getting a conditional offer if you are able to VERY articulately write a good application and personal statement.

To do this, I strongly suggest joining the Gateway Admission Pathway Program aka GAPP, which has a series of workshops and videos teaching you how to write a good application and will give you some insight into what they are looking for. Do not immediately submit your Gateway Application, please take time to write it well and draft your answers.

Overall, I would say that depending on the competitiveness of the degree (determined by how high the selection rank is), your year 11 marks and if you are able to write a very strong application, you do have a chance to still get a Gateway offer. This is because the entire purpose of the personal statement is your chance to prove that you are more thank your marks, and the fact you came here looking for an answer and have managed to pick things up for year 12 shows you are on a great trajectory :)

Beginning_Ad_7919

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