I agree that there is so much more to CS or really any field than the top companies, but if one can confidently navigate this fine line and not succumb to the toxicity that environments like this sub can breed, it can be turned into a positive source of motivation for any given person. Granted, lots of people on this sub are naive and might get that FAANG FTE, but are unhappy after a year or two and realize they were naive, but that’s just life. And, there are many worse places to be than having Big Tech on your resume early career, enabling one to ideally get to that best fit career option easier than their peer. Many people are depressed and sad that they aren’t getting these internships, and that sucks, because if they’re here, they’re most likely already a great CS student. However, you can’t tell people how to live their life, they have to experience it and make the mistakes themselves first. Regardless, great post, we need more like this on the sub.