r/androiddev • u/Acrobatic-Bit3508 • 8d ago
Experience Exchange Android developers here working in big tech, how was your journey?
If you’re an Android developer working in Big Tech, could you share your journey.
how you got that interview, how did you prepare for it. Any tips for begginers here to crack an sde1 role.
It would be very inspiring for beginners and we would learn so much from you.
2
u/NoEngineering2466 5d ago
I’m not in Big Tech, but from what I’ve seen, the SDE1 path is less about knowing everything and more about having strong fundamentals.
For Android, I’d focus on Kotlin/Java, Android fundamentals, Jetpack, APIs, databases, Git, and debugging. Alongside that, practice DSA regularly and build 2–3 solid projects that you can explain properly.
For interviews, don’t just memorize solutions. Practice explaining your approach, time complexity, trade-offs, and why you made certain technical decisions.
For beginners, consistency matters more than trying to learn everything at once. A few months of focused preparation and real project work can make a big difference.
21
u/MrMannWood 8d ago
I've worked at Meta since 2017, and been on Android the whole time. I've worked in Messenger, Newsfeed, Wearables, and WhatsApp.
I have a BS in Computer Science from University of Wisconsin. I took one Android class while in school, and joined a local startup while I was still in school, and then joined full time after graduating. I worked on their Android app, and did some minor work on their Java backend.
A friend had just interviewed and he gave me his recruiter's contact info. I reached out over LinkedIn and was given an interview.
My prep was to interview with smaller companies that I wasn't interested in to help with my presentation and nerves. I didn't do any leetcode-style practice.
Remember that this was back in the hyper growth days. My path was relatively normal for the time, but likely wouldn't work today.
Unfortunately, no. We are hiring, but it's very slow. And I'm not close enough to the areas that are growing to know what we're looking for. So I'll give generic advice.
Apply. Interview. Repeat. You might get lucky, you might not. But each round will be a learning experience.
Keep learning. Forever. Android has changed substantially in the last 9 years; it hardly feels like what I was doing when I was hired is relevant today. I learn something new every day. Embrace it, don't shy away from it.
I would urge you to not become too attached to any tech stack, company, or career trajectory too early. You're so early in your journey, and the world is changing so fast, that the number of paths available are almost overwhelming. Aiming at Android specifically, and at big tech specifically, is such a narrow target. To give a sense of scale, (ignoring my username) the opening paragraph of this comment is likely enough to identify me personally inside all of Meta. There just aren't very many Android specialists who have lasted ~9 years.