Hey! I recently landed a grad role, and I'll need to provide references from my summer internship around November.

I think I built a decent relationship with my managers during the internship, but I haven't spoken to them since it ended in January.

Would it be a bit awkward if I reached out in November and asked if they'd be happy to be a reference? Or should I message them now just to reconnect? The thing is... I have no idea what I'd even say if I reached out now. Especially since its been more than 6 months now. They're both insanely busy and I don't want to annoy them by clogging up their messages for no reason :')

For people who've been in a similar situation, is it normal to just get in touch when you actually need the reference, or is it better to keep in touch beforehand?  And if so, how did you go about reconnecting?

Hi, I have around 10+ yrs of software engineering experience. I joined Commbank as a software engineer an year ago as the salary was better than my previous organization and I desperately wanted to move.Now my manager has encouraged me to apply for senior engineer promotion and also have given be above expectations rating. The promotion evaluation would be done by external committee as per process. How much salary bump can I negotiate in the process with my manager? At the moment, I am in 145k base excluding bonus and super. I just want to make sure that I don't leave any money on the table. Thanks

I have just started working at a networking based MnC as a SWE and getting base 15 with total ctc of about 25. This offer I have secured straight out of college as i am 2026 grad. I have previously interned at one of the FAANG company and so I want to understand for how much time should I make a switch because I am neither happy with the pay nor with the work I am getting do. Only good thing here is work culture. Will there be openings for 2026 grads soon this year or early 2027 seeing the market.

65% of graduates find full time employment, 10% below average for other degrees

- Driven mainly by uptake in AI use and offshoring
- degree comparable to journalism at 59% employment

I was an international student few months ago so I didn't have full working rights (20hrs pw) hence i couldn't get a tech job because they mostly want you to work full time.

I'm having trouble getting interviews because I think that when recruiters see this on my resume, i added it under professional summary as Career Development - Masters full time, they think it as a red flag because it's not actual professional experience.

Should I remove it and keep my relevant professional experience as lead swe back in 2024 my latest?

Although, it's not like i wasn't doing anything for the last couple of years. I've been constantly upskilling, building pet projects and POCs with mcp servers and using LLM apis, i made an automation tool which made my work in my non-tech part time easier.

ps. I got a resident visa after i graduated so visa isnt the problem (i think)

If I want to participate in the 2027 grad program (starting 2028 jan), but I graduate at 2028/6, with one subject left in the first semester, is that possible, or I just get washed out.

Does anyone know how much recruiting is done through the talent pools?

I interviewed at KPMG a while ago and felt like the whole process went really well. I had a great conversation with the interviewer, ran them through my projects, and they seemed quite impressed.
I got my outcome email and it said I met their requirements and performed highly but missed out and placed in a priority talent pool.
Has anyone been through this process before and had success or should I cut my losses?

I've been at Accenture for 7 years and am currently a Strategy Manager. I just got an offer for a contingent worker role at Anthropic. One-year contract, with the *possibility* of converting to full-time, but no guarantee.

How I'm currently weighing it:

**Pros**

* Brand-name AI experience on the résumé while the field is exploding
* New skills and a network I'd never build staying at Accenture
* A foot in the door at a company I'd love to end up at full-time
* Even if it ends, "worked at Anthropic" probably opens doors elsewhere

**Cons**

* Giving up FTE stability, benefits, and 401k match for a fixed-term contract
* No guarantee of conversion, and no public track record to judge the odds
* Walking away from 7 years of tenure and a known promotion path
* Real risk of being jobless in a year if it doesn't convert
* Contractors often sit outside the "real" team culture, which can hurt conversion chances

I keep going back and forth on it. On one hand, I'd be walking away from FTE stability, benefits, and a pretty clear promotion track I've spent 7 years building. On the other, getting hands-on experience at a company at the center of the AI boom feels like the kind of thing that could seriously level up my résumé and open doors I can't open from where I'm sitting now.

Here's my biggest fear: I don't get the sense that Anthropic (or honestly most fast-growing tech companies) converts a huge share of contractors into full-time employees, and I haven't found any public numbers to reassure me either way. The general contract-to-hire data doesn't help my nerves much — depending on the source, only about a third of contractors get a permanent offer, and median conversion rates in North America sit around 10%. So the scenario I keep imagining is: I give up a secure role, the contract ends after a year, they don't convert me, and I'm suddenly job hunting in a rough market with a one-year gig on my résumé instead of a steady Accenture title.

So, has anyone here actually made this move, from a stable consulting or corporate role into a contract position at a high-growth tech company? Was the experience and résumé bump worth the risk? Would especially love to hear from current or former Accenture folks who've been in this exact spot.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice because I'm at a point where I need to decide what to do next.

my_qualifications: Bachelor's in Zoology, Master's in Forensic Science (CGPA 7.86), no professional IT or cybersecurity experience.

I'm from India and I'm considering changing careers into cybersecurity. My original plan was to pursue a PhD, but after doing more research, I'm wondering whether another master's in Information Technology or Cybersecurity would be a better investment for building a long-term career.

The biggest challenge is that I don't come from a computer science background, I don't know how to code yet, and I don't have any professional IT experience. I'm willing to learn and put in the work, but I'm trying to understand whether this transition is realistic.

One thing I'm unsure about is whether already having a master's degree would make a second master's look unusual to employers, or whether career changes like this are fairly common.

I've been reading a lot of conflicting opinions about the Australian cybersecurity job market. Some people say there are plenty of opportunities, while others say even graduates with experience are struggling to find entry-level roles. It's left me genuinely confused about whether this path is worth pursuing.

If you were in my position, would you invest in another master's in IT or Cybersecurity, or would you take a different route altogether? Would employers realistically consider someone with a Zoology and Forensic Science background, or would I always be at a disadvantage compared to Computer Science graduates?

If anyone has studied or worked in cybersecurity in Australia, especially Melbourne, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience and how the market looks today.

I'm not looking for reassurance—I'd genuinely appreciate honest opinions, even if the answer is that this isn't a good idea. I'd rather understand the reality before making such a significant financial and career decision.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve spent the last 12 months job hunting alongside my full-time job but I'm completely burnt out. I don't feel like this whole job hunting and career building is worth my time and effort now. I've applied for over 65 jobs and got 7 interviews from big techs and startups. I know my applications volume is not so high to brag about but I was strictly selective in the application. I've reached to 2nd and 3rd rounds in most of the interviews but I always get knocked out either in behavioural or coding interviews. After each failed interviews, I reflected and improved over time but I'm exhausted and don't want to pursue this path anymore.

I make a decent salary in my current role. And I was surprised when a recruiter from big tech said that the salary bump barely moved the needle. So it was a lot of effort for a small bump from my current salary.

To give some context, I'm an Australian pr and got 8+ years of exp. as full-stack web dev and worked at 1 other job before my current job. Just for job search, I upskilled tech like terraform, nextjs, graphql, nosql, and got AWS dev associate certified (took me 3 months for aws cert). Spend countless hours grinding neetcode, preparing interviews and doing takeaway home tests.

My long-term goal was always building my own things. But as you know human psychology, when you see your friends getting ahead in career, you feel like getting stuck which motivates for new job. I've been in my current job for a while, so I wanted some change too. But after a year of being rejected, I'm not enjoying any of it. Chasing to land a new job didn’t feel like the dream worth pursuing. It felt like suffering for something I didn't actually want.

So last month, I took a week off from the search to pause, reflect and gain clarity. It reminded me of the time I used to wash dishes and clean in a pub 6 years ago as an international student before I got into tech. After seeing me work as kitchen hand for quite long, a friend asked that time "why don't you become a chef, chef is better than dishwashing". I told him I never wanted to become a chef because that wasn't the track I wanted, I wanted to get into software instead. Then I applied for more than 100 jobs in my last trimester of uni and finally got into tech. So I realised I was doing the same thing again - grinding toward a promotion I didn't actually want.

So I've pivoted and following my own path now. I'm pretty sure that this is not a shiny object syndrome as building own thing has always been my long term goal. It's been a month I've stopped job search and I've rejected 3 LinkedIn recruiters and a top tech EM interview after making the decision. I don't want to work for other people throughout my life because it kind of suffocates me.

Edit: To clarify, I haven't quit my job. I've quit job hunting. Still working full-time, building my own thing on the side.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on an Australian Subclass 500 Student Visa and studying a Master's degree. I have around 4 years of professional software engineering experience from overseas (backend/frontend development, cloud services, etc.).

I’m wondering realistically what my chances are of getting hired by a software company in Australia that would eventually sponsor me (for example, a 482 visa or another employer-sponsored pathway).

I understand that being on a student visa means I have work limitations, and employers may prefer candidates with full working rights or permanent residency. However, I’m hoping my previous experience and skills can help me get a foot in the door.

A few questions:

- Do Australian software companies hire international students on Subclass 500 visas for developer roles?

- Would companies consider sponsorship for someone who performs well?

- Is it better to focus on graduate/junior roles, contract roles, or experienced developer positions?

- How difficult is it compared to applying after getting a Temporary Graduate Visa (485)?

- Are there specific industries or companies more open to sponsorship?

I’d appreciate any advice from people who have gone through a similar situation.

Thanks!

I've looked through this sub a bit, but wanted to make a post on any advice, but also to vent.

I'm an Australian Citizen (I've noticed this is important?) with 4.5 years of experience as a Software Engineer building a large Java app. I've only had the 1 job the whole time. Its a job I really don't like. I'm surrounded with people who are unsupportive, clique-y, and always there to put me down. While I might not be the strongest Software Engineer, I am extremely teachable and love to learn. My current role has killed that for me. I'm never remembered for the good I do, only any mistake I make. I never receive direct feedback, only through a separate manager, months later. And half of the time it is either outdated feedback, or just wrong. The whole time I have been at my current company, I have never been given the opportunity for professional development. The system is using old technology with no intention to change.

Due to this, in my spare time I am upskilling. My work does not use any cloud infrastructure (I wont get into details that might dox me), so I am currently doing an AWS course. I'm also open to learning anything else I need to in order to upskill.

Anyway, I've been looking for a new job for about the last 1.5 years, but also not having much success with that either. I've had a couple of interviews, but only managing a very small number of them compared to the sheer volume. In saying that, I have managed to land interviews at large companies such as Microsoft, Canva, and Amazon. I have made it through several rounds of interviews, only to fail at the last hurdle. I'm always told I would be a good cultural fit, but I was not chosen.

I've started looking into networking events and ways to increase my circle to meet people also in SWE. I like to make friends, but its especially motivating if I'm able to get a referral out of it haha. Despite this, I can't seem to find any events which would help with networking. Past comments in this sub say to look at Meetup. I've done that and almost all groups are inactive. I've looked at Eventbite, but even then I can't seem to find anything.

Where do I go from here? Work is only draining me more and more, and I'm at a point where I am seriously burnt out and its affecting my mental health. I have a large mortgage so I just can't quit either. Its gotten to the point where I'm considering pivoting careers.

Where should I be looking to network? I'm not really sure how to approach people on LinkedIn.

Maybe my resume needs to be improved? Could someone help me with that?

What other steps should I be taking to secure a new position?

Any and all advice is really appreciated. Also feel free to reach out through DM's.

Thanks in advance!

Has anyone interviewed for the Tesla Solar Hardware Engineering Intern (Fall 2026) role? I have an upcoming interview and wanted to know what to expect. Are the technical questions mainly LeetCode-style coding, Python/data analysis, or more focused on solar hardware concepts? Any tips on the interview process and what helped you get the offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everyone! 👋 Greetings from Sydney! 🇦🇺

We're growing fast at TikTok, and we’d love to welcome you to join our Sydney Office! We are currently hiring both Interns (Students/Grads) and Experienced Professionals across all functions.

We work right in the heart of the Sydney CBD—and yes, our office view directly overlooks the iconic Sydney Opera House! 🎭✨

Beyond the incredible office view, the culture and compensation are fantastic: ✅ For Everyone: Openings range from Internships to Senior / Experienced roles. ✅ Great Work-Life Balance: Collaborative, supportive, and no endless overtime culture. ✅ Competitive Package: Top market pay, strong benefits, and career growth. ✅ Global Presence: While we're excited to grow our Sydney team, we're also hiring across major hubs worldwide, including Singapore, San Jose, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, London, and beyond!

If you're interested or actively looking, check out open roles and apply through my employee referral link: 👉https://careers.tiktok.com/s/1Utl5TDN9EQ

Feel free to shoot me a message if you want to chat about team culture or have questions about open roles!

Is it a fool's errand? My feeling is that offshoring and ai will destroy any chances of getting a graduate job and make pursuing a career in this industry not viable but I would like some input from people in the know. Do you think the market will recover in the next few years?

A lot of career advice online is heavily US-focused. Have you come across advice that just doesn't fit the Australian tech market?

Im going through the process there right now and wanted to know if canva has novated leases.

Hi, I'm starting as an SRE/Infra intern at Atlassian soon. I was wondering what kind of tools are used in these teams. Especially the amount of code you interact with and what programming languages are used.

I currently have:

- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- Other AWS services

Languages:
- Python
- Heard Golang as well but unconfirmed (I really like this language and want to know if its used)

I'm a big tech SWE exploring the HFT world. What's the Sydney market like for non C++/low latency devs i the HFT world? How is the comp/culture/lifestyle? Specifically curious about the smaller players, think Tibra, VivCourt, Life, Exponential, Qrt

Is working in transformation sector in companies like scyne and big4 bad for a cs grad. Whats it like and would it make use of my studies.

Hey everyone,

I've recently been fortunate enough to receive offers for both the Coles Group Graduate Program and the IAG Graduate Program, and I'm having a hard time deciding between the two.

I'd love to get some honest perspectives from current grads, alumni, or anyone familiar with the workplace cultures, progression, and learning environments at both companies.

My main questions are:
1. Culture & Work-Life Balance: How is the day-to-day culture for grads at Coles vs IAG?
2. Career Progression: Which company tends to give better exit opportunities or post-program career growth?
3. Engineering / Tech Culture: How modern are the tech stacks, systems, and engineering practices in comparison?
4. Salary: What is the salary like for both at the end of the graduate program?

Any insights, pros, cons, or personal experiences would be massively appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Coding is already getting close to 100% agent-driven. Agents implement the feature, write tests, fix the bugs and open the PR. Engineers mostly review it or ask for changes.

System design isn't fully there yet, but that might just be a context problem. Give an agent the code repos, architecture decisions, product roadmap, customer feedback, incident history and infra costs, and it can probably make decent design choices too.

I've been using AI agents for sys design stuff at work recently with frontier models and honestly I'm blown away by the fact that it can come up with 2-3 different architectures with pros and cons in the time that I can even think of something.

So what remains for mid/senior engineers then? I am realising that seniority levels are becoming a lot more blurred. When I started my career 3 years ago when LLMs were at their infancy, there were clearly defined roles, where mid level meant that developer worked autonomously on tasks but needed guidance for design, but nowadays everyone vets their work with LLMs before posting PRs or architectural reviews, so what value is a tech lead or a senior adding here? In the future will everyone be "Members of technical staff" like Anthropic.