[braythwayt]

My actual advice--for whatever it's worth--is that at the outset of your career, it's better to chop wood and carry water on successful projects in a good engineering culture, than to collect buzzwords working on projects doomed to fail in a weak engineering culture.*

I know it's very hard to get jobs in established good companies, but there are also quality startups, founded by people who have these kinds of scars already and won't go down the path of building things nobody needs.

Here's a specific tip:

When interviewing, there's a point where you get to ask them questions. Great! Ask about projects like these. Is the company working on any of its own tech that could otherwise be rented from Amazon or is available as open-source? Why? What is the expected benefit? If not, how do they manage development to stay focused on projects that deliver value?

By asking these questions you will identify engineering groups that are strong or weak, and you will also send them a strong signal that you care about success. Good companies will pick up on that signal and be more inclined to hire you.

JM2C. My advice plus $3.00 will get you a latte at Starbucks.

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* This is not a dichotomy, of course.