Everybody and their mom is doing this program

Last month on the NYC subway, I was listening to GIOS lectures, a thrilling habit I maintain while grocery shopping. The train was packed, a homeless guy was napping across multiple seats, so I had to endure sitting near people.

The guy next to me noticed the lecture and said he was in the same class. Nice dude, one semester in, working a CS job but dreaming of FAANG. As someone halfway through the program, I didn’t have the heart to tell him this program’s likely a time sink—no recruiter’s ever cared about it in my experience.

Then the sleeping homeless guy woke up and joined in. Turns out, he’s in the program too, finishing his last semester. He’d given up on FAANG and was pivoting to teaching but couldn’t get interviews.

So there we were, three people at different stages of the same program, united by a prestigious degree and zero job prospects. Inspiring stuff!