Hey, Prasad here 👋 I'm the voice behind the weekly newsletter "Big Tech Careers."

In this week's article, I share my initial job-hopping experience, how it took time for me to stabilize in my career, and the path that led me to Big Tech.

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Marc Randolph, Netflix co-founder, recently talked about why most new graduates will be quitting their first job.

Here is his full LinkedIn post:

To the graduates of the class of 2025: congratulations on landing your first job!

Unfortunately, you’re going to have to quit.

Not right now, but soon. For some of you it’ll be in six months. For others, a year or two. But eventually, most of you will have to give notice.

Don’t worry—there’s nothing wrong with you. It happens to almost every newly employed graduate. Ironically, the smarter and harder working you are, the faster it’ll happen.

Here’s why: you’re going to outgrow everyone’s expectations.

That might sound like a compliment, but it’s not. You’ve been trained to "exceed expectations,” and you will—not because you’re a genius, but because expectations for new grads are laughably low.

No one expects much. And honestly, why should they? You don’t know anything yet. Sure, you studied hard, maybe interned, but you’ve never done this for real. You’re basically clueless.

They’ll expect you to learn fast, but until then, they’ll pay you little.

Then, something amazing happens. You start connecting the dots. You understand how theory meets practice. You get better. You ask fewer questions. You earn your first real-world merit badge: competence.

But here’s the kicker: in your mind, you’re now 90% as productive as the person with the fancy title and big salary. To them, though, you’re still just a slightly better newbie.

So when you ask for a raise or promotion, they’ll shower you with praise—and offer a 10% raise. “That’s twice the average!” they’ll say.

You’ll feel insulted. Because you’re not 10% better than when you started. You’re 10x better.

They won’t see it. But a new company will.

Your next employer won’t care who you were—they’ll see who you are and what you can do. They’ll pay you for that, not your past salary.

It sucks to leave a job you worked so hard to land. But this is how it goes at the start. You outgrow the role fast. It won’t always be like this. As you get older, the growth curve slows down, and you won’t need to jump as often.

And this isn’t just about money. It’s about challenge and learning. Eventually, you’ll get so good that your employer wants you to coast. But you should want to keep pushing, struggling, learning. That’s another reason to move on.

So get to work. Show up on time. Do more than you’re asked.

And keep your resume updated. You’re going to need it.

🚶‍♂️My Journey to Big Tech: A Reality Check

Marc's words hit home. They reminded me of my own non-linear path to big tech.

I graduated in July 2007 with a computer science degree. I joined Aricent immediately after through campus placement.

By May 2012, I was at Sapient. It was my 5th company in less than 5 years. AWS still seemed like a distant dream.

🏢 The First Job Reality

I stayed at my first company for 18 months. I learned a lot but constantly yearned for more. More challenging tasks. A bigger salary.

I interviewed for big techs like Microsoft and Adobe. Got rejected at both. In hindsight, I wasn't prepared enough.

🔄 The Job Hopping Phase

Since big tech was out of reach, I looked at smaller companies. I joined a 50-person startup. Stayed for a couple of years. Learned immensely but soon started looking for more.

Next came a 400-person company with one of the swankiest offices. But I left that too. Decided to start on my own.

Within 6 months, my startup dream crashed. I was back on the job market. That's when I joined Sapient.

I stayed at Sapient for 7+ years before joining AWS in 2019.

💡What I Learned (And What You Should Know)

😤 It's Normal to Feel Restless

Your first few jobs will feel limiting. You'll outgrow them faster than anyone expects. This isn't a character flaw. It's growth.

💪 Rejection Builds Character

Don't Get Disheartened by Big Tech Rejections. Those Microsoft and Adobe rejections stung. But they taught me I wasn't ready yet. Each "no" was a lesson, not a verdict.

It took me 12 years to finally land at AWS, but those rejections made me stronger.

🏗️ Every Stop Adds Value to Your Big Tech Journey

Don't dismiss smaller companies. I learned more in my 50-person startup than in some bigger corporations. You get more responsibility. More visibility. More learning opportunities.

Every role prepares you for the next level. Big tech companies value diverse experience, not just fancy degrees.

💥 Failure Is Part of the Journey

My attempt to start on my own failed spectacularly. But that failure taught me more about business than any textbook ever could. It also made me appreciate stable employment.

🎯 Your Big Tech Dreams Will Happen, Just Not Immediately

After all that job hopping, I found my groove at Sapient. Seven years there helped me build deep expertise. It wasn't big tech yet, but it was building my foundation.

When AWS finally came calling in 2019, I was ready. All those years of experience made the difference.

🛠️ Actionable Steps to Get Your Career Back on Course

📊 Document Everything - Your Stories Matter in Big Tech

Keep a detailed record of what you learn, accomplish, and overcome. You'll be surprised how much you grow in just a few months. But here's what most people miss: big tech interviews are all about storytelling.

Document your achievements with data. How did you improve a process? What was the impact? What conflicts did you resolve? What failures taught you valuable lessons? Every experience matters - successes, setbacks, team dynamics, technical challenges.

Big tech companies want to hear specific stories about your contributions. They care about how you handled ambiguity, led without authority, or solved complex problems. Your journey through smaller companies gives you rich material that fresh graduates don't have.

Create a "wins journal" with concrete examples: "Reduced deployment time by 40% by implementing CI/CD pipeline" or "Led cross-functional team through major system migration with zero downtime." Include the situation, your actions, and measurable results.

Use these stories when negotiating raises, interviewing elsewhere, or preparing for that eventual big tech opportunity. Your non-linear path is actually your competitive advantage if you can articulate it well.

🤝 Network From Day One

Start building relationships immediately. Your next opportunity often comes through connections, not job boards.

One of my seniors, with whom I had a great rapport and who knew I was looking for a new job, encouraged me to apply to Amazon.

He introduced me to his friend working at Amazon and got me referred.

So your network matters - start building it sooner than later.

💪 Prepare for Interviews Continuously

Don't wait until you're desperate to start. Stay sharp. The market moves fast in tech.

Interviewing is hard. It's a skill that needs practice.

One of my biggest mistakes was that I hadn't given an interview in 7 years when I was at Sapient.

When I thought of searching for a new job, it wasn't easy. As you can imagine, it's difficult to start giving interviews when you haven't interviewed in a long time.

I upskilled myself, updated my resume, and started applying for jobs, only to realize that getting an interview call is itself a big challenge—let alone clearing interviews.

Before interviewing at Amazon, I interviewed at 8 companies. That immensely helped me get into the groove.

⏱️ Give Each Job a Fair Shot

Stay at least 12-18 months unless the situation is truly toxic. You need time to learn and contribute meaningfully. But here's the key: when you find your footing, recognize it.

If you discover a good team, a supportive manager, competitive salary, and real opportunities to learn and grow - stay longer! Capitalize on it. These combinations are rarer than you think.

However, know when it's time to move. If you're not learning anymore, it's time to explore. If they can't match your growth with opportunities, someone else will. The sweet spot is staying long enough to gain deep expertise while leaving before you stagnate.

Don't job hop just because it's trendy. But don't stay out of comfort when you've outgrown the role. Listen to your gut about growth versus stability.

🚀 Don't Get Frustrated by the Timeline

Big tech recruitment is competitive. Your timeline might be different from others. Some get there straight from college. Others, like me, take a longer route.

Both paths are valid. Focus on gaining experience, not racing the clock.

The Bottom Line

Your journey to big tech will likely be non-linear. Job changes in your twenties aren't signs of instability. They're stepping stones to your ultimate goal.

Marc is right. You will likely quit your first job. Maybe your second and third too. That's not failure. That's progress toward where you want to be.

Don't get disheartened if you don't start at Google, Microsoft or OpenAI. Your path to big tech is unique to you. Every experience counts. Every rejection teaches you something.

It took me 12 years to reach AWS. But when I got there, I was ready. All those smaller companies, startup failures, and rejections prepared me for success.

So if you're a new graduate dreaming of big tech but starting somewhere else, be patient. Focus on learning. Build your skills. Your time will come.

The path isn't straight, but it leads exactly where you need to go.