Today I sit down with Shreyas Kulkarni: a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle who came from India and turned his US Master's into a $10K profit instead of debt.We break down how he paid just $12K total through TA hacks, his LinkedIn spam strategy for referrals, and the interview system that got him through 80-100+ interviews at Netflix, Meta, Amazon, and Google—including Meta's brand-new AI coding round. We also unpack the promotion framework that got him to $300-400K by 27, why layoffs are now algorithmic, and whether the US is still worth it for international students in 2025.If you're breaking into tech or navigating the brutal new economy as an international student, this is a must-listen.Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=Shreyas_Oracle&video=jY9_37WJFt4🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazirListen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir—⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:30 Why Come to the US for a Master's?03:04 India's Brutal Competition for CS Students05:03 Dream Salary in India: $12K Per Year07:18 Why People Stay in India vs Leave08:34 The Real Cost of US Universities10:58 How I Paid Almost Nothing for My Master's12:23 Why I Chose SJSU Over Brand Name Schools15:54 I Graduated Net Positive With Money Earned17:17 Should You Go Private or Public University?21:22 Getting 5+ Internship Offers: The Strategy22:16 Resume Hacks That Actually Get You Interviews25:22 LeetCode Addiction and Interview Prep Reality26:16 Oracle Internship: $30K in 10 Weeks28:16 Did I Get a Return Offer?28:00 Spoon-Feeding Interviewers What to Write About You31:10 I've Done 80–100+ Tech Interviews31:13 What's Actually Changing in 2025 Interviews34:00 Meta's New AI-Enabled Coding Round Explained36:45 Why I Keep Interviewing Even With a Job39:13 Interview Seasons and Strategic Timing40:00 The New Economy: 15% of Engineers on PIPs42:25 Layoffs Are Algorithmic Now—No One's Safe44:36 7-Day Prep Plan for a Meta Interview45:58 7-Day Free Prep to 10x Your Journey46:29 My LeetCode Addiction Story48:45 LeetCode Tips: Volume Over Quality51:53 LinkedIn Spam Strategy for Getting Referrals54:03 Don't Build Fake Relationships for Referrals57:40 My Current TC at Oracle: $300–400K58:10 How I Got Promoted in Just Two Years1:00:56 Is It Still Worth Coming to the US Today?1:02:52 H-1B Rules and What's Actually Changed1:02:47 Life in the US: Ferraris, Planes, and 10 Countries1:05:40 SF vs New York: Which City Is Better?1:07:10 Why Everyone Moves From SF to New York1:08:15 New York's Energy vs SF's Tech Bubble1:12:33 Outro