Latest / The Tech Career Podcast with Fexingo: Engineering Jobs, Interviews, and FAANG Career Strategy / How to Prepare for a FAANG Engineering Apprenticeship
Transcript
- Lucas: So, FAANG engineering apprenticeships. This is a route that didn't really exist five years ago, and now every major player — Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple — has some version of it. But I still meet engineers who don't even know it's an option. Luna: Yeah, and I think there's a lot of confusion about what an apprenticeship actually is, versus an internship or a new-grad role. So let's clarify that upfront. Lucas: Exactly. An internship is typically for current students — you're still in school, you do a 12-week stint, maybe get a return offer. A new-grad role assumes you have a degree, often in computer science. An apprenticeship is designed for people who don't fit either of those boxes. Career-changers, bootcamp graduates, self-taught coders without a four-year degree. Luna: And the structure is different too. Apprenticeships are usually longer — 12 to 24 months — with a built-in training component. You're not just thrown onto a team on day one. Lucas: Right. Amazon's program, for example, includes several weeks of classroom-style training before you even touch a production codebase. You get a mentor, you work through a structured curriculum, and then you gradually ramp onto a real team. It's closer to a paid training program than a typical job. Luna: And the pay — is it livable? I've seen numbers that range from 60 to 100 thousand dollars depending on location. That's lower than a typical entry-level software engineer salary, but it's still a strong wage. Lucas: Yeah, it's intentionally lower — you're being trained on company time. But Amazon's apprenticeship pays around 80 to 90 thousand in Seattle, and Google's is similar. And after graduation, you convert to a full-time engineer at a much higher band. So the total compensation over two years actually works out well. Luna: Let's talk about the interview process. How is it different from a standard FAANG coding interview? Lucas: Good question. The bar is a bit lower on algorithmic complexity, but they still test fundamentals. You won't get a hard dynamic programming problem. But you will need to be solid on arrays, strings, hash maps, trees, basic recursion. And they care a lot about problem-solving communication — talking through your thought process. Luna: So LeetCode easy to medium, basically. Lucas: Roughly, yeah. But there's a twist — many apprenticeship interviews include a system-design component. Not at the level of a senior engineer interview, but something like 'design a URL shortener' or 'design a parking lot system.' They want to see you can think about architecture, even if you haven't done it professionally. Luna: I've heard Amazon's apprenticeship interview includes a 'mock project' where you build a small web app during the interview. Is that true? Lucas: It is. I actually sat in as a mock interviewer for Amazon's program last year. The candidate had to build a simple REST API for a library catalog — add books, search by author, that sort of thing. They gave them two hours, with access to documentation. It's more about seeing how you learn and problem-solve in real time than whether you finish perfectly. Luna: That's a huge advantage for people who are nervous about whiteboard coding. It's more realistic. Lucas: Absolutely. And the behavioral portion is critical. They're looking for growth mindset, ability to receive feedback, willingness to learn. You'll get questions like 'Tell me about a time you struggled to learn something new' or 'Describe a project that failed and what you learned.' Luna: So if someone wants to prepare, what's a concrete five-step plan? Lucas: Step one: pick one program and study their specific requirements. Amazon and Google publish detailed guides. Step two: grind LeetCode easy and medium — focus on arrays, strings, hash maps, trees. Step three: practice system design basics — read 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications' or watch some YouTube walkthroughs. Step four: do mock interviews with a friend or a service like Pramp. Step five: prepare three strong behavioral stories using the STAR method. Luna: And one thing I'd add — network. Find someone who went through the program on LinkedIn and ask about their experience. Most apprentices are happy to help. Lucas: Great point. And that actually ties into something I want to say. If today's conversation gave you something useful — a strategy, a resource, a bit of clarity — we want you to know that this show exists because of listeners who choose to support it. Luna: We deliberately don't run ads on these episodes. It keeps the conversation clean and focused on what's actually helpful. If that model matters to you, there's a simple way to back it. Lucas: Yeah. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, no perks, just a way to keep this ad-free. And thanks to everyone who already has. Luna: Alright, back to the prep. One thing I want to ask — what about the stigma? Is there a feeling that apprentices are 'second-class' engineers? Lucas: I think that's fading fast. These programs are now feeding top-tier talent into the pipeline. Many apprentices convert and go on to become senior engineers. Amazon's program has a graduation rate above 90 percent. So the stigma is more in the mind of the applicant than in the actual team culture. Luna: And the diversity angle is huge too. These programs actively recruit from underrepresented backgrounds, veterans, people without traditional degrees. Lucas: Exactly. So if you're listening and thinking 'I don't have a CS degree, I don't have a chance' — that's exactly who these programs are for. The application window for most of them opens twice a year. I'll drop the links in the show notes. Luna: And a quick tip — tailor your resume to highlight projects and learning velocity, not job titles. They want to see that you can ship code, even if it's from a bootcamp or personal project. Lucas: Great advice. So to wrap — if you're considering a move into Big Tech engineering and the traditional degree path isn't your story, look into apprenticeships. The door is wider than you think. Luna: And if you find one that works, let us know. We'd love to hear about your journey.