Big companies do really big thing. Google is literally changing the world. But if you get a job there, you are employee #145,231. Maybe if you work hard for 5 years you can rise to the rank of middle manager, and attend a meeting with someone that reports to the CEO, and maybe you can try to get a project you want done scheduled. More likely you will just do the work you are assigned until you quit.
Now a startup is the opposite. Blank startup has no power to change anything. But within that startup, you have 100% voice. If you work really hard, in 5 years maybe your startup will be big and you can change the world. Or more likely, they will go under or get bought out and you have not changed the world.
My experience at Amazon has been great. I don't know anyone who cries at their desk, works 80 hours per week, or feels like they're being pushed through a meat grinder. I worked for Microsoft before Amazon, and that was brutal. You'll find bad teams at every large company. One of my friends was on one at Google.
I've had two coding challenges within that last year. One for an internship and one for a full time position (earlier today no reply yet don't expect one). The problem for me is I freeze. As soon as the "testing" type pressure gets put on I go cold and freeze. Then as soon as the test is over I can pull alllllll the information forward. It sucks because I struggle with CS exams too. Every time I have a test I freeze until I'm out of time and as soon as I leave a room it all comes back.
I kept getting calls from Amazon (Seattle number) claiming I had not done the test (which I had already done) and the HR folks mentioning I was not selected - and to try 6 months later.
I would definitely like to have another go at it, if possible.
Also, maybe I haven't been an Enterprise Fizzbuzz Java Developer for 6 years, but I've been keeping busy by having personal projects that most enterprise developers would probably not be able to understand.
I think that was understood (at least, that's how I read it). In a good environment at any company, your ideas will be fairly weighed against other options. Most environments aren't "good", by that definition. Don't be surprised if ideas that don't support the status quo are thrown aside.
> I'm sorry you think it is funny that I actually want to participate in the development process.
They weren't making fun of you because you'd like to take part in the process. They were making fun of you because you think it would be that simple.
> I've been keeping busy by having personal projects that most enterprise developers would probably not be able to understand.
Condescending statements like this make me glad not to know you. I've done things that some of my coworkers don't understand, and they've sometimes done things that I never have. Personal projects are fine, but there's a difference between the short+sharp bits of brilliance that you might put in a personal project of a few thousand lines and introducing a major feature into a project that has a whole file for every line that your personal project has.
> When did I ever presume it would be simple?
Your tone implies a process like this: 1. Get a job at Amazon 2. Never be bored, and have a good chance for input.
You may be lucky and have an experience like that, but the general consensus seems to be that it isn't the most likely outcome. #1 is the easy part. The parts of #2 will be false to varying degrees, separately and together, as time goes on (every job has boring parts, for example).
And anyhow, you wrote a post that was easy to make fun of, with the tempting mix of inexperience and confidence. You can't set yourself up for ridicule and expect that no one will take you up on the offer.
Try a startup?
Knowing what I know now, if I had gone to a startup straight out of college I would have been worse than useless.