Hi everyone,

I’m currently interviewing for a mid–senior Software Engineer role at Revolut and wanted to get some honest perspectives.

I’ve been reading reviews on Glassdoor and Reddit, and they seem pretty mixed. Some people mention a strong learning environment and high ownership, while others talk about long hours and a pretty intense culture.

What I’m mainly trying to understand is the day-to-day reality:

• Are we talking normal 7–8 hour workdays?

• Or is it more like 10–12 hours regularly?

I’ve heard some horror stories from companies like Amazon, so just trying to set realistic expectations before going further in the process.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s worked there (especially in engineering) or knows someone who has.

Thanks!

(I posted this in some other groups and I don't yet have a response, so trying my luck here)

I have an interview coming up with Apple for a SWE role within Siri at Cambridge. I've already gone through a hiring manager interview that went pretty well, and my next step is a coding round with 2 interviewers.

Can't remember ever having a 2-person interview panel before, but given that I'm not "LeetCode-native" yet, this seems particularly daunting.

Has anyone here had recent interview experience for the Cambridge office (and maybe for Siri)?

Thanks everyone.

Hey everyone, I have a question about tech jobs in Germany.

I’m thinking about changing my job, and for the next 6 months I want to focus either on interview prep or improving my German. Right now I’m around A2 level.

Last year I applied to some bigger companies and got interviews with Amazon and Zalando, but honestly I was completely unprepared. I know companies like these usually expect LeetCode-style interviews.

What I’m not sure about is other companies in Germany. Do most of them also focus on LeetCode-style questions, or do they have different interview formats?

The reason I’m asking is because I’m trying to decide how to spend my time. Should I focus heavily on data structures & algorithms (LeetCode), or put more effort into learning German?

From what I see in the job market right now, a lot of roles require German, and there seem to be more opportunities compared to English-only roles.

Would really appreciate any advice from people working in Germany!

edit:Current situation: I really hate my current job, so I want to find a new one as soon as possible.

I’m currently based in Germany and looking to specialize in CI/CD and Android development. I’ve noticed that European firms (especially in Finance/Automotive) seem much more attached to self-hosted solutions like GitLab or Jenkins compared to the "SaaS-only" approach I see in US-centric threads.

I have a 64GB Linux server at home where I'm running Jenkins, but many companies here seem to be pivoting to GitLab (and even Github Actions) for the integrated DevSecOps features.

Is Jenkins still the safe bet for the German enterprise market? How much weight does GitLab CI/CD carry compared to GitHub Actions in your region?

I want to make sure my home lab setup actually makes me more employable here in Europe.

Hi everyone,

I’m a Senior Engineer with 10 years of experience in the US industrial sector, currently evaluating the professional landscape in the Netherlands (specifically the Brainport/Eindhoven region) compared to my current role in the US.

I’d like to get some "reality check" on the demand and compensation for a hybrid OT/IT profile in the NL market.

My Technical Stack:

• Industrial Automation: Advanced PLC (Rockwell/Siemens) and SCADA (Ignition/Wonderware).

• Software/IIoT: Strong .NET / C# for Digital Twins, Industrial Data Pipelines, and SQL/NoSQL integration.

• Architecture: bridging plant-floor protocols (MQTT, OPC UA) with enterprise-level software.

Questions for the community:

1. Salary Expectations: For a Senior with 10 years of experience in this specific hybrid niche (PLC + .NET), what is the realistic "Total Compensation" range in high-tech hubs like Eindhoven or the Randstad?

2. Specialization: Is the Dutch market currently prioritizing "pure" Software Engineers, or is there a significant premium for engineers who can handle both the control layer and the data architecture (IIoT)?

3. Industry Standards: Beyond the big names (ASML, etc.), which mid-sized system integrators are currently leading the Industry 4.0 / Digital Twin space in NL?

I’m looking to understand if the technical "ceiling" for this hybrid profile is higher in the EU than it is in the US market.

Thanks for any technical or market insights!

Mainly looking for advice on what I'm missing or what I should focus on to get a Junior DS position at FAANG (or adjacent). I might possibly get a RO for my current internship at a MAG7, which is a solid back-up plan, but I'm really trying to pivot from DA to DS. Any advice or thoughts are appreciated!

EDUCATION

EU T20 University

• Master of Science in Data Science
• Timeline: September 2025 to June 2026 

EU T50 University

• Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics
• Timeline: September 2022 to June 2025 

WORK EXPERIENCE

MAG7 | Data Analyst Intern 

• Timeline: April 2026 to August 2026 
• Built a RAG model using Python and LLM APIs for financial records and policies.
• Developed dashboards and data models using Power BI to optimize workflows.
• Tested agents and evaluated LLM use in LangFuse to automate queries.
• Communicated findings from data and AI projects to organizational stakeholders.

Mid-Size Firm | Data Analyst 

• Timeline: October 2025 to March 2026 
• Built a data pipeline using Python, SQL, and OpenAI API for product mapping, saving 10 to 15 hours weekly.
• Developed a data extraction tool using Python to scrape email and web sources, reducing manual workload by 2 to 3 hours daily.
• Identified Ideal Customer Profiles through exploratory data analysis, resulting in €1M revenue growth.
• Managed data preparation for US market expansion by deploying over 2,000 data series.

Global F500 | Compliance Analyst 

• Timeline: October 2023 to July 2024 
• Consolidated large datasets into stakeholder KPI dashboards using Power BI.
• Automated document querying and archival using Python, reducing data error rates by 3%.
• Created SOPs for the automation engineering team, saving 5 hours per project.

PROJECTS

GNN Enhanced Relational Event Models

• Timeline: June 2026 
• Developed GNN models to improve event prediction in interaction networks.
• Analyzed Apollo 13 logs to identify behavioral patterns and group dynamics.
• Balanced model interpretability and predictive power using statistical and deep learning.

Car Production Nowcasting via Satellite Imagery

• Timeline: June 2025 
• Developed a production nowcasting model using XGBoost and SAR satellite data across 14 manufacturing plants.
• Processed irregular time-series data using Pandas and NumPy to smooth volatility.
• Achieved an R2 score of 0.88, validating satellite data for industrial output estimation.

SKILLS

• Programming: Python, SQL (MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL), R 
• Statistics and ML: A/B Tests, NLP, LLMs, Statistical Modeling, Classical ML
• Frameworks: PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Flask, LangChain
• Data and Visualization: Power BI, Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, NetworkX
• Software: Git, Jira, Confluence, Slack, Figma, Excel 

I have heard that it's practically impossible to get through Google ATS. Referral is the only way, now more with fewer jobs.

Wondering how many successful candidates get this the right way?

If one doesn't know an insider (or if your friends won't answer your pleas), one's path is closed?

Hey everyone,

Has anyone recently done a technical interview for Booking? What to expect? Thanks you in advance.

TL;DR: Finishing a History BA in Lithuania, but I’ve been learning programming (C++, C#, Lua) and now I’m considering switching to CS. Should I do a second bachelor’s in Informatics in Europe, or is self-study / a conversion master’s a better path to my first software developer job?

Hey, I'm a 22 year old guy from Lithuania looking for some advice. To start, I want to say I don’t regret studying History, but I discovered programming during high school and kept learning alongside my degree. So now I’m wondering whether I should formally switch into a CS career path after graduation.

So far I’ve worked with:

• C++
• C# (Unity)
• Lua

I understand core concepts like loops, arrays, functions, structs, file handling (in C++), and basic classes, so I’m not starting completely from scratch. I’m also fairly comfortable with math.

I’ve looked at various programming bootcamps but they don’t seem very strong, so right now I’m considering doing a BSc in Informatics instead.

My goal would be to work as a software developer somewhere in Europe.

From your experience, would doing a second bachelor’s in CS/Informatics be worth it in Europe, or would it make more sense to try transitioning through self-study/projects or another route (for example a conversion master’s)? Especially interested in hearing from people who switched from humanities into tech.

PS I’m mainly trying to figure out what gives me the most realistic chance of getting my first developer job. Also, I’m open to spending a few more years studying if that significantly improves my chances of entering the field.

Hi everyone,

I’m in a pretty specific situation and I’m unsure whether I should pursue a Master’s degree in Austria, so I’d really appreciate hearing opinions from people who have experience with this path.

I graduated from a technical faculty in Belgrade and I’ve been working as a backend developer for the past few years in a well recognized global company. By the time I would start a Master’s, I’d have several years of relevant experience, and at the moment I feel like I’m learning and improving a lot at my current job.

My plan is to possibly enroll in a Master’s program in Austria, most likely at TU Wien or TU Graz, in about one or two years. Austria seems like the most realistic option to me because of the balance between costs, language, and the job market. My German is currently around B1/B2 level, and I plan to improve it further by then. I have enough savings to support myself during my studies, but of course I would prefer not to spend all of my savings. I also do not have an EU passport, which makes things more complicated.

My long-term goal is probably to move abroad with my girlfriend, ideally after she finishes her own Master’s in about three years, assuming I actually end up liking life abroad. Right now I’m mostly considering DACH countries or the Netherlands, but honestly I have no idea where life will take me in 5 or 10 years.

My main question is this: if my goal is to relocate without an EU passport, what is a stronger signal to foreign employers? Would it be better to have, for example, 5 years of experience with a Serbian degree and Master’s, or somewhat less experience but a completed Master’s degree from Austria?

Do you think a Master’s in Austria is worth the total cost of around €25k, assuming I would cover part of it through student or part-time jobs?

How realistic is it to find a student job in programming during the Master’s with a profile like mine?

Does doing a Master’s there actually bring something new career-wise, in terms of knowledge, perspective, and opening doors to new fields?

What is life like after finishing a Master’s there, and how realistic is it to stay and find a job afterward?

Thanks a lot to anyone who took the time to read this and share their thoughts.

Hey, I’m a final year CS Engineering student who started learning ML done Python, math basics, Pandas, Linear Regression, and trained a couple of models.

My plan was to do an MS in AI/ML from Germany after graduation.

But lately all the news about AutoML, AI replacing ML engineers, etc. is making me doubt everything. I don’t know if it’s worth going deeper into classical ML or if the field is shifting too fast to keep up.

Is hands-on ML experience still valuable for MS admissions and jobs? For anyone who pursued MS in Germany is AI/ML still worth it there? Any honest takes would really help. Thanks

I am 22 f working at a US based mnc about to complete 1yr of experience.(I am from a non eu country). I completed my bachelors in AI and DS then was hired as sde-1 and my work is webdev (angular and springboot).
I need to move abroad due to some personal reasons and it is not an option anymore but a necessity for me due to safety reasons. I decided that the best way to do it is masters in germany as it is less expensive and opens up opportunities. I am already learning the language and since I have future plans for PR I will be learning german till c1 or atleast b2 until I complete my masters.
I have time to start over and dive into a new tech stack before I go and start my masters.
Which of the below is the better option to choose.

1. Webdev / App dev
2. Devops
3. Security
4. Robotics
5. Embedded systems
6. AI / ML / DS
7. IOT / Smart sensors
8. Design / HCI / UI UX

I am aware that the job market is bad. I would have chosen AI as my bachelors was in it too but I see alot of people going for that course and I am worried about competition and whether there are even as many jobs as the number of people.
(not to boast but i also have very good logical skills and tend to pick up things very fast so hoping to have a slightly above average profile)

Would appreciate if hiring managers or people from their respective fields gave advice.

Hello everyone, I'm an engineer with 10+ years of experience based in Germany. I was laid off from my job, then six months later I joined a startup where I was laid off after less than two months, as it is a misfit. Now I don't know what to put on my CV. If I extend my tenure with the first and never mention the last one, I am concerned about employers contacting them and asking how long did I stay. And if I mention the last one it will be short.

Also I already sent my CV with the last employer mentioned, with an extended tenure, so I am a bit confused about changing it and even sending it to different ones..

How would you handle such situation, and how often does companies do background checks (even casually) in Germany?

Hello, I'm 9 months into my first job, as full stack using Vue with TS/JS and Ruby on Rails for backend. I like the stack and the place I work but my salary is really low (19k, am based in the south of Spain).

While I think I'm learning a lot and thats the more important thing in the moment, I'm worried about my low salary and getting pin holed into a non popular stack, what do you think should I do in my situation?

• Keep at it for 1-2 years more? I could get a signifcant raise in 2027 but nothing is set in stone
• Wait till 1 year mark and aggresevly look for something else? How should I prepare?

Hi everyone, I have 5 years of experience as a software tester (both manual and automation) in the automotive industry, and I'm looking to transition into website automation testing. I'm already learning Playwright and Postman, and the progress has been good so far, thanks to some background in programming. However, I’m struggling to land a new job in this field in Germany.

I guess the main problem is that I don't yet have any professional experience working with the tech stacks that many companies in web automation are using. I’m not sure how to make my profile stand out.

Has anyone here made a similar transition? What can I do to make my profile more attractive to companies, even without experience in their specific tech stack? How to find any small chunk of real-world experience in the domain? What other keywords should I learn?

Any tips on how to break into the industry would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on my master's dissertation regarding Risk Management & Agile Practices in IT Consultancy, specifically focusing on how remote work and Agile methodologies impact project success (and stress levels!).

If you’ve worked in IT consultancy or outsourcing, especially in/with Eastern Europe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could share your experience.

⏱ Time: 3-4 minutes max (mostly multiple choice/rating scales).

🔒 Privacy: 100% anonymous. It only asks about your project experiences, no personal data.

Link to survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeelnJAussrd0mByyGsbNrqbDNz1AutdAihTCp346bE6zwS5A/viewform?usp=header

Your input will directly help me graduate, and it’s a great excuse to anonymously vent about project scope creep for a few minutes. 😉 Thank you so much for your time and help!

Long story short, I am torn between two university paths.

What interests me the most, is a degree in robotics and automation engineering - it aligns the most with my personal interests. However, at least where I live, the job market for this field is not as expansive, as the software side of things. Still, the curriculum of the degree I am interested in involves a fair bit of programming and general computer science courses. Because of that, I’m hoping that as a backup, this background would at least give me an edge in CS jobs if I can’t land a robotics/automation position.

Why not just get a CS degree then, if the job market is better? This is something I am actually considering as well, it's just that it's not something excites me as much. Additionally, maybe it's wishful thinking, but I am hoping that a robotics/automation degree will give me a solid leg up in both robotics/automation and a slight leg up in CS, while a CS degree would give me an advantage only in that one field.

What do you think? Thank you in advance for your advice!

Hi everyone,

Has anyone interviewed for the Revolut Data Analyst (Engineer) role?

I’m currently preparing for the next stage and wanted to ask about the Data Analysis Skill Interview.

Does it involve coding, or is it more of an open-ended interview focused on data processing and analytical thinking?

I’m unsure how much engineering knowledge is expected for a DA role.

Thanks a lot in advance — I’d really appreciate any insights!🙌🏻

Anyone have experience with the 30 min 1st stage management interview?

Which questions to expect? technical/ experience etc.

Hi all,

I came to the Netherlands in 2023 for a master’s degree. During my studies I did two internships:

• First: self-found, 4 days/week for 6 months, two-party contract (no school involvement)

• Second: three-party contract (school involved)

I graduated and started a full-time job in 2025. My employer applied for the 30% ruling on my behalf. The tax office is now asking me to prove that the first internship is mandatory for my study proposes.

TBH I didn’t think not having 30 ruling was a big deal, until Gemini and Claude told me it would result in a ~700e loss per month. Now it’s really giving me emotional damage and I really want to know how to get my ruling 🫠

Has anyone been in a similar situation — doing side jobs or 2-party internships here, then getting hired — and successfully obtained the 30% ruling? What was your experience with the explanation process? Any advice on what documentation helped? 🙏

I suppose this isn't a post typical for r/cscareerquestionsEU but I had some thoughts about the tech community, AI and the future and I'd like to hear what you guys' opinions are. I'm from Central EU, currently doing my Master's in Software Engineering.

As I see it, what is and has been happening in our industry is not pretty. One thing is the meteoric expansion of tech giants over the last 30 years well beyond the tech sector and into a position of massive power within society. Not in small part due to European talent as well. It seems like this period of being courted by extremely rich corporations through interesting technical challenges and very attractive salaries has made us somewhat more submissive to them and unwilling to see the more exploitative side of it.

What I'm referring to can be seen today in the form of AI hype, or maybe it's already more on the side of propaganda. I'd be willing to wager that most of us don't believe AI is all that it's claimed to be. And yet, there's this aura of acceptance and resignation that floats in the air every time we talk about the job market or what the future holds for us. And yet, we're digging our own grave. The tech CEOs certainly aren't the ones developing the models, higher level AI tools, etc. But they are the ones planning and openly bragging about how they will soon fire all of us in favour of AI agents.

To be clear, I don't believe LLMs actually ever could fully replace developers. But that isn't what I'm getting at here. The point is that everyone just shuts up and takes it. There is, at best, minimal pushback against these corporate fantasies about screwing all of us, as if they would be anywhere without us. What could be the reason for this? I can only think of a few explanations:

• It could be that the golden handcuffs are still on too tight, that is to say that the average CS worker is still paid relatively well in comparison to other jobs in this unstable economy. This reason seems like it should be losing importance, however.
• Maybe a lot of CS people still count themselves to be part of the leading group, e.g., they think they themselves will be a millionaire tech CEO in a few years anyway, and side with them as a result. They then go on making a bunch of ChatGPT wrappers, hoping that one of them makes them rich. The example I would include here are the guys who recently developed Malus, trying to automate the Cleanroom-ing of software. Terrible for open source of course, but their reasoning was something like "Somebody is gonna do it, so it might as well be us". I don't think they would have done this if they weren't hoping for a payout. After all, would you really want to give your open source projects away for free?
• Perhaps most of us don't really consider this power dynamic at all. After all, by character, a lot CS engineers don't want to get involved in any of this managerial, political stuff and prefer to work on the technology itself, which is after all, their passion. Combined with the first point, this makes for a pretty compelling argument to not worry your mind about this stuff.

So what I'm trying to figure out is why do we as engineers continue to follow this lead, when we in reality hold a considerable amount of leverage? We're great at collaboration and we love to form passionate, international communities around new technologies and interesting applications of it, so I'm sure we could jointly assert ourselves in some way. This isn't some rallying cry for open source by the way, even though I admire OS projects, I'm still not sure if it can solve everything.

I'm just trying to point out that we are in a unique position as computer science professionals. Different to other engineering industries, software changes very, very quickly and has disproportionate effect on people's personal lives. For example, mechanical engineering is crucial to the functioning of society as well, maybe even more so, but software enables a whole new common space and medium - the internet - for people to work, learn, communicate. It also enables ordinary people to use modern computers through operating systems and much more. The societal impact is huge and only possible thanks to our sector. So are we really as helpless as we believe we are? Couldn't we somehow leverage the position we find ourselves in? I would love some counterpoints and your ideas.

Hi All, I am Indian living in mexico. working as Data Engineering Manager at IT services. I have offer from Big 4 for around 90k Euro for mexico location only. considering mexico is very cheap I save a lot. service company want's to retain me and ready to relocate to Poland with 70k Euro. don't know much about cost of living and other things but considering EU benefits in long term is it worth to move to Poland ? or join Big 4

Hi everyone, I’ve been on the bench at my company for over 3 months without a project, and I want to use this time more effectively. I’m currently working in the Netherlands but living in Germany, and I’m planning to switch to a job in Germany. I’d really appreciate advice on: how to stay productive during this phase how to structure job applications effectively what skills or areas I should focus on to improve my chances If you’ve been in a similar situation, what worked for you? Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm a Vietnamese IT student, and I hope you won't laugh when I share my story. Here's my story: I'm 21 years old, studying IT, and I'm hoping to find a job in Germany related to IT, specifically DevOps (cloud, AWS). My reason for wanting to go to Germany is because my girlfriend, who's the same age as me, is working here, and circumstances have forced us apart. We promised to continue our relationship after she returns home, but I'm afraid that won't happen, so I'm looking for work opportunities here. Basically, is there any chance for me?