I never thought I'd end up at Google. I studied biology in college and taught myself to code during the pandemic. After 3 years at a small startup building CRUD apps, I decided to shoot my shot.

My prep strategy was simple but consistent. I did 3-4 leetcode problems daily for 4 months, focusing on patterns rather than memorizing solutions. For system design, I read "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" cover to cover and practiced with a study group I found on Discord.

The interview itself was 5 rounds: 2 coding, 1 system design, 1 behavioral, 1 googliness. I actually bombed one of the coding rounds (graph problem that I'd never seen the pattern for) but did well enough on the others to compensate.

The system design round was about designing YouTube's video processing pipeline. I felt confident because I'd practiced similar questions dozens of times.

The hardest part wasn't the technical prep, it was the imposter syndrome. I kept thinking "they'll figure out I'm not smart enough." Turns out, the interview is about problem-solving ability, not pedigree.

Total comp was about 350k which was literally 3x what I was making. My life has changed completely.

1. Consistency beats intensity. 2 hours every day is better than 10 hours on weekends.
2. Join a study group. Having people to practice system design with is invaluable.
3. Don't skip the behavioral prep. Amazon isn't the only company that cares about it.
4. Apply even if you don't feel ready. You'll never feel 100% ready.
5. Track your progress. I kept a spreadsheet of every problem I solved and my weak areas.