Early tech career advice:

1. Intern or work 6-12 mo at a big name company (can be private)

2. Join a Seed-Series B startup. Email VCs asking for their top portfolio companies - they have insider knowledge.

3. Repeat (2) or start your own company. #1 is important because unfortunately, colleges and companies are used as a first filter.

If you have a good friend, you can bypass this with a referral. But it’s the difference between companies approaching you vs you approaching them.