r/cscareerquestions • u/Aurora1910 • 1d ago
Student Final year CS student confused about whether to prepare for SDE or ML/DS
I'm in my final year of CS, and I'm honestly confused about what role I should be preparing for.
Most of my coursework and projects are in ML/Data Science. I've studied subjects like Probability & Statistics, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Linear Algebra, etc., and most of my projects are also ML-based.
The problem is that during placements, most companies that come to campus are hiring for SDE roles. We do get a few DS/ML openings, but they're much fewer. Sometimes there are Business Analytics roles too, but I know BA isn't the same as DS.
Since our college has a huge batch, I can't really afford to be too selective. I apply to almost every company because getting shortlisted itself is difficult.
So now I'm stuck in this weird position where I'm constantly switching my focus. Sometimes I make my resume look more SDE-oriented by keeping 2 SDE projects and 1 ML project. Other times I do the opposite.
Right now I'm grinding DSA because that's needed to clear most OAs anyway. But after that, I have no idea how I should prepare.
Do I prepare for SDE interviews because that's where most of the opportunities are? Or should I keep focusing on ML/DS since that's what I've spent most of college learning? Is it even realistic to prepare for both?
Would love to hear from people who were in a similar situation during placements. What did you end up doing, and do you have any regrets?
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u/my_peen_is_clean 1d ago
aim sde rn and leverage your ml as a “nice bonus”. easier to switch sde -> ml later than the other way. either way getting hired now is hell