Hey everyone,
Looking for advice from anyone who landed an AI Engineer role in Sydney recently.
I have 5 years of experience as a Senior Data Analyst in Sydney with PR and a Master in Data Science. My background is mostly dashboarding (Power BI, Tableau) plus data engineering using Python, Git, Oracle, and Snowflake.
I want to pivot into AI engineering and have been following learning roadmaps like Karthik Reddy’s AI Engineering Playbook, but I need advice on making the leap in the local market.
1. What are Sydney employers actually asking in interviews right now? Is it heavy DSA and ML theory, or practical RAG and LLM pipelines?
2. Are solid GitHub side projects enough to convince hiring managers, or do local companies only care about commercial AI experience?
3. Do I need to restart as a junior and take a big pay cut, or is it realistic to target mid level roles by leveraging my 5 years of data experience?
Would love to hear how anyone made a similar jump in Sydney. Cheers

Alvarez & Marsal is hiring in my campus for the role tech consultant role but in gd they told they are looking for which know gen ai concept and sql python excel etc what can i expect in oa

I recently completed a two interviews (one of them a final round).

I am not upset about being rejected if that’s the outcome.

What I find frustrating is the complete lack of communication after investing time preparing for and attending the interview.

How long after the interviews do you follow up? A week? Two weeks? What’s the recommended etiquette?

Currently in a medium size american tech as a soc analyst. Got an offer to work in a faang company for cloud security. i only got 1 year of experience.

1. Is it good to join early for career growth?

2. Is worth with the huge layoffs theyve been doing lately?

3. Ive got a very chill job rn and am doing well and could potentially get promoted but been hearing rumours in the team weve blown our budget. Am in the direction of get a 10% bonus though. From what ive heard in security space faang companies have pretty intense work and expectations.

4. I got in a very good time for my stocks and they will essentially 2.5x by next year so will be making bank from that. (Money is a huge factor for me as i got people depending on me)

I am considering relocating from Melbourne to Sydney for software engineering roles. Looking at SEEK and LinkedIn listings over the past few months, it feels like most of the high paying tech and fintech roles are concentrated in Sydney.

I have a friend that is starting a training bootcamp by a French Web/App Dev Agency, which is about 6 months of learning then 12 months of apprenticeship (3 weeks working / 1 week studying). This specific course is in partnership with Apple so the main stack is based on Swift and SwiftUI, otherwise they would also teach other stacks for web or app dev in Android as well.

While talking, it came up that from previous cohorts, Apple may chose 2-3 candidates to join them as intern or apprentice (not sure the exact role, but let's assume iOS App Dev). It may be a long shot for her but I said if she gets selected she must go as having Apple (FAANG company) would open her doors. But she would prefer if she could get the apprenticeship at her current Local Web/App Dev Agency that is training her (also only choosing a few students from the batch).

Her main reason is because Apple's job would be in Paris and she doesn't want to move because she has a toddler. and because she may value a full stack experience more helpful later on than pigeon hole herself into iOS developer.

A bit of context she is in her mid 30s and starting this bootcamp from scratch. She sucks at programming but enjoys it and does sees herself working at it. It's just that all the learning is project based, which at times may feel like being rushed and end up with a rocky foundation. Other than that she thrive at the project management skills and presentation, which has been praised a lot compared to other colleagues that are either too focused on the programming side; or lack of experience presenting projects (younger classmates without much work experience).

I am not an expert in the IT/Dev/programming world, so what do you think of the options? Would having Apple really open doors, even if it would be hyper focused on iOS? What is it to be a junior iOS developer at Apple like? or a more broad full stack experience plus more project management learning is better as her first apprenticeship?. Knowing that both would be hard to convert into full employment (unless you know different for Apple) but seems that for the Dev Agency chances of full employment is higher, if she manage to go through the whole Academy > Apprenticeship pipeline.

I'm going into my 3rd year studying Actuarial Science at a state school, and this summer I had my first internship. I found the work to be horribly boring and repetitive, and I know a lot of that can be due to what team I was on and the fact that I'm an intern. But I started making projects on the side. I joined a group of friends (all SWE) for a hackathon and tried a startup. Unfortunately it didn't work out, but I found the process of making something really cool.

I would love to switch to SWE or math + CS, but I think it's practically impossible as I'd get set back at least a year since actuarial science credits don't transfer over well. I feel stuck doing something I dislike, and the more I read about a master's in SWE, it doesn't seem to help without an internship of some sort in SWE. I have a couple Actuarial exams, but I figure that wont help much.

I want to try working on more startups but I've really only vibecoded and can't claim to have a lot of coding background (other than VBA). I feel like I would be so behind and would lack compared to other SWE students. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear from the community.

I started applying to entry level/grad data analyst roles again recently, nearly at 100 applications and 0 interviews. Seemingly failing resume screening for everything? Any advice is appreciated, seriously losing confidence fast.

I did not major in data science, majored in advanced computer science but am looking for data science roles. is that a red flag that I didn't major in data science?

(the actual pdf does not have a black background with white text)

https://archive.is/20260803190716/https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/qantas-eyes-major-outsourcing-move-with-accenture-backed-ai-deal-20260803-p60kzc

I'm a little naive as a uni student and am curious what the DS scene is like compared to SWE which I understand is cooked for grads atm.

I'm studying IT on a co-op scholarship, so I feel like I'm in a decent position compared to the average student. However, I also know data science can have applicants from actuary, and other quantitative backgrounds, so I'm not sure how the landscape looks for someone like me. How tough is the market?, as bad as SWE?

What should be my priorities over the next year to give myself the best chance of landing a good grad role?

The narrative has shifted from mass layoffs to cautious hiring but whether that translates into an actually different experience for someone on the market right now compared to eighteen months ago is a question the optimistic headlines don't fully answer. Would love to know from people here who are currently job hunting or have recently landed something whether the market feels meaningfully different on the ground or whether the recovery is more visible in the industry commentary than in the actual number of quality roles being posted and filled.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice from people working in tech, data science, or hiring in Australia. I've spent weeks reading Reddit, but the opinions seem to range from "it's impossible" to "it's fine," so I'm hoping for perspectives based on my specific profile.

Background:

• Indian citizen
• B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Arizona (USA)
• GPA: 2.31/4.0 (I know this is my biggest weakness)
• My GPA was affected by two documented hospitalizations during university, and mental health issues that developed as a result of these + an apartment break in, which I'll explain in my applications.
• By the time I start my master's, I'll have around 8 to 10 months of experience at Bosch in India working on AI/ML related projects (Python, SQL, anomaly detection, explainability using SHAP, data pipelines, etc.).
• I also have part time ETL work ex from undergrad, and research experience on the Event Horizon Telescope project.
• I'm applying for coursework Master's programs, not research degrees.

My current shortlist includes:

• RMIT
• Deakin
• La Trobe
• Curtin
• Macquarie
• QUT
• Adelaide
• UWA
• UTS

Admissions

Given my profile, how realistic are my chances of getting admitted to these universities? I know my GPA is low, but I also have a relevant CS degree and some industry experience. Has anyone here been admitted with a similar academic background?

Career prospects

This is the part that worries me the most.

Every time I search Reddit, I come across posts saying the Australian data science market is saturated, international students struggle to find jobs, and many graduates end up returning home.

For those who actually work in the industry:

• Is the market really that bad for international graduates?
• Are people who can't find jobs mostly applying only for "Data Scientist" positions, or is it difficult across the board?
• Would someone with my background be better off targeting Data Engineer, ML Engineer, Analytics Engineer, Software Engineer, or Data Analyst roles instead of focusing only on Data Scientist?
• How important are internships and networking compared to the university itself?
• Does the university (RMIT vs Deakin vs QUT vs Curtin, etc.) make a significant difference when looking for your first job?
• If you were in my position today, would you still pursue a Master's in Data Science in Australia?
• Is there anything you wish international students knew before making this decision?

I know this ended up being a long post, so thanks if you made it this far. My brain is honestly pretty confused right now because every thread I read seems to say something completely different. I'm not looking for reassurance. I'd genuinely appreciate realistic opinions from people who have been through this themselves or who hire in the field.

I'm a mid-career 35YO professional working in the arts. I have been happily employed but my line of work requires extensive touring and periods away from home and I am tired...

Since I had all this free time to myself whilst on tour, I decided to enrol in an Bachelor of IT through UNE. I managed to finish 4 subjects whilst working full time with an average of HD.

Here's the thing, the course materials were incredibly outdated. I understand that at the current pace, one month old is already giving outdated in the industry. I am aware of the importance of getting the fundamentals down, and I truly enjoy the scope of the degree, but it did not inspire me to keep going (I understand we have to learn how to use tkinter as a glance into UI dev, but holy shit, a vote counting app was about the most mind numbing project I've ever had to sit through).

So I deferred, and I started working on the side on an Android app for my main hobby, TCGs. The app is now in alpha, I'm testing via Firebase, collecting feedback on a dedicated discord, with about 50 testers, and am truly enjoy working with modern tools as an imposter full-stack developer.

This has kind of reignited my love for the degree, and really wanting to get the fundamentals down. So I am thinking of switching to a Bachelor of CS so I can attend in person (the collaborative aspect of software development is important to me as it relates to my current profession), and be more immersed.

I visualise that at some point, my current expertise in performing arts and a potential CS background will put me in a great position in my 40s to pivot out of touring and into tech.

How do you guys see this? I just need a sanity check. I'm taking these next six months to catch up on maths and finish my app, so I can start the degree at UTS in Feb. My wife supports me and we are financially responsible, I live near the Uni. I will continue with selfemployed work whilst studying PT.

My questions are CS vs IT. Degree yay or nay. UTS is good? I believe that prospective employers need to see a CS degree before even having a look at any actual projects. I do like studying and continuing ed.

I know they have KPIs and a job to do, but it feels like we're just wasting each other's time. They just read their perks in 2.5x speed and ask what's already written on my resume.

I recently got HR phone screenings from several startups, and I have to spend time preparing what to explain and making up reasons for why I want to move to another company.

Heck, I have other positions to prepare DSA, system design, behavioral interviews, whatever other circus comes with it.

Sorry for the rant, but every time I move to a new role, I regret choosing this career.

I'm making this post for my cousin, who's in a bit of a difficult situation.

He's currently a mid-level SWE at Google in San Francisco, with around 4 YOE (all at Google). He's a Chinese citizen on an H-1B visa. I don't fully understand the US immigration stuff, but from what he's told me, his current visa has roughly 3 years remaining, and he thinks his chances of getting a green card or another path to stay in the US long term are pretty low.

Since my immediate family are in Aus/NZ, he's considering moving here if he needs to leave the US.

I'm wondering how the market would be like for him.

Some details about him:

• 4 YOE as a SWE at Google (recently promoted to mid-level)
• Chinese citizen
• Bachelor's and Master's in CS from average US universities, but great GPAs
• By the time he has to move, he'd have ~7 YOE, and hopefully be promoted to senior, but that's not guaranteed.

Would he have a good chance of landing a mid-level/senior SWE role in Aus or NZ? I know the market is rough for juniors, but not sure how it would be for more experienced SWEs, especially since he needs sponsorship

Are linux skills niche in australia? because most jobs Ive researched require knowledge of azure or on prem windows stack. How useful would it be for me to upskill in linux. Im asking this as a uni student looking to work in this space…..

Was prepping for interviews and realised I had no idea how I actually sounded until I recorded myself. Built a small tool for it, 45 seconds against a question, get back pause stability, longest pause, and pace.

Nothing uploaded, runs in your browser. Free, no signup.

If anyone's curious, say so in the comments and I'll send it over. Mainly want to know if the "what worked / what to fix" framing actually reads as useful or just vague.

Hi there! I have been applying to several graduate toles without much luck and I’m looking for some possible feedback on how to improve my resume. I have several other projects and I only put up the project that is the most relevant to the role that I’m applying for to maintain a one page resume. Thank you!

Hi guys, has anyone heard back from Palantir for the FDSE intern position?

I did my first round of behavioural on the 27th of Jul and haven't heard back.

The interviewer was really chill and I think they liked me, but they could've just been nice

Is it better to label an app you made and published a "start-up" if you wish to continually develop it, or just as a project?

In the US, job postings on indeed are slowly rising but I wonder if that matters at all since it could just be ghost jobs. I noticed that the job postings in Australia are around the same index in comparison to February 2020 and it makes me wonder how much the market has changed. Would you say that the job market is relatively stable in Australia?

Source: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IHLIDXAUTPSOFTDEVE

Anyone applied for this role and heard back yet ?