This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vinit Juneja, a technical product manager at Applied Materials and former Amazon software engineer. He’s 24 and lives in Austin, Texas. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
My visa status shaped my journey to Amazon — and ultimately my decision to leave.
In 2023, I moved to the US from India to pursue a master’s degree at Columbia University. My goal was to land a tech job and stay in the US after graduating. But despite applying to hundreds of jobs, I finished my master’s in late December 2024 without a role lined up.
That was especially stressful because of my F-1 student visa. I wasn’t eligible to start working until early February, when my employment authorization began. If I didn’t have a job then, my 90-day unemployment clock would start — and if I couldn’t find qualifying work before it ran out, I’d have to leave the country.
Fortunately, I landed a job at a startup before the clock started. I began the role in early February. This bought me time to explore other opportunities without worrying about my visa status.
About a month later, Amazon reached out with an online assessment for a software engineering role I’d applied for. I passed the assessment, made it through the interview loop, and received an offer in April 2025. I accepted it and moved to Seattle.
But I didn’t stay at Amazon for too long.
Why I left Amazon
Overall, working at Amazon was a great experience. I learned from incredibly smart colleagues and saw firsthand the company’s structured approach to solving problems. I was also impressed by the internal tools Amazon built for employees to boost productivity. From talking with friends at other companies, I’m not sure another employer can match Amazon when it comes to the quality of its internal tools.
Even so, I wasn’t sure I’d stay at Amazon long term. My master’s degree was in management science and engineering, and I wanted to move closer to the business side while continuing to use my computer science background.
Another factor was job security. During my time at Amazon, a lot of my colleagues were laid off. Seeing those layoffs made me think about what would happen if I was next.
Working in the tech industry on an F-1 STEM OPT visa meant losing my job could also mean losing my ability to stay in the US. Because I’d found my first job before using my initial 90-day unemployment period, my understanding was that I’d have about 150 days to find another employer if I were laid off — 90 unused unemployment days plus an additional 60-day grace period. If I couldn’t find one in time, I’d have to leave the country.
Amazon wasn’t the only large tech company laying workers, so I wasn’t sure I’d find the security I was looking for in Big Tech.
Why I chose the semiconductor industry
Earlier this year, I came across a LinkedIn job posting for a technical product manager role at Applied Materials, one of the world’s largest makers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
It was the type of role I’d been looking for — one that would let me work at the intersection of technology and business.
It also felt like an opportunity to get into an industry that I believed was poised for years of growth — and one that could offer more stability than Big Tech.
The semiconductor industry was booming as demand for AI chips surged, and Applied Materials seemed well positioned to benefit. The company builds the equipment that chipmakers like TSMC use to manufacture chips for customers such as NVIDIA.
Vinit Juneja
I figured that if demand for NVIDIA’s AI chips kept growing, chipmakers like TSMC would need to expand production — and companies like Applied Materials would benefit as chipmakers invested in additional manufacturing equipment.
I applied for the role without a referral and went through the interview process. When I received the offer in April, I learned it also came with higher compensation than my Amazon job. I accepted the offer, moved to Austin, and started with the company later that month.
I like Austin so far. After living in rainy Seattle, I missed the sunshine, and Austin’s climate feels much more like what I grew up with in India.
Read more about people who’ve found themselves at a corporate crossroads
Building an AI second brain — and my advice for tech workers
I now work as a technical product manager at Applied Materials, helping build internal planning software that teams use to make production and supply-chain decisions months in advance.
One thing that surprised me about switching industries was how much AI accelerated my learning curve. Because I was new to semiconductors, I built what I call a “second brain.” During onboarding, I uploaded transcripts from recorded knowledge-transfer sessions and used AI to turn them into structured, searchable notes.
The goal wasn’t just to save time. I wanted to build a knowledge base that captured the business context behind my team’s work, making AI a much more useful brainstorming partner. Instead of rewatching onboarding sessions and taking notes for more than an hour, I can review AI-generated summaries in about 10 minutes and ask questions whenever I need to remember a concept.
AI has also sped up product development. On one internal project, my team used Claude to create a product design in about two weeks instead of waiting roughly a month for a designer to produce one. I’ve also built a library of AI prompts and workflows to help my colleagues use AI more effectively.
My career advice for tech professionals
My advice for other tech workers is simple: don’t ignore AI. It isn’t replacing judgment, but it is replacing a lot of repetitive work. The people who get the most out of it are the ones who learn how to use it effectively while still knowing enough to recognize when it’s wrong.
When it comes to finding a job, don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Cold emailing isn’t guaranteed to work, but if you never reach out, you’ll never know. The more opportunities you create for yourself, the better your chances.
For me, it was all about getting a foot in the door. Once I landed an interview, I usually felt confident in my ability to perform. The hardest part was getting someone to give me that opportunity.
Do you have a story to share? Reach out to the reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29.
