Codesmith alum Brandi Richardson is now a Technical Product Manager at Google.

She pivoted to tech from the airline industry during the pandemic and after graduating from Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersive, landed a Senior Software Engineer position at Microsoft.

“I always tell people Codesmith changed my life,” she says. “My brother graduated last year and now works at Humana. One friend graduated and now works at Zoom. And another friend that went through the program works at IBM.”

Finding Codesmith While Furloughed

Brandi had always wanted to get into tech, but furlough during the pandemic was the final nudge.

“I just never felt like I could personally get into it. I didn't see many women as software engineers, and I definitely didn't see any Black women.”

Discovering Codesmith’s free CSX resources introduced her to a welcoming, diverse community. Her problem-solving instincts clicked naturally with programming.

“I went to one of the pair programming sessions and one of the free workshops Codesmith hosts. I did CSX, and honestly I just fell in love with the community.”

Do You Need a CS Degree to Work at FAANG?

Getting hired at a FAANG company straight out of a bootcamp seems unlikely to many—but Brandi disagrees.

“My colleagues at Microsoft and now Google with computer science degrees weren't the best coders before they entered the industry,” she explains.

“They weren’t doing much coding in their CS degrees—maybe one or two Java classes. Mostly, they learned theory. That’s a common misconception.”

Codesmith to Microsoft

Even during smoother times in the hiring market, landing a top-end FAANG job was a remarkable achievement. But for Brandi, it was large tech companies like Microsoft and Spotify that were less interested in ticking the college degree box—and more interested in testing applicants' technical capabilities and leadership qualities.

“FAANG-level companies were the ones responding to me,” Brandi explains. “While I had a hard time with startups because my degree is in public health. Large tech companies didn’t ask about my degree—they wanted to know if I could pass the technical interviews, like system design.”

She does highlight, however, that in such big tech companies, one engineer’s contributions can often feel lost in an ocean of code—whereas in startups, one’s influence is clearer.

“Individual impact is often bigger at startups, because at FAANG companies you may be one of 20 engineers working on a single feature, like a button on an app.”

How to Get a FAANG Job Without a CS Degree

Brandi advises early career engineers not to just focus on traditional prep if aiming for a FAANG job.

“With large tech companies, there’s a lot of Leetcode, data structures, and algorithms, but people often overlook system design. For example, FAANG hiring managers often ask applicants to create a Facebook app. And you have to be able to talk about things like scalability—horizontal and vertical. You need to show you’re thinking about the data requirements, security, and authentication.”

She says this is not about building an app, but about demonstrating your problem-solving capabilities and strategy. Top-tier tech companies place a lot of emphasis on this during interviews—because there’s no right or wrong answer.

“They want to understand how you think and how you solve problems.”

Smash System Design Interviews for the Top Jobs

“Being good at system design interviews is a game changer. I did really well at my system design interview for Microsoft, and that’s the reason I got uplevelled.”

Brandi initially interviewed for her first post-Codesmith job with Microsoft as a level 59/60, which equates to an entry-level software engineer position. But after demonstrating mid-to-senior level capabilities in her system design interview, Microsoft told her they wanted to uplevel her to 61.

“So I went in as a mid-level engineer versus an entry-level engineer just because of my interviews. That’s really common in larger tech companies—if you do really well, they will absolutely uplevel you.”

Microsoft to Google

Why job hop if you’re already at the top?  

It’s a common story in tech that even the best engineer’s careers can plateau after a few years at the same company—even in a field fueled by innovation.

For Brandi, having built a strong career platform at one of the world’s best tech companies, it was time to look for new opportunities—and this often comes with financial benefits as well.

“I’d worked at Microsoft for three years and I was ready to go farther. I hate to say it, but in tech you often end up making more money when you switch companies.”

At a coding event where she was volunteering to mentor aspiring engineers, Brandi ran into her next opportunity—someone clearly impressed by her use of spare time helping the next generation of coders.

“There I connected with a director at Google who was hiring. I reached out to some Codesmith alums working at Google for insights, tips, and to give me a mock interview.”

How to Job Hop: To Find Opportunities, Own Your Career

For Brandi, dedicating free time to teaching and mentoring isn’t just about paying it forward—it’s a way to increase your luck surface area.

“Software engineers often get jobs because of who they know. Learning new stacks is great, but I put more emphasis on networking and building out your community, like using software engineer groups in your city.”

Owning your career means putting yourself out there, Brandi explains.

“That means joining engineering Slack channels, attending workshops, pair programming, joining community meetups in your city. That’s how I got my job at Google—meeting a Google director at a tech meetup for college students I was mentoring.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out on LinkedIn and Use the Codesmith Community

“Reach out to engineers at companies you’re interested in. Ask them to do virtual coffee chats. Get insight and tips on the interview process.”

Brandi also cites the Codesmith CSX Slack channel as a vital resource for both finding roles and preparing for interviews using insider knowledge.

“CSX has been a huge blessing for me because I was able to also reach out to other Codesmith alumni on that Slack channel who had interviewed or worked at Microsoft, which was very beneficial for my interview for Microsoft as they helped me prepare for it with mock interviews.”

But again, owning your own career is the most important thing in 2025.

“It doesn't matter how many bootcamps you do or how many mock interviews you do—if you don't own your career, it's just not going anywhere. So put yourself out there.”

What FAANG Companies Look For in 2025

Top companies want more than strong coding skills. They want leadership, initiative, and community impact.

“I’m quick to volunteer and initiate. That’s what leadership means—starting things, not just joining.” 

Brandi’s leadership extends into her church and local community, and Google values that.

“Every applicant at Google has to pass a leadership interview. Many fail it. But if you show how you’re impacting others, it sets you apart.”

At Google, she’s helped organize workshops with Odyssey Scholars, a nonprofit supporting underrepresented students in tech.

Yes—You Can Still Get a FAANG Job in 2025

Brandi acknowledges the turbulence in the tech industry—but sees the opportunities.

“Yes, the market looks crazy. But software engineers are still the core of every tech company. The layoffs are mostly non-tech roles—recruiters, HR. Tech companies will do everything to hold onto great engineers.”

Final Tip: Record Yourself

“When you’re doing mock interviews, record yourself. Listen back to see if you’re explaining your solutions clearly—it makes a big difference.”

Inspired by Brandi’s Story?

Explore the same programs that helped her launch a thriving tech career:

• Apply to Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersive
• Check out the AI and ML Technical Leadership Program
• Join the Codesmith Community on Slack
  
  

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