The 8-Month Blueprint That Landed a Job at Amazon (And It’s Free)
You’ve probably seen the tweet: “I studied 8 months full-time and got hired at Amazon.” It sounds like a pipe dream, but the GitHub repository behind it is very real. It’s called Coding Interview University, and it’s a self-study curriculum for people who want to pass FAANG-level technical interviews—without a CS degree, bootcamp, or paying a dime.
I’ve been through it myself (not for Amazon, but for a senior role), and I can tell you: it’s not magic. It’s a brutal, detailed, and incredibly well-organized roadmap. Let me break down what it actually does, why it works, and how you can use it today.
What It Does
Coding Interview University is a massive, curated study plan for software engineering interviews at top tech companies. Think of it as a free, open-source bootcamp that covers everything from basic data structures to system design.
The repository is essentially a single, huge README.md file (yes, it’s a beast). It’s organized into:
- A study schedule (8 months, full-time)
- Topics like arrays, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, concurrency, and system design
- Curated resources (books, videos, practice problems) for each topic
- Practical advice on how to solve problems under time pressure
The author, John Washam, built this after quitting his job and studying full-time. He went from not knowing how to invert a binary tree to landing an offer at Amazon. The repo is his raw notes, essentially.
Why It’s Cool
This isn’t a “watch 10 hours of videos and you’re done” kind of course. It’s a battle-tested, no-bullshit system that forces you to actually learn. Here’s what makes it stand out:
- It’s brutally honest. Day 1 starts with “You will feel dumb. That’s okay.” No sugarcoating.
- It’s active learning, not passive. You’re not just watching. You’re implementing data structures from scratch, solving LeetCode problems, and writing code on a whiteboard.
- It covers the academic gaps. If you never took a formal CS class, it teaches you exactly what you missed—like Big O notation, memory allocation, and how hash tables work under the hood.
- It’s community-maintained. Thousands of people have contributed fixes, updated resources, and added new topics. It’s a living document.
One clever trick: the repo includes a progress tracker (checkboxes for each topic). It’s a small thing, but checking off “Understood recursion” after a week of struggling feels genuinely rewarding.
How to Try It
You don’t need to install anything. Just open the repo and start reading.
- Go to github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university
- Read the Getting Started section (it explains the mindset)
- Pick a topic from the main list (e.g., “Arrays and Strings”)
- Follow the linked resources and do the exercises
- Repeat for 8 months (or at your own pace)
If you want a more structured approach, the repo also links to a Google Doc version with daily tasks. It’s a bit outdated, but still useful.
Pro tip: Don’t try to finish it in a week. This is a marathon. The author studied 8–12 hours a day for 8 months. If you have a day job, aim for 2–3 hours daily and adjust the timeline.
Final Thoughts
Coding Interview University is not a silver bullet. It’s a heavy, demanding, and sometimes boring curriculum. But if you’re serious about passing a FAANG interview, and you’re willing to put in the work, this is one of the best free resources available.
I’d recommend it for:
- Self-taught devs who want a structured path
- Career switchers who lack CS fundamentals
- Anyone who’s tired of “watch this 5-hour video” courses and wants to actually build things
Is it the only way? No. But it’s a proven one. And it’s free. Fork the repo, start with one topic, and see how far you get.
One thing to remember: The repo is a guide, not a recipe. You’ll need to adapt it to your own learning style. But if you stick with it, you just might end up tweeting that success story yourself.
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