The evaluation and interview processes tend to be far more one-sided the other way. It's not a matter of which 3 of 100 employers you want to work for, but whi

The evaluation and interview processes tend to be far more one-sided the other way. It's not a matter of which 3 of 100 employers you want to work for, but which 3 of 100 employers will even consider interviewing you at the compensation you want. This is true even for hot-shot CS and CompE graduates. You will have to experience the door slammed in your face in this process. The more you yearn for a particular company, the more likely it is to happen, and to hurt. It's unpleasant. Expect it. Larger company culture probably ends up toward the bottom of most people's like/dislike list when it comes to employment. Your immediate social culture in the company is far more important and applicable, and large companies that suck in general can have islands of paradise within them, and the reverse is true too. Your heart will tell you if it's a bad fit. You'll get depressed and you'll question your life decisions. It's the only metric that truly matters. That's the only way you'll know- even good friends may thrive in an environment next to one you'll wilt in. The good news is a miserable job looks as good as a wonderful one on a CV, and to keep raking in the Euros (and I would argue, to be above average in your field), you'll need to job hop at least a bit.