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Ulugbek Mirmukhammedov, a graduate of Inha University in Tashkent, shared his experience working at the international company eBay and the path that led him from logistics to programming.
At Inha University in Tashkent, I studied logistics. After graduating, I moved to the United States in 2019, working for an American logistics company. A year later, the COVID-19 pandemic started, and I stayed in the US. Working in the freight industry allowed me to apply many of the concepts my professors at Inha had taught me. However, after some time, I experienced burnout and decided it was time to change my career direction.
Adapting to life in America wasn’t too difficult for me, as I had many Uzbek friends who supported me in various aspects. However, in the beginning, I felt a sense of homesickness and loneliness. Once I adjusted to the new culture and environment, I realized there were many growth opportunities.
In 2020, I moved to Silicon Valley and started diving deeper into coding. My previous studies at Inha University in Tashkent, including courses in Java and database management, helped me understand the new field I was entering. Initially, learning to code was challenging and exhausting, but over time, I started to grasp how it works and how to solve problems more efficiently.
In July 2021, I got my first job at Sling TV streaming platform. As a front-end developer, I gained valuable insights into how large-scale projects are structured and managed. I was amazed at the extensive testing process before launching new features.
After nine months at Sling TV, I received an offer from Lucid Motors, one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the US, known for producing luxury electric cars. Then, I decided to apply to the international company eBay.
The interview process was quite standard. It began with a quick phone screening, where the recruiter asked about my previous experience, which was the easiest part. The next round was a one-hour coding challenge. It was tough, but I asked clarifying questions, and the interviewer provided helpful hints.
The final stage consisted of a 3-hour interview, including one behavioral round and two technical rounds. Both technical rounds included LeetCode medium-level questions, one of which was quite popular and similar to the “Top K Frequent Elements” problem. This is how I began my career at eBay. Now, I work on eBay’s front-end development.
If I were 20 again and studying at university, I would focus on three things:
Where am I now?
Where do I want to go?
How do I get there?
You have to be honest with yourself when answering these questions. Many people don’t know what they want in life. Ask yourself: What does success look like for me? Because you can’t reach a goal you haven’t defined. Think about where you want to be in 5-10 years.
If your goal is to work in Silicon Valley, the best way to get there is to finish university and practice at least one or two LeetCode problems daily. All major tech companies emphasize data structures and algorithms during interviews. Keep learning, and improving, and you’ll succeed!