I moved to Seattle to help me land a job at Amazon. Now I live a 7-minute walk from the office — and it's given me a career edge.

Sarthak Gupta

Sarthak Gupta

• Sarthak Gupta moved to Seattle in the middle of searching for a tech job.
• He hoped being local would boost his chances of landing a role at Amazon, which he did in July 2024.
• Living within walking distance of the office is a priority for him, and it's helped him amid the RTO mandate.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarthak Gupta, a 29-year-old data scientist at Amazon who lives in Seattle. The following has been edited for length and clarity.