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Sign posted:Good bit of runway year+ Year+ does not seem like a whole lot but I guess that's what the IPO ought to solve Hadlock fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Feb 3, 2024 |
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Feb 3, 2024 08:12
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Anyone have a good resource for system design interview prep?
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Feb 5, 2024 15:20
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Designing Data-Intensive Application style of system?
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Feb 5, 2024 15:39
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mila kunis posted:Anyone have a good resource for system design interview prep? Regardless of what other resources you get suggested, I highly suggest an exercise of designing high level designs for slimmed down versions of popular software while talking out loud and either white boarding or putting things into a tool like lucid chart. I almost always get asked to design an MVP of a Twitter or Reddit clone in these.
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Feb 5, 2024 15:52
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https://www.educative.io/courses/grokking-modern-system-design-interview-for-engineers-managers is a popular choice
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Feb 5, 2024 16:05
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Thanks everyone!
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Feb 5, 2024 16:35
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mila kunis posted:Anyone have a good resource for system design interview prep? I watched a few youtube videos which were generally helpful, mostly in understanding there's a bunch of different ways it can go. The thing that was most helpful was having a friend of mine run me through like a 2.5 hour mock system design interview, but I recognize not everyone has that capability. However if you have anyone who's actually given them before and is willing to give you a mock interview that honestly is pretty useful.
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Feb 5, 2024 17:56
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mila kunis posted:Anyone have a good resource for system design interview prep? I enjoyed this book because it was one of the few experiences that wasn't draw the rest of the owl. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CMF2CQF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details A wildly good resource that includes Anki decks, https://github.com/donnemartin/system-design-primer I disliked this, https://www.designgurus.io/course-play/grokking-the-system-design-interview. This one, to me, felt like it was geared towards someone that already has all the answers, but wants to see a formal way to regurgitate that information. This book was mentioned, https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321. It's a great read, and I think I'd love to have it as a reference when designing something, but it usually led me to more questions (not a bad thing!). For the purposes of an interview... It never left with this feeling, "in this situation do this". More like, "in this solution here are many options. Carefully research them outside this book". Again that's not a bad thing. I did make a ton of of Anki cards from that book, but idk. I'm maybe not an authority though. I'm studying this stuff for the first time.
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Feb 5, 2024 18:24
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DDIA is the book you read to understand the material that gets covered in a systems design interview but if you want to practice the interview you will definitely need something else.
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Feb 5, 2024 18:29
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DDIA and friends are important, but the key to acing the systems design interview is time management. Know what parts are too boring and low-risk to even bother outlining beyond a scrap of a mention that it needs to exist. Half the time the interview is set up so there's one big flashing red risk and this is where you're supposed to spend most of your time
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Feb 5, 2024 19:00
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I flip through this usually the day before an interview. It has been my go to for several years now https://github.com/donnemartin/system-design-primer Has a bunch of great links off site Hadlock fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Feb 5, 2024 |
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Feb 5, 2024 20:43
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I applied for a job, with a 21-row .txt file containing my contact info, github, resume and application. They actually contacted me and arranged a 45-minute phone interview with HR. I never would have even dreamed of something like that happening with such an application. Next they want me to do some coding task, with a 80-minute time limit. If I pass with a good grade, I may get to a live HR + technical interview. If I pass that, they'll arrange some kind of personality test or something. Drug tests. Local NSA-equivalent does a basic security clearance... All this for a 3 month summer job. drat. Do you have any pro tips on how to prepare for such coding tests? I have done Advent of Code and some algorithm course puzzles, maybe I should do some leetcode to warm up? If problems contains parsing, maybe use python or rust? If problems are algorithmic, perhaps C++ because of reasonably short syntax, good speed and lots of features in STL? They use the https://futureskill.com platform for tests.
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Feb 6, 2024 09:40
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Ihmemies posted:I applied for a job, with a 21-row .txt file containing my contact info, github, resume and application. They actually contacted me and arranged a 45-minute phone interview with HR. I never would have even dreamed of something like that happening with such an application. leetcode is the platform for practice
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Feb 6, 2024 15:08
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I noticed the site had actually some tests you can practice with freely. I did a few "medium" level ones and they were not too bad. Then I clicked the link on email, and the landing page said the test will be of "easy" level, heh. Well I spent 15 minutes writing "a" solution, and because I was curious, nearly 3 hours trying to figure out how to write a generic solution. With the tools available (no AI, no friends, no github, no google etc.) it proved to be quite difficult to figure out only with Rust docs. Well basically I could not implement a function which works with type T instead of a specific type like String, char, i32 etc. I haven't had the need to do it before, so I did not really know how, could not learn fast enough based on rust docs only, and inside a web browser window could not get it work without better tools. Well, off towards new disappointments. I highly doubt they will want to see my rear end on a technical interview after this.
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Feb 6, 2024 17:29
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Ihmemies posted:I applied for a job, with a 21-row .txt file containing my contact info, github, resume and application. They actually contacted me and arranged a 45-minute phone interview with HR. I never would have even dreamed of something like that happening with such an application. I think it makes sense to pick ONE language as your puzzle language. I like Python because it's reasonably fast to write and it has a good standard library. For focusing on what to practice, I like this site that recommends which puzzles to look at based on how much time you have to study. https://www.techinterviewhandbook.org/grind75
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Feb 6, 2024 17:30
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Mantle posted:I think it makes sense to pick ONE language as your puzzle language. I like Python because it's reasonably fast to write and it has a good standard library. Thanks, maybe I should stick to python in future  Don't need to care about types or "proper" syntax with that...That seems like an useful site, thanks for the tip!
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Feb 6, 2024 17:32
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I don’t even like python much but I’d still probably use it for interview loops because it’s the right balance of quick to write, easy* to read, loose on safety, and unpretentious. * as long as you know some python idioms And then I’d hope to hardly touch it again in the real job, just like leetcode brain teasers.
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Feb 6, 2024 17:41
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Guinness posted:I don’t even like python much but I’d still probably use it for interview loops because it’s the right balance of quick to write, easy* to read, loose on safety, and unpretentious. I'm biased because this is how I learned but IMO (some) code katas are valuable because software dev is mostly about putting together building blocks, and there's plenty of times I've had to pull out some weird thing to accomplish a pretty normal goal. For example we have a system that inherits an attribute from parent to child, and the naming convention follows the same basic rules as file paths (separated by slash, etc) - for a given list of objects I wanted to find only the parents and touch them rather than modifying the children. This is basically a textbook leetcode problem, so it was something I immediately grokked. I had a junior who really struggled wrapping their head around this. Sure some of them are a little silly - inverting binary trees/etc - but in general I do think there's value in practicing low level stuff like this and if nothing else it's a nice platform for "solve a problem, confirm it's really solved via automated testing".
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Feb 6, 2024 19:08
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Ihmemies posted:I noticed the site had actually some tests you can practice with freely. I did a few "medium" level ones and they were not too bad. If they're not doing it with oversight they just want any solution that passes the tests. Don't get too clever, there will be opportunities to demonstrate that later on.
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Feb 6, 2024 19:10
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Would have been more helpful to know the goal, ie “make it compile and pass tests in whatever way”. I would have stopped tinkering with it instantly after that. What is overwatch? Some other real person actually monitors what you are doing?
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Feb 6, 2024 21:24
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In our code challenge we expect the person to timebox themselves strictly and would rather see a solution that half works than a solution someone spent 5 hours polishing. It probably varies.
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Feb 6, 2024 21:50
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rally posted:In our code challenge we expect the person to timebox themselves strictly and would rather see a solution that half works than a solution someone spent 5 hours polishing. It probably varies. they don't, tho i can just about guarantee people underreport time spent and fail to box within prescribed bounds. unless the exercise itself is timed.
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Feb 6, 2024 23:21
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I just laughed while reading a tech document because this company justifies using an embedded JVM because Java is 'very close to Javascript', which is used in an adjacent field. Saying that is the sign of a crazy person, right? Did something happen in the decades since I've used these languages?
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Feb 7, 2024 00:06
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StumblyWumbly posted:Saying that is the sign of a crazy person, right? Probably not "crazy" so much as "clueless and not trying very hard to cover for it," but yeah.
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Feb 7, 2024 00:09
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Yeah, that's more likely to be someone who has no clue what any of the things they're writing about are than someone who does but is insane.
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Feb 7, 2024 03:26
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The exercise I did was timed, 80 minutes was given. I provided a working solution in 15, and spent rest of the time failing to make it any better.
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Feb 7, 2024 06:34
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All you can do now is hope that is enough. If not, gently caress em and bring on the next.
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Feb 7, 2024 06:49
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Mantle posted:I think it makes sense to pick ONE language as your puzzle language. I like Python because it's reasonably fast to write and it has a good standard library.
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Feb 7, 2024 14:12
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I applied to embedded sw trainee position, and immediately got a coding test. Only language was C++17, time 60 minutes. This time I did not do anything fancy. I implemented the slowest possible solution, which at least worked, and I finished it in the allotted time. I kind of assumed I could use some other language but I was too tired and didn't look properly before beginning. My C++ was a bit rusty so much of the time was spent browsing cppreference.com Welp, in the final screen after submit it said my solution was better than 93% of the results, heh, ok. It really was terrible, iterating through the same vector multiple times. With a smarter algorithm I could have done it with 1 pass. I could probably have done it given enough time, but not in the timeslot. Immediately after finishing I got this email from some probably very fictional person: quote:Hello Ihmemies, At least this is miles better than an rejection after a few weeks, or no reply at all. --- I still have the feeling that the Finnish school system has been going downhill for decades, making everything easier, lowering the requirements, skimping on everything possible. Since that permeates the whole system beginning from elementary school, they can't demand enough from students at university level either. It feels like the school actually does not teach enough, and I have to try to figure out stuff by myself way too much. Well, such is life I guess these days. Ihmemies fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Feb 8, 2024 |
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Feb 8, 2024 21:08
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Keep us posted on when they tell you that you're hired, and you need to buy your own laptop from their preferred vendor, and they'll reimburse you after purchaseIhmemies posted:It feels like the school actually does not teach enough, and I have to try to figure out stuff by myself way too much. Well, such is life I guess these days. There's always been very little overlap between a CS degree and the reality of working in tech
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Feb 8, 2024 21:24
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Hadlock posted:Keep us posted on when they tell you that you're hired, and you need to buy your own laptop from their preferred vendor, and they'll reimburse you after purchase My friend has been working at the company for nearly three years, so it really exists and this definitely should not be a scam…
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Feb 8, 2024 22:42
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lifg posted:https://www.educative.io/courses/grokking-modern-system-design-interview-for-engineers-managers is a popular choice Seems useful, I wonder if I can expense this from the L&D budget for my current job.
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Feb 8, 2024 23:20
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Hadlock posted:Keep us posted on when they tell you that you're hired, and you need to buy your own laptop from their preferred vendor, and they'll reimburse you after purchase the CS theory is useful, but it's definitely not the same thing as knowing how to program effectively
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Feb 9, 2024 02:22
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leper khan posted:the CS theory is useful, but it's definitely not the same thing as knowing how to program effectively Most days I would agree with you. On the other hand, today, I made a program run 15 times faster by cutting out one SQL select statement. Nobody else who'd looked at the code in 20 years realized how much time was being wasted because they didn't have the theoretical background to understand how inefficient it was to run a query over the network. Inside a loop. Practical experience matters, but every so often you'll run into a situation where the answer is obvious if you put in the time to build the right theoretical background; but wouldn't even know what questions to ask without it. LLSix fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Feb 9, 2024 |
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Feb 9, 2024 02:32
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being a physicist doesn't make you a make-real-things engineer, but they really shouldn't let you out of make-real-things engineering school with you not knowing F=ma, and they mostly dont
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Feb 9, 2024 02:37
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LLSix posted:Most days I would agree with you. you don't need any theoretical background to know that running a sql query in a loop is a tremendous, blazing red flag
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Feb 9, 2024 03:41
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yeah i was gonna say, i'm usually first in line to say "jesus christ, learn some actual computer science, it's good for you" but there's no world where you need any kind of cs background to know "network calls in a loop" is a bad idea. you need to know what "loop" means, and that network calls are more expensive than using the local computer. you don't even have to think about cache levels or cache vs ram or any of that.
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Feb 9, 2024 04:56
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I spent some time in a midsize company that employs about 50 devs and doesn't do anything too fancy and what I learned is that if you're in this thread or otherwise give a poo poo about tech and programming in your spare time you're probably at least a top 10% dev.
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Feb 9, 2024 06:04
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Achmed Jones posted:but there's no world where you need any kind of cs background to know "network calls in a loop" is a bad idea. you need to know what "loop" means, and that network calls are more expensive than using the local computer. you don't even have to think about cache levels or cache vs ram or any of that. I have some impolite things to say about many front end devs I've met in my day, including several who technically held a "manager" title
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Feb 9, 2024 06:18
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prom candy posted:I spent some time in a midsize company that employs about 50 devs and doesn't do anything too fancy and what I learned is that if you're in this thread or otherwise give a poo poo about tech and programming in your spare time you're probably at least a top 10% dev. Aw drat, that's why everybody says I'm such a giant rear end.
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Feb 9, 2024 08:46
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