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Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

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Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#161

Post by jiaweihli »

projektir wrote: post #78

This makes me wonder... The idea of studying for the sake of making it a certain company, for some reason, turns me off. Never had the personality to do things only because a parent/teacher/company wanted me to do it. But, if there was something more fundamental to study for, like a certificate, or a project, or a competition (something more advanced than a hackaton), that'd actually be really interesting. The relati…

I would bet that a lot of companies consider certifications to be a negative signal when evaluating candidates.

Likely because the certifications aren't meaningfully standardized, so there's not much point in seeking external validation unless you're not confident in your skills.

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#162

Post by beachstartup »

user5994461 wrote: post #141
beachstartup wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it wasn't so long ago that nobody did this for tech, because we had a self-selecting industry that paid smart people very well, and those banker and consultant kids looked to us with a certain level of envy because we could naturally, seemingly effortlessly (not really), do what they studied years and years to do, which is make over 100 grand in your early 20's without really trying. those days are almost over. the b…

Strange. I look at bankers, consultant, doctors and lawyers and they don't make any less than we do.

that's my point.

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#164

Post by JupiterMoon »

rhizome wrote: post #45
hahamrfunnyguy wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd be surprised! I've interviewed many "veterans" (and worked with a few!) who just don't have the chops. In the world of web development, the developer who knows just enough to skate by without a proper understanding of algorithms and design patterns seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Kudos to him for acknowledging it and trying to do something about it.

skate by without a proper understanding of algorithms and design patterns In your estimation, what are the most important algorithms and design patterns to know for web development ?

For design patterns REST, DRY, MVC (and it's variants). For algorithms a basic knowledge that a triple nested loop is likely to be O(n^3) and when to use basic datastructures like hash maps/arrays/lists/sets (no need to know how to implement them) etc as well as the humbleness to use library packages should suffice.

I would argue that in 2016 to be a web developer one should either be capable of (1) full stack or (2) building thick client type applications to run in the browser. I would argue that the simple build a website type jobs are dying out and being replaced by Wordpress installers.

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#165

Post by JupiterMoon »

Retra wrote: post #69
tempw wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

he has a referral, it's said on the post.

And now he has the post, so even Google can google the magnitude of his devotion to them.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13195131

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#166

Post by ryandrake »

linkregister wrote: post #93
ryandrake wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting how you consider "building his own companies" to be the next level. Maybe indeed this is a commonly held HN view. I've always thought doing a start-up (or working for a medium sized company) is what you do early on, in order to gain the skills needed and prep for the end goal: Working for one of the top prestigious companies. Look at all the start-ups that are evidently founded for the sole purpose of bei…

Thanks for bringing up this perspective. What you're describing is a good career path for a self-taught programmer without the necessary network/luck to get into a Fancy Software Company. Building one's own company to the point where it sustains you is two levels above that. Here is my model to fit your perspective: Self-taught programmer/moderately-ranked state school -> Junior developer at unknown startup -> Interm…

Interesting. I guess it depends on your acceptable risk/reward profile. I translate your model as:

    Junior developer at unknown startup [Medium risk, low reward]
    Intermediate/senior developer at that startup or another one [Medium risk, medium reward]
    Software Dev at Fancy Company [Low risk, high reward]
    Start company with colleagues OR high-paid, remote consulting gigs [High risk, high reward]
I'd characterize the last one as a step backwards IF you consider "low risk, high reward" to be the best possible situation.

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#167

Post by ryandrake »

kaspm wrote: post #16
bshimmin wrote: post #6

I feel like this is some sort of promotional piece, but I can't quite get the angle - is he a fictitious individual made up by Google? Is this an attempt by Apple to make Google employees look weird? Is he a real person who's looking to publish a book? Perhaps it's entirely legit, but it just seems so, so strange to me.

There are those of us, of a certain age, for whom the "web" was at best a novelty while we were in school. Even through the original .com bubble, becoming a web programmer wasn't the same as "CS". EE and CS were disciplines for which you got hired at Microsoft (gold standard at the time), Oracle, Western Digital, HP (on the decline), etc. It wasn't that cool. Then Google happened. Google elevated the Web into a real…

Yea, I got similar advice during undergrad (back in the nineties, when dinosaurs roamed the earth): The web is a toy. It's not for Serious Developers™. Serious Developers™ do real time embedded systems, device drivers, systems programming, control systems, etc. Don't worry about HTML (which isn't a "real" language for Serious Developers™). Learn C and assembly, and microprocessors. Then Netscape happened and I found myself wondering if I bet on the wrong horse....

2 decades later I'm still not sure!

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#168

Post by deeteecee »

dudul wrote: post #37

It reads like a PR piece. If it had stopped at "Now I want to be called a software engineer and I'll study for that", it would have been a nice story about setting goals, and working to get there or whatever. But the whole "Google is so freakishly awesome dude! I need to work there!! it's the most better company in the world!" is kind of a turn off. I can't believe that Google Careers site actually recommend that can…

honestly, that book has become like the standard now. i agree that it's completely nuts but here i am, reviewing it even after being in the industry for at least 3 years.

Re: Why I Studied Full-Time for 8 Months for a Google Interview

#170

Post by solipsism »

judahmeek wrote: post #135
solipsism wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of that approaches religiosity. Your ridiculous interpretation is colored by your preexisting opinions about Google. Your logic also fails you. Developers having the freedom to do what's right for the user doesn't imply they succeed.

All I see here are a lot of personal attacks. Feel free to explain what your definition of "religiosity" is and why it doesn't apply to what Bambax quoted.

I asked which part is religious. Bambax quoted some non-religious things. Why would it be on me to prove everything he/she says is not something it obviously isn't?

Also, which attack is personal? I'm attacking an interpretation. Nothing personal about it.

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