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I have a question for those with a better understanding of such things. Is it difficult to calculate time or memory complexity of a function through static analysis? It seems kind of basic, but I still find myself manually checking code instead of relying on a tool.
This forces us to skip crucial points like why O(n^2) truly identically equals O(n^2/2 + 5n). The author instead seems to think they are approximately the same because the lower order terms are small compared to the highest one.
We only need to explain the definition and the reader could understand why an O(n) algorithm is in O(n^2), why some O(n^3) algorithms are much faster than others in O(n^~2.4), etc.
There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about practice and rapid pattern recognition (he also was pitching his own coding interview prep course). Said he forgot half of it after getting the job.
This could all be true but this narrative is coming from sources that have a financial interest in making you believe that. What do you think HN? I mean I know algorithm prep is an important part of the interview but.. there's just something sketch about all these outfits I can't quite put my finger on.
(I also wonder if the people who get hired based on prep vs. aptitude then have a kind of survivor bias and hire others who are strong on this limited range of pattern recognition... could it be a problem for the industry?)
I've noticed there are SO many of these "coding interview prep" courses lately. Like, obviously it's a hot job market, but there's just so many and of a certain vibe that it seems like some are selling a dream. There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about pr…
I've noticed there are SO many of these "coding interview prep" courses lately. Like, obviously it's a hot job market, but there's just so many and of a certain vibe that it seems like some are selling a dream. There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about pr…
I'm a developer with about 6 years experience in full stack web app development (Rails & Django mostly), and I recently got my ass absolutely kicked during a couple of live coding challenges that were very heavy on theory (also worth mentioning that I'm a self-taught dev without a CS degree).
I started talking to some former coworkers about my experience, and I got 2 main responses: A) it's imperative to have a CS foundation regardless of your degree if you want to advance in your career, and B) employers only consider prior experience to certain degree.
The two interviews that I bombed involved heavily contrived coding challenges that tested CS fundamentals in ways that I've never encountered in a professional environment, so it doesn't surprise me at all to see services like this popping up.
I have a question for those with a better understanding of such things. Is it difficult to calculate time or memory complexity of a function through static analysis? It seems kind of basic, but I still find myself manually checking code instead of relying on a tool.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would argue it isn't tractable. f(n) = f(n-1) + f(n-1) has runtime O(2^n); f(n) = f(n-1) + f(n-2) has runtmie O(~1.62^n); f(n) = f(n/2) + f(n/2) has O(n log n); for i = 1 to f(n) has runtime f(n).. good luck determining a function output through static analysis
In both cases it has O(2^n). Normally speaking, this response would be pure pedantry [0], but for static analysis it might be good enough. In most cases, the naive answer will be good enough, and the tool can direct you to pay attention to areas of particular concern. Getting static guarantees about performance would require carefully constructing your code with the tool in mind. [0] Although I still find it outrageo…
I've noticed there are SO many of these "coding interview prep" courses lately. Like, obviously it's a hot job market, but there's just so many and of a certain vibe that it seems like some are selling a dream. There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about pr…
Most interviews have 4 sessions broken up in the following manner:
1 hour: coding
1 hour: coding
1 hour: lunch
1 hour: system design
1 hour: cross-functional
In my experience though, the first two are the ones that really make or break candidates, if you don't pass both, you're not getting hired. And yes, most of those interviews just test your knowledge of how quickly you can figure out the right data structure and algo for the question at hand. And even if you know all of the data structures and the applications of each, it can be incredibly difficult to solve the problems in the allotted time.
The other funny thing is that your previous experience doesn't do anything for you other than maybe getting to skip the technical phone screen. Everyone goes through the same process. e.g. https://twitter.com/mxcl/status/608682016205344768?lang=en
On the bright side, it does look like many companies are now realizing this isn't a great way to evaluate someone's ability and are beginning to incorporate more practical exercises.
I've noticed there are SO many of these "coding interview prep" courses lately. Like, obviously it's a hot job market, but there's just so many and of a certain vibe that it seems like some are selling a dream. There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about pr…
I've noticed there are SO many of these "coding interview prep" courses lately. Like, obviously it's a hot job market, but there's just so many and of a certain vibe that it seems like some are selling a dream. There's a common narrative too, that it's all about algorithm question prep and it's a "game" you can win. One youtuber who recently landed a ~$275K TC gig said it's not about being "intelligent" it's about pr…
A major force driving this is the employers who choose to conduct interviews in this way. I'm a developer with about 6 years experience in full stack web app development (Rails & Django mostly), and I recently got my ass absolutely kicked during a couple of live coding challenges that were very heavy on theory (also worth mentioning that I'm a self-taught dev without a CS degree). I started talking to some former cow…
Compare it to equivalent high-paying fields like finance or law, where you can hit a career ceiling based simply on what school you went to.
I hate studying for tech interviews. It feels like a sisyphean task, since I'll get really into prepping for a few days, then taper off until I've forgotten everything. At least it's easier to start up again the next time. This is now my third time attempting to prep.
I wish I was brave enough to just quit my job and spend 2 months studying. I'm in SF now, and all of my friends here make at least $300k when counting stocks and bonuses. I'm just barely short of half that (with no stocks or bonuses), and getting there is my next big career goal.