The FAANG interviews I've done have all been algorithm and OS internal heavy. I'd say buy yourself a copy of the algorithms textbook and work through that.
I didn't get an offer, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
151–160 of 170 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have over 100 Coursera/edX/Udacity certificates and work on the bleeding edge of tech (AI). MIT's Underactuated Robotics got me into the first cohort of Udacity's Self-driving Car Nanodegree. I think you are shooting yourself in the feet if you plainly reject people like me who just want to keep learning new things.
I mean this in the nicest way possible. I genuinely have nothing agaisnt you and this is as far as I know the first time i've ever read one of your comments. You appear unsufferable. If i was in charge of deciding whether or not to hire you, I would not, based on this comment.
Flagged and downvoted. You've been nailed.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#153I worked at a FAANG company. My co-worker hadn't graduated High School. I recommend applying and grinding leetcode if you aim for a SWE role. Two years SWE experience is enough for them to give you an interview with a cold application through their job board in my experience.
Thanks! I've started working through LeetCode recently. Struggling to get an interview, but that might be a CV issue. After reading this thread, I think LeetCode + networking is what I need to focus on.
This is the resume template I've used over the last 8ish years: https://www.careercup.com/resume
It doesn't hurt to get someone to review your resume if you're not getting bites.
If you can find a friend's cousin's sister who works at a FAANG company who's willing to refer you, that'd be ideal. All the FAANG companies I've interviewed have an internal referral system.
I only got into a FAANG company once as an intern. It was pure luck that I didn't have any leetcode rounds. Every other time I tried interviewing for SWE my fall was leetcode. The good news is there isn't much luck required, its 90% just a grind. You can be the unluckiest person on the planet and still get in. That being said, good luck :-)
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you can get a better formal CS education than Harvard for a fraction of the price at two dozen places, probably including at least one state school you have access to. Harvard is good for signalling, traditional liberal arts, and pre-law (but, I repeat myself). It's not a very good teaching university overall, and especially not in CS.
If you don’t have a high regard for the Harvard CS curriculum, it’s reasonable enough to disqualify people on that basis. That said, I think you’re completely out of touch with how 18 year olds choose universities. It can be as simple as a friend of theirs is also attending, or the school is close to a parent’s home, or they were actually in a liberal arts program before they switched into CS. Sometimes as you implie…
> If you don’t have a high regard for the Harvard CS curriculum, it’s reasonable enough to disqualify people on that basis.
It's not reasonable, those statements are liability for you and the company you represent. Hiring laws are quite strict of discrimination.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you can get a better formal CS education than Harvard for a fraction of the price at two dozen places, probably including at least one state school you have access to. Harvard is good for signalling, traditional liberal arts, and pre-law (but, I repeat myself). It's not a very good teaching university overall, and especially not in CS.
If you don’t have a high regard for the Harvard CS curriculum, it’s reasonable enough to disqualify people on that basis. That said, I think you’re completely out of touch with how 18 year olds choose universities. It can be as simple as a friend of theirs is also attending, or the school is close to a parent’s home, or they were actually in a liberal arts program before they switched into CS. Sometimes as you implie…
Yeah, sure, spare a tear for all the kids who accidentally ended up at Harvard.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#156I have a BSc and an MSc and I don't ever want to work for FAANG. I work as a contractor and work only few months a year if it allows it. Rest of the time I work on my own side projects - the dream for me is for them to get successful. UK based but relocated to Asia. FAANG might seem like the successful endpoint but theres many exciting companies/startups out there that might make you feel more accomplished than worki…
That's true. When I say FAANG, I just mean big tech in general. I've been looking at startups too! Do you work remotely in Asia? I would like to relocate too one day.
Yes remote - all my clients are mostly clients from back home and companies i have worked with before. But i'm not getting much work as time difference is +7 hours and they sometimes want devs to be on during business hours. But cost of living here is cheap so i'm okay with it for now.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#157No, you don't need an online degree. I had a colleague at Google who was hired straight after highschool.
wow, like straight out of high school, no work experience? I and many other googlers have no college experience, but going straight out of high school is quite exceptional.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#158I work at AWS in the UK and also do interviews in a Software Engineering role. I have no CS degree and at least where I am we do not look at degrees. We are hiring btw.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#159You can do a master in CS even without a CS bachelor online at the University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera. You just need to take 2 classes and get at least B in each. https://www.colorado.edu/cs/academics/online-programs/mscs-c... But as they say, this will only put you on the radar, but then it's all about LeetCode-Hard and -Medium and system design.
Right. I got a master's in CS with out a bachelors. I had to take 4 pre-reqs classes before I could start taking the graduate level classes. Anyway it was worth it.
Re: Ask HN: I'm a SWE without a CS degree. Will online certs help me get into FAANG?
#160Dude I got into a FAANG company with no CS degree (or any other degree). Unless you're going into research, where is PhD is almost required, they'll hire you based on your skills.
When? I also have a successful career despite not having any degree, but my read is that it's not as easy for newbies as it was 10 years ago.
It's anecdotal based on my social circle and their younger friends, but I'm wary of turning into my parents with advice like "you don't need a degree, just a firm handshake and an affinity for hard leetcode problems!"