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The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

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Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#51

Post by csomar »

modernerd wrote: post #19

"If you can't answer the majority of the questions on these four papers, and you're working or intend to work as a software developer, you should ask yourself why — most likely you're either you're missing something you really should know, or you're lucky enough to be working within a narrow area where your deficit doesn't matter." [1] I'm a self-taught front end web developer who didn't have a traditional computer s…

I'm also on the same boat and taking Udacity courses. I have noticed, however, as Front-End development progress and gets more complicated, that general CS knowledge will be of great use.

I took the CS101 last month. The only new thing I learned was Hashes. However, I think it was well worth it. Hashing is probably one of the most important concepts in CS. Also the course was entertaining. It helped me also review old code I wrote. I figured two cases where I can use hash functions to speed up code.

I'm taking the Software Testing, and Design of Computer Programs this month. If you are free (no job/freelancing/errands...), you can do each course in 7-10 days. Granted, you'll be fully committed to them. That is, you can* do these 3 CS years in just 3 months.

* depends on your mental abilities; but I think as a self-taught Front-End, you'll tackle it.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#52

Post by EliRivers »

Software engineering and/or programming is a vast, vast field. Anything you can express logically, someone somewhere is expressing in software. This "or you're lucky enough to be working within a narrow area where your deficit doesn't matter" should read "or you're lucky enough to be working outside this narrow area so your deficit doesn't matter".

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#53

Post by radagaisus »

hermannj314 wrote: post #42

I have no educational training in computer science, but I work as a software developer. I could not answer any of those questions, literally 0 out of 5. 1. Is O(2^n) equal to O(3^n)? Why? I have absolutely no idea what that means. But I did have to answer this question: why does the application crash? "Oh...that's because the developer that was pontificating yesterday about how heap operations behave asymptotically f…

from all the questions this is the one you MUST know if you want me (or anyone) to trust you with a piece of code. It takes one hour (in wikipedia!) to learn everything you'll need for a day-to-day work complexity assessment with the Big O notation.

They asked us this questions on our high school final exams, I'm sure you'll manage.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#54

Post by csmattryder »

arethuza wrote: post #38
pjmlp wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet, at least in the European countries I've lived in, you won't get through HR without a CS degree, unless you're doing your own business.

I'm in the UK, I know people who are excellent developers who don't have degrees on any kind and who have no problems whatsoever getting employed. Mind you they have 10+ years experience and can point to major succesful projects - so whether or not they have a degree or not is rather irrelevant.

I am too, a CS student at university. I've got a Github account with around 10 projects, just side-projects when I had some time.

Even with that, and fairly high grades, it was still a slight challenge to get a placement. Said placement is just to give me an edge over fresh graduates, I'll have a year in industrial experience over them.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#55

Post by mattdeboard »

radagaisus wrote: post #53
hermannj314 wrote: post #42

I have no educational training in computer science, but I work as a software developer. I could not answer any of those questions, literally 0 out of 5. 1. Is O(2^n) equal to O(3^n)? Why? I have absolutely no idea what that means. But I did have to answer this question: why does the application crash? "Oh...that's because the developer that was pontificating yesterday about how heap operations behave asymptotically f…

from all the questions this is the one you MUST know if you want me (or anyone) to trust you with a piece of code. It takes one hour (in wikipedia!) to learn everything you'll need for a day-to-day work complexity assessment with the Big O notation. They asked us this questions on our high school final exams, I'm sure you'll manage.

Yeah, I mean, I'm also a self-taught, workaday programmer, and I agree with you. Understanding time complexity to a degree that you can communicate about it isn't something to shrug off. Don't be proud of ignorance.

The problem is that the perspective expressed by the GP comment is a pure expression of the "don't know what you don't know" adage. Sure, you can hammer out solutions to problems, but the more exposure you've got to more concepts in your field, 1. the bigger your toolkit and 2. the quicker you can start drawing conclusions about the problem.

I'm actually pretty shocked someone's confessing to not knowing what big O notation is and proud of it.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#56

Post by cperciva »

EliRivers wrote: post #52

Software engineering and/or programming is a vast, vast field. Anything you can express logically, someone somewhere is expressing in software. This "or you're lucky enough to be working within a narrow area where your deficit doesn't matter" should read "or you're lucky enough to be working outside this narrow area so your deficit doesn't matter".

Note: What you're seeing today is just 1/4 of the test. The other three parts cover different areas.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#57

Post by yaz »

I knew the answers to all of these questions two years ago when I had just graduated, but I've completely forgotten what heapsort is (despite having used it a few times in programming contests) and cannot offhand remember what "bipartite" means (googled, saw the wikipedia image and instantly remembered maxflow and Ford–Fulkerson although I guess a DFS is good enough to determine bipartite-ness).

Why is the ability to retain this information at the top of my mind at all times necessary for me to be a Software Developer?

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#58

Post by [deleted] »

ataggart wrote: post #40
alexkus wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use these kind of questions in interviews. You either know the answers or you don't. There's no looking at your 'phone in an interview (at least not one with me being the interviewer).

Fair enough. I take a different approach in my interviews: try to gauge how useful the person will be to the team. We have internet access, and a library with CLRS if someone needs to implement a bipartite graph test. It matters more to me that they'd know why they'd need one.

[deleted]

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#59

Post by gargleblaster »

hermannj314 wrote: post #42

I have no educational training in computer science, but I work as a software developer. I could not answer any of those questions, literally 0 out of 5. 1. Is O(2^n) equal to O(3^n)? Why? I have absolutely no idea what that means. But I did have to answer this question: why does the application crash? "Oh...that's because the developer that was pontificating yesterday about how heap operations behave asymptotically f…

I think that question 1 is not well formulated (unless that is the answer he expects). Equality makes only very limited sense for asymptotic notation.

Re: The software development final exam: Algorithms and Data Structures

#60

Post by hobbyist »

I wanted to ask this question regarding big O notation. When we say f(n) = O(g(n)) all we mean to say is that f(n) <= c(g(n)) with other constraints. My question is, why do we have an equal to sign, why is f(n) equal to O(g(n)).. they could have made up a new symbol to establish such a relationship... The reason why I think so is because I see equal to as a transitive relationship.. So, if a = b and c = b, then a = c .. This clearly doesnt hold when we use f(n) = O(g(n)) .. n^2 = O(n^2) and n = O(n^2), so n = n^2 which is not making any sense..
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