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Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

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Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#61

Post by nitrogen »

norrec wrote: post #42

I've been a junior developer for almost 2 years now at a fairly large company. At my current position, there hasn't been a single task thrown at me that I have not been able to complete with ease. I've worked with multiple languages and technologies that I was not familiar with at all when I started. I tend to figure them out pretty quickly and get on with the task at hand. I've built a bunch of side projects (not al…

I have some ideas that would help address this problem and improve hiring in general. I might take a stab at it eventually, if I'm ever no longer running my current venture.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#62

Post by dakrisht »

orangethirty wrote: post #12
dsowers wrote: post #7

You can build a startup in the time it takes to thoroughly prepare for these interviews/positions. Willingly subjecting yourself to this rat race is essentially the same thing as stamping yourself as an "ibm man," in the words of Jobs. Who cares if you don't know the intricacies of all the hot algorithms of the day. Spend your time creating actual value for the world, instead of practicing just for the sake of impres…

Are you suggesting that building a startup is merely an exercise in programming? I do agree that one should not participate in the idiotic way programmers are currently being recruited by some companies. But that doesn't mean there aren't good, BS free jobs out there. Jobs that are full-fulling and economically adequate. Not everyone aims to be on the cover of Forbes. Some people just want to program, and go home wit…

Yes, some startups are actually exercises in programming. Real talk.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#63

Post by csomar »

Always coding and landing a job are kinda opposite in my opinion. If you are looking for a job, then you have to look for the job and that means little time and interest for coding.

You are not also guaranteeing a position where you'll actually code something or help develop something if you happened to get the job.

If you want to code, do agency consulting. Agency brings the work, manages the clients, do the accounting, marketing and the stuff. You code.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#64

Post by [deleted] »

norrec wrote: post #42

I've been a junior developer for almost 2 years now at a fairly large company. At my current position, there hasn't been a single task thrown at me that I have not been able to complete with ease. I've worked with multiple languages and technologies that I was not familiar with at all when I started. I tend to figure them out pretty quickly and get on with the task at hand. I've built a bunch of side projects (not al…

[deleted]

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#65

Post by wtracy »

hippee-lee wrote: post #52
marceldegraaf wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly! This is why we, at my job, only hire software engineers after a (paid) two-day test period in which they actually build some new feature on one of our products. Nothing too fancy but interesting enough for them to be a challenge and representative enough for us to see what they're capable of. At least as important: they will have lunch with us, talk with us, have fun with the rest of the team, ... This allow…

I forget the exact details but my current employment agreement has a paragraph saying I won't do contract or consulting work while I am a full time employee here. Ethically, I would never be able to interview for your company. Don't most companies like tech companies operate in a similar manner? If so, aren't you limiting your hiring pool to either programmers without those types of agreements or thise whom are ethic…

I'm not sure, but that sounds unenforceable in the state of California (where a lot of HNers are). If you work outside of California, sucks to be you, I guess.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#66

Post by dylangs1030 »

archer174 wrote: post #48

Every time I read the word passion in one of these articles I cringe. This has to be the most overused word in silicon valley. It's really just a convenient way to abuse people. Can't work 90 hours? Not passionate enough. Have a family commitment? Where's your passion? Passion. We get it already.

Ha, you forgot this list:

"disrupt!"

"only the beginning"

"ninja"

"agile"

"seamless"

"social media"

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#67

Post by thaumasiotes »

callmeed wrote: post #9

Really good post, thanks David. I'm really curious as to how you landed an interview at Google (let alone a job) without a college degree. My understanding is they are very strict about that and it's hard to even get a foot in the door without a degree. [disclosure: I'm on a 10 year "hiatus" from my senior year in college]

I was contacted by Google without them knowing I had a degree, although they knew by the time I was scheduled for an interview. Apparently washing out in round one of Google Code Jame 2012 was enough for them to seek me out. I performed to expectation by similarly washing out of the interview.

Steve Yegge wrote that you should apply to Google, no matter whether you think they'll take you or not, because it's a desirable position and the cost of failing is low. I spent $200 on a hotel room (not reimbursable), $150 on transportation from and to the airport (not reimbursable), $50 on baggage fees (reimbursable), and two days of my salary (since I wasn't at work when interviewing) (not reimbursable) in order to apply. This could be described as "significant".

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#68

Post by wtracy »

tachyonbeam wrote: post #14
joonix wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone has a "monetizeable" startup idea worth pursuing at any given time.

And friends, and contacts, and capital, and a huge amount of free time, and unabashed faith in that one idea.

And the ability to get health insurance without being under a megacorporation's umbrella.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#69

Post by rubinelli »

archer174 wrote: post #48

Every time I read the word passion in one of these articles I cringe. This has to be the most overused word in silicon valley. It's really just a convenient way to abuse people. Can't work 90 hours? Not passionate enough. Have a family commitment? Where's your passion? Passion. We get it already.

The thing people forget about passion is that it doesn't last. Passion is for kids. By all means, work on what you love, but remember you're an adult and set the right pace.

Re: Always Be Coding – How to Land an Engineering Job

#70

Post by codex »

kanzure wrote: post #43

Hiring is entirely broken. I don't think anyone is listening to developers. I took some data about this (tracking pixel in a Developer Auction profile), but someone did an even better job than me and posted in these comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5730843 I want a company that treats me with dignity and respect, even before and during the interviewing pipeline. How a company treats people during interv…

Bootcamp in the Marine Corps is an example of a tough hiring practice. Are your friends and family doctors or lawyers, per chance? Both professions use grueling hiring marathons which are much, much worse than a software engineering interview (residency and the bar exam). All other engineering professions require a rigorous licensing process, whereas software engineering is one of the cushiest jobs on the planet. In none of these professions do they accept a casual "hey, take a look at this portfolio" means of quality assurance. That's too easily faked. They test you, actively.

Standing in a room for a few hours writing on a wall is not exactly hazing; to say it is reeks of entitlement, especially when many software engineering jobs have a public trust: safety, privacy, reliability, and correctness standards that demand a certain level of rigor. Software engineering is a very hot field right now, and developers are in demand--but that doesn't mean you should turn up your nose at companies that maintain their own stringent standards of hiring.

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