Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by mseebach on Saturday December 10, 2016 @07:12AM
(#13145302)
I'm a pull engineer, and I work for a big, recognisable SV firm. I agree that hiring is fairly heavily biased towards push-types, but if you accept the premise and spend some quality time with some text books and online classes, you can come a long way (think of it as pull: if the goal is to work for Google, this is probably what you need to do).
One thing is for certain, carrying around a chip on your shoulder because you didn't go to Stanford will do you absolutely no good, and probably be a net negative for your career (and happiness in general).
For the record, no, working for Google and Facebook isn't the single only answer to life, the universe and everything, there are plenty of perfectly worthy paths that don't lead anywhere near them, and there's no shame in taking them. But they are juggernauts of our industry, they do pay very well, and for better or for worse, a stint at one of them does open a lot of doors.
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by pavlov on Saturday December 10, 2016 @08:46AM
(#13145609)
Undoubtedly. A stint in the Navy can be very helpful if you plan to be a pirate.
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by mseebach on Saturday December 10, 2016 @09:57AM
(#13145890)
A stint in the Navy can be very helpful for a great many other things, too, and it will do you no good to tell yourself that you can never join the Navy because you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, even if it does mean you may have to do some things differently.
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by karmajunkie on Sunday December 11, 2016 @11:49PM
(#13155622)
Indeed, growing up on a pirate ship might make one an excellent sailor in the Navy as well.
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by droidist2 on Friday December 09, 2016 @07:14PM
(#13143054)
It does really bother me that we've created a culture centered around Cracking the Code Interview and cramming for interviews.
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by thrwythrwy on Friday December 09, 2016 @07:24PM
(#13143107)
agreed, we should thank google for that (or not) :)
Re:Ask HN: Maybe I kind of suck as a programmer – how do I s...
by johan_larson on Saturday December 10, 2016 @12:10PM
(#13146600)
It didn't start with Google. Microsoft was doing much the same thing back in the nineties.
I would add that if you're a "pull" person, don't bother applying to the Googles and Facebooks of this world. Their hiring process is extremely oriented towards "push" learners, presumably because you need lots of those people to build something at that enormous scale.
Instead look for opportunities where you get to do something you don't really know how to do. (There's a number of reasons why people would let you do that, but often it comes down to being in the right place and being patient.) That's how you grow, not by memorizing data structure answers from "Cracking the Code Interview".
(I know, dissing the tech interview is a HN cliché... But young people seem to attach unwarranted amounts of self-worth to how well they do at interviews at the Top 4 companies, so it's worth reminding that it's really not meant for everyone and you can do well without passing that standard.)