reading 02
The first three summers of my college career (before freshman, sophomore and junior years), I avoided the difficult process of internship and job searches by returning to a large government-contractor as a software developer. When I decided to study abroad in Rome the fall of my junior year, taking no computer science or technical classes for a semester, I knew I would have to work hard to get back up to speed upon my return. While it was difficult to be dropped into architecture and operating systems that spring semester, perhaps the biggest challenge was one I overlooked completely. Many of my peers had already accepted internships when I got back and it seemed like the application process was largely winding down. I would end up spending that semester somewhat frantically applying to internships on top of a strenuous courseload.
One of the most memorable interviews for me was with a big-4 tech company. I have long been a supporter and user of this company’s products, and dream of someday working there. I feel like my personality aligns with their mission and history and I know that I could be passionate about my job there. I applied and eventually was invited for a technical phone interview. I was ecstatic! It was all I could manage not to let my mind wander and get excited for the potential future. When the time came for the interview I paced eagerly back and forth on my carpet in Notre Dame sweatpants and a grey knit sweater. The phone call came a few minutes after the agreed time and I took a deep breath and answered. On the other line were two people, one of whom was the hiring manager and the other a developer who would be interviewing me. They were both very friendly, and led me through a set of questions on concepts from architecture and OS. Some I was able to answer well and others on a rudimentary level with the added promise of a deeper understanding after having actually studied them later that semester. After this portion, we moved on to a simple coding challenge where the developers could watch my type in real time. The problem was very simple, and I solved it, but admittedly not in the most-optimal way possible. The interview concluded and they politely thanked me and notified me that I would receive an email within a few days.
Given the calibre of the company, I knew almost immediately that my performance would likely not result in an offer. Despite having felt confident in my communication and connection with the employees, and in that I would study in detail all of the topics of their questions within the semester, near-perfection is demanded. The observer article is a testament to this with its seventeen “secrets” that need to be kept in mind for these companies.
While my initial temptation was to feel cheated and upset, the outcome of the interview was reasonable. I admittedly did little to prepare as far as studying “Cracking the Coding Interview” questions or challenges on HackerRank. I had not coded for eight months and I had not completed the coursework that treated the topic of their questions. Given the volume of applicants that these companies receive, and the ubiquity of their products and services, they can’t really give applicants the benefit of the doubt. I know that I could succeed and contribute at that company, but I didn’t do much to convince them of that. I still have hope that someday, maybe a few years down the line, I will end up in a role where I am that passionate. I will always have the option to “buy into the system”, prescribing to a regimen of coding challenges and working on some personal projects. The last paragraph of the freecodecamp.org article resonated with me and makes me look forward to whatever work I end up doing in a few months:
“Whatever you do, don’t give up and go farm goats…the world needs a lot more good developers! So keep fighting the good fight.”