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Interview Preparation Issues - Part 2
Having been on multiple calls with a bunch of people over the last couple of months, I decided to write about the common issues that people face. The reason for doing this is that not everyone is comfortable talking about their issues.
This article talks about one of the questions I have been asked multiple times. We shall look at a couple of scenarios that lead to this situation and how to resolve this issue.
I just give up or stop preparing after a while
This is a common issue with working professionals, especially people who haven't done DSA or lost touch with it.
Usually, people just get frustrated one day and decide to switch their professions. For the next week, you study for 3+ hours a day.
Scenario 1
The following week, the workload increases, and you decide that you are going to take it easy today and get back at it tomorrow.
You do get back at it tomorrow, but now you are just putting in 2 hours, and this slow decay cycle continues till you just stop.
Scenario 2
You start out fully motivated to switch your job, and right at the initial stage, you try to take on advanced/complicated concepts.
Examples of this are:
- Someone encountering dynamic programming problems right at the beginning of preparing for DSA.
- Looking at complex design videos without clearing the concepts. (This happened to me when I started preparing for HLD by watching Gaurav Sen’ Netflix architecture.)
This leads to demoralization and you just give up.
Realize
- It takes 2+ years at least to get a degree, so it’s going to take time to become interview ready as well. You need to work for a few months if you are an absolute beginner.
- Unless there has been a major mess up / disagreement, you can bear to be in your current job for 3–4 more months. Don't just quit 😶🌫️.
- Not going out every Friday night won’t kill you 💁. Remaining consistent is the key here. (Can’t repeat it enough)
- If you are starting out, you have no idea about the complexity of the topic you choose. Do NOT set hard-bound targets initially.
Please accept the fact that you might take more time to grasp concepts than your peers and it is absolutely fine. The end goal is to do well in the interviews.
What can be done?
This is not an exhaustive list, but as the scenarios clearly point out, you need the correct starting point and motivation.
This is the process I recommend folks follow. You should try to incorporate some of these if not all of them:
- You need to start slow. One hour daily fr the first week then increase it to 1:30 then take up targets to complete daily.
- Be consistent when you are just starting out.
If you find it hard, or you are not used to sitting extra hours post work, try to simply spend time at your desk, and have some relevant website open. - Pick a plan. You shall find a number of relevant resources on multiple platforms. Do a few hours of research through different forums like Leetcode and Reddit and figure out what resource people prefer.
If you are still not able to figure it out, feel free to consult me using the link in the end. - Set simple goals
The initial setting of extravagant goals leads to a lot of demoralization. Be a bit patient, you can't go from 0 to 5 questions daily in an instant. You are setting yourself up for burning out.
Just like a single t-shirt size is not for everyone there is no one SINGLE ultimate advice. The one advice I give every single person is that work hard and be consistent.
Next, I plan to talk about how to assess yourself and how to prepare effectively. In the meantime, you can read about my experience of going through the Google interviews 🤓.
Thank you for reading, and until again! If you have any doubts, let me know in the comments.
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