Using my example, it’s time to face your vices. We come to the most important of them all
Expectations: A Harbinger of Hatred. Chapter 3
How to lower your expectations in order to start enjoying life and living again
Previously: Chapter 2, Chapter 1
Part 6. Job Interviews
A particular experience from my past made a significant contribution to my understanding of the aforementioned concepts — job interviews.
Despite excellent technical skills, you can still be rejected.
Moreover, even if you have all the skills (not just technical) at a high level, you can also be rejected.
This used to upset me. But the answer came later.
People look for someone they would enjoy working with. It’s like the story about doctor reviews. If everyone is satisfied (whatever that means) — you get a job offer.
- If they deem you not technically skilled enough;
- If the interviewer doesn’t like your face;
- ️ If you speak too slowly;
- If you speak confidently;
- ️ If you’re shy;
- ️ If you speak too quickly;
- ️ If, perhaps, they’re put off by you stepping away for a glass of water during the interview;
- ️ If, God forbid, you know more than the interviewer;
- ️ If you don’t drink beer on Fridays…😵💫
There are a million reasons… I could go on endlessly.
What one place considers a plus, another might see as a minus.
It’s more like dating. There’s no right or wrong here…
There’s only the fact — either the “magic” happened or it didn’t.
If you’re rejected, don’t rush to blame yourself. It’s quite possible that it’s not you who doesn’t fit them, but they who don’t fit you!
Part 7. Algorithms and Data Structures
Another popular professional topic is the myth that knowledge of algorithms and data structures in programming will open incredible career opportunities for you.
While the underlying idea is intriguing, it falls apart due to the incompetence of those who use these complex knowledge snippets not for hiring employees or developing useful functionality, but for self-affirmation and ego boosting, especially during interviews.
Fueled by people’s ignorance or inexperience, this becomes a damn good marketing ploy aimed at a fairly affluent segment of the world — software developers.
And this trick isn’t used only here.
Marketing constantly and mercilessly imposes on us the idea that we can’t survive without a certain service, item, or concept.
It inflates its importance to incredible heights, pushing you to part with your finances.
Many programmers, although suspecting that they shouldn’t pay for what can be found for free, still harbor the idea that solving thousands of problems will lead them to their dream job.
They take excessive pride in finding for free what others pay for. They consider themselves the smartest, having outwitted the system.
This knowledge can indeed help, but its importance is incredibly inflated and exaggerated.
- People often forget that it’s not solving problems that lead them to victory, but the desired chance may be given by a hiring manager who notices their resume.
Mine was filtered out dozens of times.
- In such companies, there are usually at least three different interview sections, and at least half of them are not related to algorithmic tasks.
- Despite hundreds of interviews behind me, algorithmic tasks in ordinary companies are quite rare, offhand, not more than 5% of all cases, maybe even less.
Each new company is just a step in your career.
You can reach your goal without it.
Once, I naturally didn’t know all this. But I had a very strong desire to change my life. And yes, I hated waiting.
I didn’t have algorithmic training in school or university.
I started solving them.
I tried to tackle as many tasks a day as possible.
Sometimes two, sometimes ten.
Many would say, and I now agree, that I was making good progress. But back then, I didn’t understand it.
It felt like daily failures, with no progress.
I always was the best, or one of them.
But the fact that after solving 50 tasks, going back to those I’d solved before, and still not being able to solve them again — just blew all logical and neural connections in my brain.
About a week went by on enthusiasm.
Then came the second week, when 45 minutes into a task I couldn’t solve — I’d start laughing hysterically.
45 minutes is the average length of an interview, during which you’re usually expected to solve at least one problem, sometimes two.
Opening a solution to a task, even if you’ve solved it and are already pleased with yourself, you always find evidence that you solved it in the worst way, out of, say, five possible.
The oil is poured on the fire by both solution authors and comments and reviews of real interviews, where they say interviewers expect the task to be solved in 20 minutes and in the best way.
After that, you feel utterly disheartened.
I didn’t give up.
The next week was characterized by daily symptoms like tears in my eyes.
It seemed there was no one in this world dumber than me.
Task 150 was underway, and I still struggled with some of those I encountered at the start.
But my time was limited.
Soon I was going to apply to the world’s best companies…
I felt I had progressed only about five percent.
I mentally calculated that to feel “more or less” ready, I needed to solve about 1000 tasks. Not counting repeats. And it wasn’t even certain that I would reach the necessary level.
I didn’t have enough time, and pure motivation no longer arose…
This is where internal doubts and bargaining began to surface…
The first question emerged — Do I really need this?
And the answer came swiftly — undoubtedly, as it’s the only way forward. Just needed to put in “a bit” more effort.
The next month passed in a fog, a fog of depression, pain, tears, and disappointments in myself.
My self-esteem seemed to have plummeted from the 8th floor to the basement.
My wife was simultaneously looking for a psychologist for both of us, as my mood was poisoning everything around
There was no longer any aggression; that stage had long passed, and there was no energy left for it.
When you’re sobbing almost every day for a month, it’s probably impossible to maintain any other atmosphere in the family.
At some point, my body’s defense mechanisms kicked in, signaling that enough was enough.
The question re-emerged in my mind — do I really need this?
This time, the answer was just as clear, but absolutely the opposite.
I understood that interviews at large companies involved several stages, and I had burned out preparing just for one of them…
What to do… Again, everything did not go as I had imagined.
I knew the process was not quick, and I started sending out resumes.
Taking a little break and continuing to prepare on other topics.
A month went by, no responses, then three, six, twelve…
I kept sending applications every month during this period but never got a response.
Two obvious facts from this story:
- My resume could have been better.
- There’s always someone better.
Speaking of more technical results:
In total, I solved about 400 problems, of which 180 were repeats.
Certainly, I learned the main structures and became better at reading my code. Now I can solve 95% of easy tasks, 80% of medium ones, and 30% of hard ones without hints. And perhaps, this is still a bit optimistic.
Does it help me in my job? Maybe a little.
Would I do it again? Possibly.
Will it help me in interviews? Depends on the circumstances.
Would I solve them for fun? Definitely not.
To be continued…
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