Interview Discussion - January 10, 2019 CS Career Questions |
- Interview Discussion - January 10, 2019
- Daily Chat Thread - January 10, 2019
- After 6 years in the field,I'm guessing being constantly "on edge" is par for the course?
- How much time at work do you spend not working?
- Engineers who work remotely 100%, how did you land the position and what has your experience been?
- Are you interested in H1B Salary Information filed with DOL?
- Are there any internships that are relatively easy to get?
- How do you leave a job, without hurting opinions/feelings?
- Prospective employee wants to know about my experience working at a shitty company. Should I tell her truthfully how shitty it was?
- Full Time offer at Atlassian?
- Anyone worked at SAP, your overall experience with the company as time goes by?
- Leaving job after few months in on TN Visa.
- Recent Canadian CS grad living in Canada/US border town, would a US employer need to jump through a lot of hoops to hire me?
- Industry kinda question: why spread development across regional offices?
- How to stand out and be successful in your career as a software developer ?
- Early career work environment and responsibilities have rapidly increased, how do I ask for a raise?
- I am 31 and have been out of IT for a couple years and am worried I am undesirable to companies now.
- Promotion time, how to negotiate getting to an average of a position similar to mine on Glassdoor?
- What job roles/titles are most algorithms-heavy?
- Move halfway across the country for a new job with a 50% salary raise?
- Career guidance
- Should I get an information science degree? + Other questions (data science/cybersecurity)
- What is the typical amount of time given to decide on an offer?
- Stick out the impactful role or get a new experience
- First Year CS Student Trying to Land A Dev Job
- Non-compete agreement too restrictive
| Interview Discussion - January 10, 2019 Posted: 09 Jan 2019 11:06 PM PST Please use this thread to have discussions about interviews, interviewing, and interview prep. Posts focusing solely on interviews created outside of this thread will probably be removed. Abide by the rules, don't be a jerk. This thread is posted each Monday and Thursday at midnight PST. Previous Interview Discussion threads can be found here. [link] [comments] |
| Daily Chat Thread - January 10, 2019 Posted: 09 Jan 2019 11:06 PM PST Please use this thread to chat, have casual discussions, and ask casual questions. Moderation will be light, but don't be a jerk. This thread is posted every day at midnight PST. Previous Daily Chat Threads can be found here. [link] [comments] |
| After 6 years in the field,I'm guessing being constantly "on edge" is par for the course? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 05:07 AM PST I've been in the field for 6 years, and want to hear from others to see if this constant feeling of being "on edge" is just part of the life of a software developer? The constant manufactured 2 week deadlines that are hidden behind the name "sprints". Daily standup where you look bad if you actually have blockers. I was in various companies where this was part of the process, and it was always stated that its a good way to get help with any blockers, but from my experience, everyone usually keeps quiet because if you end up being the only person with "problems" you stand out and look bad. Just human nature. Tasks taking longer than anticipated which causes you to fall behind, and then end up scrambling to try to finish other tasks. The constant feeling that you should at least be closing 1-2 Jira cards a day, and if you're not, you look like you aren't working hard enough. It's never explicitly said, but the feeling is in the air. Constantly freaking out that you are underperforming. Always hearing that the company is collaborative, but after being in many companies, that's usually not the case. Everyone works individually and people will try to help when they can, but mostly everyone is trying to get their own tasks done, and everyone is basically looking out for themselves only. Honestly, I am now considered a senior developer, but do not feel like it at all. I'm really dumbfounded as to how I got to where I am. Anyone else always feel "on edge"? [link] [comments] |
| How much time at work do you spend not working? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 08:58 AM PST I've been an intern writing automation tests for nine months. My company is very hands off. Like, spooky amounts of hands off. Most days I come to work, nobody tells me what to do or checks up on me. I never have deadlines or specific tasks. I find things to do, and work the whole day, but I honestly feel like I could get away with watching twitch half the day and nobody would care... which makes me think that maybe people do that. But I honestly have no idea how much leisure time the average software developer takes each day. Before this job, I thought it was near zero. I can't tell what my full time coworkers are doing when I walk by their offices, so I can't tell how much they work. How much of an 8 hour day do you spend not working? [link] [comments] |
| Engineers who work remotely 100%, how did you land the position and what has your experience been? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 03:04 PM PST What resource did you use to find the job? Was the interview process any different? Is the day-to-day pretty similar to being in an office? How is the job stability (i.e., have you stayed with the company for a while, switched around a lot; was it your decision or did the company let you go)? How do the benefits, compensation, and reviews compare (i.e., 401(k), medical, allowances, bonuses, equity, annual merit increases, weekly/monthly meetings on the work you are doing)? How is the upward mobility and room for advancement? Do you find yourself being distracted and how do yo deal with it? Thinking about perusing this myself so I can move somewhere more reasonable, in a location more ideal for me, and still make roughly what I make now. My primary concerns are: - Stability: I'm almost 40 and jumping from job to job just doesn't work for me anymore. - Benefits: who doesn't want good benefits? - Lack of feedback: I currently have weekly 1-to-1 meetings with my boss; I know exactly where I stand, what is expected of me, and what I need to work on--there are no surprises - Compensation stagnation: "Hey, you're just some guy that lives in the woods in the mountains... we totally forgot to review your compensation in relation to your work... or at least give you that 3% merit increase." - Visibility, recognition and advancement: see the previous... "We don't know how this feature got written, it must have just magically happened!" - Distraction: Personal problem... personal annex away from the wife and cats. [link] [comments] |
| Are you interested in H1B Salary Information filed with DOL? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 06:13 PM PST If you are in the job market or looking for salary negotiation, this could be useful baseline salary information. This information is disclosed by Department of labor. This doesn't include bonus, stock options, etc . Hope this helps. H1B Salary Database with LCA and GreenCard Filing information Search : https://h1bsalary.online/search Netflix Salaries : https://h1bsalary.online/index.php?searchtext=NETFLIX+INC&year=2018 Facebook Salaries : https://h1bsalary.online/index.php?searchtext=FACEBOOK+INC&year=2018 Google Salaries : https://h1bsalary.online/index.php?searchtext=GOOGLE+LLC&year=2018 Amazon Salaries : https://h1bsalary.online/index.php?searchtext=AMAZON+CORPORATE+LLC&year=2018 Apple Salaries : https://h1bsalary.online/index.php?searchtext=APPLE%20INC&year=2018 [link] [comments] |
| Are there any internships that are relatively easy to get? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 03:38 PM PST So I'm a junior and I would hostly consider myself a completely average student. I'm trying to get an internship for this summer and am really not picky at all I just want some sort of experience. I didn't think I'd get an interview with any of the Big Four or anything but I'm getting kind of nervous since I haven't been getting many responses at all. Basically I'm just asking are there any companies that aren't expecting you to have spent a ton of time grinding Leetcode and have amazing projects? Where do all of the average CS students end up? (I know I've goofed off the first couple years of college and only have myself to blame for being so average but I've been starting to take things more seriously and it would just be cool to have an internship this summer) [link] [comments] |
| How do you leave a job, without hurting opinions/feelings? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:38 PM PST How do you leave (write a resignation email) after 1 month of employment? I was getting concerned so I took the first job at a small company but now I just got a 40% salary increase offer from the last interview I concluded. I just wanna be done here asap but don't wanna walk out, would rather do it politely. Please help. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2019 02:55 PM PST Spoiler alert: the company is mega shitty. I received an email from a student from my alma mater who's looking for internship opportunities and wanted to talk to me about my experiences and career at the last company I worked at. For some context: I left on "not good" terms. The company wasn't paying me for a few pay periods, and then proceeded to offer me "shares," in lieu of what I was owed/what they told me. I told them to go pound sand and left the very next day. I'll be filing a wage complaint with the Ministry of Labour once I get my next job (there is a two year statute of limitations in my province for wage complaints) because I am afraid the co-founders will retaliate by not confirming my dates of employment or some other thing. Yes, I was stupid to not quit at the first sign of payment problems, and even stupider to not have a backup ready the moment shit was hitting the fan (I started leetcoding just a little before my first missed paycheque, when there was talk of money problems). The company is effectively a dead company, barely alive and kept afloat by a friends-and-family round, looking for funding. There's been a *lot* of talent retention issues. I will not to ask the co-founders for a reference, but may ask a co-worker who's still unfortunately working there for a reference (I have two references already from former co-workers at the company). I am unemployed at the moment. Besides the pay problems, I would not recommend the company to other people (culture, work-life balance, management, career growth opportunities and recognition, etc.), especially for an intern who will have no mentorship and will probably sit on her arse for the entire summer and learn nothing (as what happened the last time we had an intern). Question: Given all of that, is it worth warning this student about the company? Or shall I remain silent/neutral while I'm still seeking a job, simply stating it has been a while since I was at the company? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2019 12:59 PM PST I have an offer from Atlassian and a large company in Seattle (starts with an a), I am not sure which one to pick. The work at Atlassian seems more interesting, but I don't know much about the company. Does anyone have any insight about these two companies that may help me make the decision? Offers are pretty equal compensation wise. [link] [comments] |
| Anyone worked at SAP, your overall experience with the company as time goes by? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 12:22 PM PST Hi guys, I accepted a position as a Software Engineering Intern for SAP America. This is actually part of their STARS program that was posted on my school's co-op system. It is said that if I complete the program successfully, it is sorta guaranteed I get a position right after graduation. So the question arises. I did some digging on SAP, and it is said that it is a pretty good company with employee benefit. However, I want to hear from people who actually work there and learn more about working at SAP long-term wise, growth potential etc as a software engineer. Did anyone work for SAP in China? Because I am thinking about traveling there for 6 months while working abroad. Thanks for answering! [link] [comments] |
| Leaving job after few months in on TN Visa. Posted: 10 Jan 2019 03:46 PM PST Hey everyone, I'll try to keep my story as short as possible. I'm a Software Engineer who just came to the US a few months ago on a TN Visa. To be honest I'm having doubts about my current employer and don't really feel like being here anymore. In the past I've been pretty against working at the big companies. Primarily because I interned at Amazon a few years back and didn't have that great of an experience. As well I had this belief that I won't learn as much at a Big 4. To be specific a lot of my current background is working at small consultancies where I can honestly say I've learned a lot of different stuff in my career. I have in total about 3 years full-time experience and a year of experience through my internships in college. My experience is all over the place (I've worked on a lot of different stacks) but primarily Node.js, React.js, and some iOS development is what I'd say my top 3 skills are. I used to say I didn't care about the money in the beginning of my career however I feel myself starting to change. Seeing some of the salaries people are getting with my experience level is really frustrating me and makes me feel like I'm leaving money on the table. I wouldn't consider going back to Amazon but I've seen some stories where people get sane workweeks at the Big companies and would hope to get on a team like that. Currently I'm making ~130K in NYC with no stock. How should I go about this since I've never left a job this early (~ 4 months). I'm a little nervous also that I'm on a TN visa and I'd have to apply for another TN visa in such a short period of time. Should I wait for a few months to see if things get better I would love to hear anyone's experience from going to consulting to working at FAANG or even working at a startup at going to FAANG. Thank you if you read this far! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2019 06:03 PM PST Hi guys. I've been asking university career counselors, friends, parents, and many other people a lot of job-related questions lately, so I thought I'd ask an important one on here too. :) I'm a 23yo Canadian living in a border town that's right next to a US city. I just finished a CS degree in December, and also have a business degree (which probably won't do anything for me in tech, lol... but I'll note it down just in case). I noticed that some of the US jobs mentioned that they will only hire people who are eligible to work in the US, and that they won't sponsor people. If I'm a Canadian citizen who will only need TN status in order to work in the US, then is that considered sponsorship? Do the employers need to do anything on their behalf, besides making sure that the job description matches NAFTA requirements? From my understanding based on what I've read so far (let me know if any of this is incorrect), there's the "engineer" category which I may not be able to use, considering my CS degree just says computer science and nothing about engineering. But it depends on what the border agent thinks, and on what the job description is. If the job description matches a "software engineer", and they think my degree is appropriate, then it might be ok? Alternatively, there's the "computer systems analyst" category. In each case, I have to show that I'm not a programmer, because I'll be denied. Is this link outdated, or still relevant (I won't be moving though, just working)? https://chanian.com/2010/08/01/tutorial-moving-from-canada-to-america-as-a-software-developer/ Thanks in advance for any assistance! [link] [comments] |
| Industry kinda question: why spread development across regional offices? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:09 PM PST For example, why do a lot of these companies have software development offices in SV, Seattle, NY, Chicago, Austin, etc., instead of one big company? Take Microsoft for example. I assume all of their flagship products are developed in Redmond. So when, say, their SV or NY offices are hiring software developers, what do those developers do? Work on less-important products? I haven't worked in the industry yet so I don't really know. Can't Microsoft just make all of their software in Redmond and just ship it nationwide? Why do they need these offices? I know this is a dumb question but I'd like to know. If this isn't the right sub to ask, please direct me. [link] [comments] |
| How to stand out and be successful in your career as a software developer ? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 11:49 AM PST hello guys , as a software developer what makes you stand out and be successful in your career ? [link] [comments] |
| Early career work environment and responsibilities have rapidly increased, how do I ask for a raise? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:08 PM PST For some context I am a senior at university graduating in May, I've already accepted a full time job for post graduation, and I've been working part time for a startup since October (my boss already knows I am leaving after graduation). The startup is run primarily by one guy, but I believe there are a few other stakeholders and advisors involved. When I first started working the project had already been worked on for about 7 months by two other students, one had the same title (software developer intern), and one who served as the software lead developer/architect and the manager when our boss wasn't there. The core structure of the application was fleshed out but only some pages/features existed when I got there so the code base wasn't too large and didn't take too much time to learn and start making meaningful contributions. Within a month I could tell I was already making the most impact on the team. Then in December the lead went MIA and my boss fired the other developer on my level. This brings us to now, I naturally took on more work and responsibility when the other developers left, and my boss naturally asked more of me as well. Recently I talked to my boss about stepping up and taking on more responsibility (including those the old lead used to have), and I would like to be in the lead developer role here. I think its clear I should ask for a raise at this point as my responsibilities have increased greatly, but I don't know how to go about it or how much I should ask for. For context I make $20/hr now and my future full-time salary breaks down to about $45/hr. Also, I feel like should be clear, I really enjoy working for this startup because of the responsibility and freedom I have in the software development process - it's incredible experience despite everything else around the software, and while I think the idea is intriguing, I don't see the startup as a business being very successful (why I have no interest in equity or anything else). Any advice is much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| I am 31 and have been out of IT for a couple years and am worried I am undesirable to companies now. Posted: 10 Jan 2019 03:46 PM PST As the title says. Last job I had was at a call center for Xerox under a Google contract helping with Google products, mostly mobile phones. Before that I was working for Robert Half staffing agency taking on random contracts, but honestly they arent too happy to help like they used to anymore unless you are a upcoming grad in CS and will take just about anything. And I started all this in the Marine Corps as a Data Marine. Pretty much the last 2 or so years I have been doing call center work and have lost most of my knowledge. So I now work at Booking.com as a customer support agent which doesn't have anything to do with IT, but I am currently taking classes on the side to get my CS degree which is a very slow process. I have been out of the game for about 2 years now and want to get back into trying to become a Sys Admin. I am just having the toughest time finding anything and am worried it might be because of my age and how long I have been out. Another thing about this is, I can still troubleshoot but I have lost a lot of my edge and knowledge because of the whole "You dont lose it you lose it" issue that arises when you have been out of the game. Is there anyone out there who can relate or have any advice for me? I am applying to jobs right now and getting my resume critiqued, but I need more advice on my current situation and what route I should go down to get back on top? Not looking for a handout, just a nudge in the right direction. [link] [comments] |
| Promotion time, how to negotiate getting to an average of a position similar to mine on Glassdoor? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 05:10 PM PST I'm at $120K and work in Silicon Valley. The Senior level of my position is $160K+ I was hired nearly 4 years ago, started $90K. I didn't negotiate my starting salary because I didn't know how to approach or even ask after barely getting hired (I asked for a second interview a month later and got the job, didn't think I was in the right negotiate, water under the bridge at this point) I've blossomed my technical skills the first few years and the last year I've worked on my soft skills and been assigned two major projects that I've completed this last year. I've received 3 pay bumps, around $10K each time, was given RSU when hired and was given extra RSUs a few years ago. ( After another 14 months, it'll be $100K) which helped entice me to stay longer than I probably should have. I feel fairly confident with the promotion coming in April. I believed I was in a position to get a promotion this time last year, but I was only senior in a technical sense, not from a leadership of a project or having the necessary soft skills. There was also a change in the person I reported to and the new manager wanted to see improvement in those leadership and soft skills. This past year, I was given much different things to work on, to lead project work and to make bigger changes instead of more routine changes. At the end of the year, my manager told me I made the biggest and most impressive improvement he's seen in his career, from my lack of ability to lead a project and felt lost at times to where I am now. I'm being invited with our start of the year roadmap where only seniors & staff engineers are involved. My gut tells me it's gonna be a bump from $120K to $145K. I can accept to be above $150K, with my desire to be at the average level of $160K. I know I can easily get more money at a different company, but I would give up my very enjoyable, engaging & secure job, with a team & company I like with no late nights of being on call and giving up a great amount of $$ from RSUs. If I never had all those incredible things going for me, I would have left a long time ago, but this job and position has been incredible to me. [link] [comments] |
| What job roles/titles are most algorithms-heavy? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 05:06 PM PST I am not in CS but I've been doing LeetCode for about a year now and really enjoy it. Writing algorithms has been a fun application of my maths background. I was wondering what job titles/roles are heaviest on writing algos like I do in LeetCode. Is it embedded software, operating systems, webdev, etc. I would like to research these roles further to see if I can make some money out of this hobby. [link] [comments] |
| Move halfway across the country for a new job with a 50% salary raise? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 01:20 PM PST I'm currently working a job that pays ~65k with a long commute but I'm able to work from home pretty often. I graduated this year so my experience is limited but I received an offer that pays 95k with a 10k signing bonus halfway across the country. I'd really rather keep looking for jobs in my area but I'm afraid that if I pass up this opportunity I won't get anything as good (job searching sucks). Everything about the job sounds great except for the move. If I did plan on going I was only planning on staying a year or so but I'm worried that the job hopping would look bad on my resume. I'm really conflicted and the deadline is coming up soon so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated! Edit: The new job is in Madison, WI [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2019 04:46 PM PST Hey guys, I am seeking to understand a path that is both successful but marketable. So far I am a Geology student at UH, I exceed the maximum requirements of 45 credit hours to attend the Bauer college to be a MIS major, which leads me to...What are my best options?
There is the option of getting a CompSci degree, but I do not want to be a software developer, but more of a data miner, cloud computing, data analyst/scientist, algorithms. [link] [comments] |
| Should I get an information science degree? + Other questions (data science/cybersecurity) Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:44 PM PST Basically I currently go to community college and will be transferring to UMD next year after my AA degree. I wanted to do CS but this requires certain prerequisite courses my cc as well as others don't have equivalents in. If I was to transfer and start from their first CSMC course it would take 7 semesters to finish the degree (Says that on site). I don't have that amount of time to sit in college and do that so I was looking for other options and came across Information Science (link to program below). I'm interested in data science and cyber security I've noticed that this degree has a data science specialization but would I be hindered on job opportunities for getting this degree? It's rank 8 if that means anything it's a new major in umd that started in 2016. Also what should I do outside of the program to best prepare myself for a career in cybersecurity or data science? And last question is a security clearance needed for the cybersecurity path? https://ischool.umd.edu/infosci [link] [comments] |
| What is the typical amount of time given to decide on an offer? Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:43 AM PST My contract recruiter is pushing for 24 hours - this seems like an exploding offer. I asked for 4 business days, he said that was too long. This seems fishy - important decisions like jobs should take some time to sort out. Also, I have another interview in town and a interview at a big-you've-heard-of-it company I'm waiting back on. If one of those came back within the 4 business days, I would have room to haggle my hourly rate by a few bucks. I know two weeks is typical for leave notice, are there any typical times for deciding on an offer? So this is all speculative, no offer is technically on the table yet. My recruiter said he sent over other candidates and asked if there is anything I would consider- possibly a bump up in salary - to fully consider an offer within 24 hours of handling it. I'm kind of tempted to say "sure, I'll accept it for a few more dollars an hour", but I feel I will be losing out on negotiating with other companies if I do. I'm supposed to call him tomorrow to say if there's anything that I can give that would change my mind for a quick accept. It's only a 3 month contract, and if I accept I will already be getting paid more than I was at my previous job. I have 6 months of savings, I can wait/pass on this one if I need to. [link] [comments] |
| Stick out the impactful role or get a new experience Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:35 PM PST Tl;dr stick out poor management to potentially get a promotion in 6 months on an impactful yet junior team or get a new experience with potentially better management and more senior engineers? My company just went through performance reviews and I got a mediocre review because the only time management gave me feedback was when they told me I'm not getting promoted. This feedback should have been brought up in my weekly career check ins but it never was, instead in those meetings were spent thanking me for my work. The performance review turned into a discussion where management told me this is a failure on their part. They also said the reason I got a bad review has improved in the last month. This tells me they had an issue with what I was doing but never told me and are now blocking my promotion with that which feels unfair. I truly feel that management in my department continues to block my career growth rather than provide the resources or ANY guidance. However, I have a lot of freedom in my current role that has a high impact on the company. I'm also the most senior engineer of my team which puts me in a good position for promotion soon. But at the same time, I'm tired of training new hires instead of doing more project work. Do I stick this out or just transfer to a new team and get a new experience? The thought of switching seems exciting but I already feel like I should of had a promotion and switching would delay this further. I also feel like my current role is more impactful than the current open positions which makes me think transferring is a bad decision. How do you feel, do I switch teams or sick out this poor management? [link] [comments] |
| First Year CS Student Trying to Land A Dev Job Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:20 PM PST Hello everyone! I am currently in my first year of university, and I am looking for summer internships. I am trying to get a software developer job. Thank you for your feedback :) [link] [comments] |
| Non-compete agreement too restrictive Posted: 10 Jan 2019 07:20 PM PST Using a throwaway cause I don't want anyone knowing who I am. I was recently thinking about leaving my company when I realized I had signed a non-compete agreement. It was my first job and I was pretty desperate so I didn't really read too much into the non-compete. However, I had noticed that one of the clauses was that I would not be allowed to work for a company that has any business with machine learning. Now, I a don't do any machine learning nor do I know any machine learning, deep learning, AI or any of that. However, that would basically leave me out of working at a ton of places as pretty much all of the big companies have their foot in some sort of machine learning. Does this mean that I am essentially screwed for the duration of my non-compete regarding those companies? Is there anything that I can do? I read online that sometimes if the non-compete is too restrictive that sometimes a court would overrule it especially since, I have no expertise in those areas. Thanks for the help in advance! [link] [comments] |
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