Random Thoughts - Part III The Search for Spark (No Politics)

[NoHaveMSG]

Speaking of solving things. I had this video pop up on my youtube recommended about a question sent to Einstein by a friend of his in 1924.

You have a car traveling 2 miles up over a hill. The first mile the car averages 15mph. How fast does the car have to go in the second mile to average 30mph for the entire two miles?

[soundman98]

75mph.

otherwise the hill isn't fun

[p1l0t]

Originally Posted by spike021

Most of the time they do expect it, in my experience.



I actually wrote this up on twitter the other day lol. But here's kind of how things go:



1. They say they want to know if you can write code that compiles and runs.

2. They want to know that you know your algorithms and data structures.

3. We want to test that you can work with people, debug code, pair program.



I've had a few interviews now where IMO I did all three. One of them the guy even told me "that's the approach and algorithms/data structures I would use", and for one bug he offered himself to double check it for me while I was focused on another part of the code. The code compiled and ran fine, got the correct results, etc. Then this week I got the rejection email.

Everybody is hiring and nobody can get a job...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[spike021]

Originally Posted by p1l0t

Everybody is hiring and nobody can get a job...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

A lot of it is on the interviewer in this industry. A lot of elitism and mentality like "well I can solve it this way so you should be able to also."

Which is kinda funny to me because that's what I always hated about the educational system, at least in college. Math professors saying finding recurrences in a discrete math problem, or writing a proof for some calculus thing, etc. was "easy" or "not too hard", and it's like, well, yeah you're the one deciding on the problem or question to give, so you likely already know how to solve or prove it.

Anyways I definitely blame myself for some of it because I know all these places ask this stuff and I don't study it hard enough.

[86-75309]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

Speaking of solving things. I had this video pop up on my youtube recommended about a question sent to Einstein by a friend of his in 1924.

You have a car traveling 2 miles up over a hill. The first mile the car averages 15mph. How fast does the car have to go in the second mile to average 30mph for the entire two miles?

To average 30mph over 2 miles, you'd have to cover that distance in 4 minutes. If the first mile was done at 15mph, that single mile took 4 minutes. Is 'infinite' a speed?

[soundman98]

einstein was an ass.

[weederr33]

867-5309

[2020BRZtS]

The majority of interviews are geared towards what have you done? How did you do it? I ask What do you need? If I wanted to keep doing what I've already done I would have stayed where I was.

This statement has landed me two jobs in the last 25 years "I've seen too many times where people purposefully make their code complicated to create job security. My philosophy is simple. Do a job well and move on to the next project; Don't take three rights to make a left."

And - never discuss salary until it's the only thing standing between you and a start date.

Originally Posted by spike021

A lot of it is on the interviewer in this industry. A lot of elitism and mentality like "well I can solve it this way so you should be able to also."

Which is kinda funny to me because that's what I always hated about the educational system, at least in college. Math professors saying finding recurrences in a discrete math problem, or writing a proof for some calculus thing, etc. was "easy" or "not too hard", and it's like, well, yeah you're the one deciding on the problem or question to give, so you likely already know how to solve or prove it.

Anyways I definitely blame myself for some of it because I know all these places ask this stuff and I don't study it hard enough.

[gen3v8]

Originally Posted by soundman98

einstein was an ass.

What a dumb ass?

[spcmafia]

When your boss absolutely hates you.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by spcmafia

When your boss absolutely hates you.

Those are usually military themed.



And yes...yes I have

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Those are usually military themed.



And yes...yes I have

See, I was going to with "Describe being in the Army in one picture" but decided on the other tittle. Great minds think alike.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by spcmafia

See, I was going to with "Describe being in the Army in one picture" but decided on the other tittle. Great minds think alike.

I dropped a skid of artillery shells off a forklift and got to spend the next week sitting beside the automatic potato peeling machine pre peeling the potatoes.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I dropped a skid of artillery shells off a forklift and got to spend the next week sitting beside the automatic potato peeling machine pre peeling the potatoes.

I didn't get in trouble in my career but when I was in school, and was waiting on my orders to go back home, I had to go around the Battalion HQ, and clean the dirt off rocks. Then align another set of rock spheres and put then in "Formation" with perfect dress-right-dress.