Christine Wang

To all my friends currently interviewing for Software Engineer positions Here are some tips on how to 🔨 it 1. Master the basics. Don’t overcomplicate things. Unless you’re up against a particularly challenging interviewer, you’ll likely encounter a LeetCode Medium question. 2. Create a solid study plan. Compile a list of LeetCode problems to tackle—aim for 75 Blind or follow my curated list of problems, ranging from easy to medium. (DM me or drop a comment) 3. Be mindful of your communication. Avoid talking just for the sake of it, match your interviewer's ✨ vibes ✨

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To all my friends currently interviewing for Software Engineer positions Here are some tips on how to 🔨 it 1. Master the basics. Don’t overcomplicate things. Unless you’re up against a particularly challenging interviewer, you’ll likely encounter a LeetCode Medium question. 2. Create a solid study plan. Compile a list of LeetCode problems to tackle—aim for 75 Blind or follow my curated list of problems, ranging from easy to medium. (DM me or drop a comment) 3. Be mindful of your communication. Avoid talking just for the sake of it, match your interviewer's ✨ vibes ✨

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𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 In system design interviews, there's often talk about multiple ways to tackle a problem, like a math equation with various solutions. But let's pause and reconsider. The goal here isn't merely to "solve a problem". It’s about convincing the interviewer that you're the right fit for the job. Every question you tackle and decision you make should center around this objective. Here’s where many candidates miss the mark: 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Instead of focusing on what the interviewer cares about, candidates often dive into areas they feel most comfortable with. This misalignment can cost you. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Candidates sometimes think in isolation, presenting a fully formed solution out of the blue. Keep the interviewer in sync. Engaging them as you clarify, analyze, and break down choices will help the interview feel more collaborative. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹-𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: It’s easy to get tangled in details too early—like debating SQL vs. NoSQL in the first few minutes. Going high-level first ensures you and the interviewer build a shared vision before getting into specifics. The takeaway? A successful system design interview is less about proving you can “solve a problem” and more about demonstrating how you solve problems together with the interviewer. Align, engage, and structure your discussion to make your solution clear and convincing. Here is a video providing interesting perspective https://lnkd.in/g7xdzWmG Follow me for more on the way https://lnkd.in/gySKiBaC #SystemDesign #InterviewTips #TechInterviews #SoftwareEngineering #CareerAdvice #EngineeringLeadership #TechSkills #ProblemSolving #JobInterview #TechCommunity #SoftwareDevelopment #DesignPrinciples #LinkedInLearning #Hiring #CodingInterviews #TechCareers #SoftwareArchitecture #DeveloperTips #InterviewPreparation #linkedin #engineer

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I'm excited to share that today marks the start of my second week as a Software Engineer at Google 🎉 I'd like to thank one person, in particular, my recruiter Jeffrey Rosas, who's been the KINDEST recruiter i've met so far. He's very responsive, optimistic, quick to get on a call whenever i had any questions, shared useful tips for interviews. (He is currently hiring for positions at Google). Here's everything I learnt along the way and hopefully it helps out others too - 1️⃣ Don't judge yourself and just apply. For the longest time, i didn't apply for positions at Google because i didn't feel ready to interview at Google. Somehow, i decided to just apply and once the process started, things started becoming easier. If you can takeaway anything from this post, let it be this. Things will always seem harder from the outside, but it definitely gets easier when you start taking steps towards your dream, even if it's doing it while being scared. 2️⃣ Don't skip mock interviewing 📞 . When i interviewed at Amazon approx 2.5 years after working in the industry, my interviewing skills were bad, and as expected, i was rejected. Fortunately, i was able to figure this out and mock interviewed couple times before interviewing at Google. I received valuable feedback and confidence boost during my mock interviews, which helped me get ready for actual interviews. 3️⃣ Take complete ownership and learn from failures. When i was rejected at Amazon, I spent a good amount of time analyzing my interviews and how i could get better at communication and problem solving. Eventually, I was able to figure out my shortcomings and create a plan to work on myself before interviewing again. Abraham Lincoln is often credited with saying, "The best way to predict your future is to create it". With that said, I'm excited to see what my future holds at Google. I can already tell it's going to be amazing considering my experience with Google so far 🎉 #google #noogler #softwareengineering

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SQL vs NoSQL: Which is Better for Your Data? 🤔💡 Working at Optum Health, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both SQL and NoSQL databases, addressing diverse, real-world problems. When it comes to choosing between SQL and NoSQL, it’s not about which one is "better"—it’s about what your application needs. Here’s how both play a vital role in shaping today’s data-driven world: 🔹 SQL: Structured & Reliable SQL databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL offer a structured, relational model that ensures consistency and accuracy. When working with critical healthcare data, such as patient records or claim processing, SQL’s ACID compliance guarantees data integrity—an absolute must in environments where accuracy is non-negotiable. 🔹 NoSQL: Flexible & Scalable On the other hand, NoSQL databases like MongoDB shine when flexibility and scalability are key. At Optum, handling diverse, unstructured data (like patient feedback, logs, or wearable device data) required the schema-less nature of NoSQL. This allowed us to store and process large volumes of data rapidly, providing real-time insights that improve healthcare outcomes. 🔹 Which is Better? The truth is, it depends. For applications where structured data and reliability are essential, SQL is the best choice. But when you need to manage massive amounts of unstructured data or scale horizontally to handle real-time traffic, NoSQL is the way to go. At Optum Health, both SQL and NoSQL helped us solve different problems—SQL for ensuring accurate, transactional data storage and NoSQL for scaling our data infrastructure to provide faster and more flexible healthcare solutions. In the end, it’s not about one being better than the other. It’s about selecting the right tool for the job—keeping in mind the needs of the people we serve. 💡 #SQL #NoSQL #DataArchitecture #HealthcareTech #TechForGood #RealTimeSolutions

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From "tunnel rat" to senior engineer with FAANG on the resume - a TL;DR of my salary journey in tech: 2005-2015: Worked for the MTA in NYC as a Track Worker. I was literally swinging hammers on the rails, laying down tracks. 2015: Attended General Assembly, a 3-month bootcamp, and learned how to code. Quickly resonated with Front End development. Was the 1st in my class to get a job offer and by the summer I was working at Accenture. This represented an $11k raise from the MTA. 2016: Gave myself a $22k raise and accepted a job at L2 Inc. My first startup! I learned React here as well. Good times. 2017: Gave myself a $24k raise and accepted a job at Transfix. To this day, this was one my my favorite companies to work for. This was a hard company to leave, but I was early in my career making up for lost time in the tunnels. I also spit a verse over a dope beat as my farewell email and sent it to the whole company. 2018: Gave myself a $48k raise - welcome to Bloomberg! At this point I thought I plateaued. I was now making more than 2.5x what I was at Transit. Talk about a life change! God is good. I had no plans of leaving until drastic internal changes happened. 2019-2021: Took a 3k base pay cut but... joined Meta and give myself a significant overall raise due to those sweet, sweet RSUs. God, is this real?! Some of the best working experiences I've ever had. What a ride. 2021-2023: Base pay bump of 30k - now I'm at Coinbase. And still, those sweet, sweet RSUs. Liquid cash is always the best! This would be the company that made me realize I had the "golden handcuffs" on. It's SO hard to walk away from RSUs, but my family would ultimately help me realize there's more to life than money. 2023 - present: 30k base pay bump as I joined the good ship Docker, Inc. Pretty much at the top level (financially) of being a senior engineer but the golden handcuffs are finally off. Join me and 🌻 Anna Miller this Thursday as we continue our conversations about my career journey. The whole point is to give people insight and encouragement on theirs. 🫡

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How to get over H1B layoff in 2024? A layoff as an H-1B holder brings a unique and intense wave of anxiety. It feels like your life is suddenly suspended in uncertainty, with your career, home, and future all hanging by a thread. There's a deep sense of pressure, knowing you have limited time to secure another job or face the possibility of leaving the country you've come to know as home, here are my personal tips to help you navigate the situation: 1. Stay calm, worrying won't solve any problems. 2. Reach out to your employer immediately to request they don't revoke your H1B, giving you more time to search for a new job. 3. Enable "Open to Work" on LinkedIn to attract recruiters and connect with your network for referrals, as this is the quickest way to land interviews. 4. Update your resume to closely match job descriptions, increasing your chances of getting interview calls. 5. Freshen up your knowledge to prepare for interviews. Commonly asked topics include: Practice Leetcode (NeetCode 150 is a good resource) - https://lnkd.in/eWvW6-bM Languages and frameworks like Java, Spring, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, and JPA/Hibernate Microservices:  - Microservices patterns - https://lnkd.in/eFe2PdRm  - Microservices Patterns: With examples in Java - https://lnkd.in/eQP-qFB5  - Spring Microservices in Action - https://lnkd.in/esERKywU If you prepare for fullstack positions, Angular and Reactjs are still dominant.  - Angular - https://lnkd.in/eZRct9NX  - Reactjs - https://react.dev/ Cloud platforms like AWS Google "interview questions" e.g Java Interview Questions While this list is particularly relevant for Java developers, others may find it useful too. Finally, remember that finding a job takes time and effort, and sometimes, luck plays a role. While you can't control luck, you can control your preparation. So, rather than hoping layoffs won’t happen, be prepared to respond effectively if they do. References: 1. H1b layoff survival - https://lnkd.in/eXvUCzKS 2. Options for Nonimmigrant Workers Following Termination of Employment - https://lnkd.in/eZ6EKVke

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My heart goes out to all the new grads who were laid off recently. This is a tough situation to be in, especially when you haven't even officially started your career. However, remember that this is not a true reflection of your abilities but an unexpected challenge that life threw at you. Here are a few tips that might help you navigate through this challenging time: 1. Take Time to Process: Give yourself a few days to accept this reality. Allow yourself to process the shock, anxiety, and uncertainty. This will help you become mentally stronger and better prepared for your next job hunt. 2. Big tech is not the end of the world: Starting your career at a prestigious company is everyone's goal, but life is not linear. Explore startups, build projects of your own. Try to develop a resilient attitude and focus on what you can control. Perhaps this is a redirection toward even better career opportunities. 3. Explore Unconventional Options: While you are actively cold-emailing recruiters, DMing for referrals, and gearing up for interview prep, also consider other gigs as backups, like freelancing or working on open-source projects that could convert into full-time positions. These options may take time to pay off, but nothing worthwhile comes easily. This approach will also help you build your GitHub profile and keep your skills up to date. 4. Focus on Your Skills: Your technical skills, communication abilities, and networking abilities are in your control. Take this as an opportunity to focus more on what YOU can do and keep some faith in life. Remember that you have already cracked major tech companies and demonstrated your capabilities to the world. 🔥 Trust the process, take care of yourself, and give your best. Hard work often pays off in unexpected ways. ❤️ PS: I found this relatable image on Instagram that deeply resonates with the current situation. #layoff #recession

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During LeadDev NYC, I met an engineering leader who just left a job with great compensation and perks. Why leave, especially in this economy? Sometimes, they said, “you just lose faith.” They had great things to say about their former employer: the company will pay for any book you want, they offer $3K/year for professional development, and curiosity is one of the values on their careers page. But after the company’s IPO, they lost trust. They still trust their manager, but the higher-ups? Not so much. Even while offering competitive benefits and espousing positive values, leaders can still unknowingly erode trust, especially at pivotal moments like an IPO. With everyone on edge, even a change to snacks or an extra in-office day can become a symbol of broken trust. For employees, this loss of trust can be deeply unsettling, especially after investing time and emotional energy into a company they believed in. People aren’t just motivated by perks or professional development—they want to feel heard and valued as part of a shared mission. When that feeling fades, even the most attractive benefits can lose their luster. At Hear Me Out, we’ve found that the key to maintaining trust lies in open, honest communication. The results can be transformative: an engaged team, solid retention, and a stronger, more resilient culture. With jobs still scarce, it's tempting to think that great compensation and growth opportunities are all you need to retain great talent. But when an employee loses trust, nothing else will fill the void. Before you overhaul benefits, start a mentoring program, or rewrite your values, take a moment to listen. Your people can tell you what they need to believe.

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"I don't like leetcode style interviews!" See I wasn't making it up! Kurtis Nusbaum tells us more about why engineers don't like leetcode and the types of interviews that lead to a more enjoyable and effective interviewing experience.

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I've been working hard on a fresh UI update for my Nursing Quiz App on the Play Store! While revamping the app, I needed a way to create a good-looking feature graphic. Luckily, I found a great tool called Hotpot.ai that allows you to generate feature graphics and App Store images from customizable templates. Check them out: https://hotpot.ai I'm seeking internal testers to provide feedback on the new UI and features. If you're interested in helping out, please join the internal testers list here: https://lnkd.in/eTY8aVWE #appdevelopment #mobiledeveloper #appdesign #uidesign #indiedev #hotpotai #appstorelisting #screenshots #featuregraphic #betatester #usertesting #feedbackwanted

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Finished a 9 month Software Engineering Bootcamp with Springboard! PERN full stack web development skills achieved. I'm now transitioning into Headstarter Software Engineering fellowship program where I will be building AI driven projects with other teammates. My gameplan: 1. Continue the data structure/algorithm grind. Daily LeetCode problems alternating between Python and JavaScript. Can try more languages as I acquire them. Learn at least one new algorithm or concept daily. 2. Continue acquiring breath/depth of knowledge in available technologies. There's a lot of libraries/tools out there so I want to focus on the most impactful and efficient ones with thorough documentation. 3. Develop sight-reading skills for code. Similar to sight-reading sheet music, I want to be able to look at any code and figure out how things work as quickly as possible. 4. Implement personal projects. Some ideas include abstracting Optometry decision making into a weighted graph data structure with the end node being the most accurate diagnosis. Subjective refraction can also be abstracted as well since input is simply a Boolean provided by the patient (one or two becomes 0 or 1). A directed graph would work nicely. 5. Find a paid internship/job. This would help apply my skills to a real world application and within a company framework. Also, I got bills to pay like everyone else. Very excited for what's to come! https://lnkd.in/gJUk-RkD

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Really excited to share I'll be delivering a talk "Starting from nothing" at StaffPlus in New York on September 4th 2024. Staff engineers make for an excellent advance party, someone you give a problem like “build a new product” and know they’ll turn that ask into an actionable plan, eventually releasing something great. Sounds great, right? Well, not exactly. You may be the first to scope out the project, but you’ll need to build a team to help you deliver on it. Once you have a team you’ll need a vision that can excite and inspire them, as it’s unlikely you’ll deliver the quality of outcome within the timelines needed without one. Complicating things, it’s probably a poor choice for you to take an ‘official’ leadership position within a team: you’ll need to steer, support and drive the team all from within. I've spent years being this person, helping lead company initiatives at GoCardless and then at incident.io, the most recent example being our On-call product. This talk will share some of the tough lessons learned I've learned along the way. Whether you're tackling your first big project or leading your tenth, you'll leave with strategies that might save you some sleep. Look forward to seeing you there! LeadDev

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🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 I just registered for KubeCon in Salt Lake City! 🎉 I’m really looking forward to connecting with industry professionals, especially in the observability space, to exchange ideas, learn about the latest trends, and explore new opportunities. If you're attending, feel free to reach out—let's network! 🤝 Check out the event details here: #KubeCon #Observability #CloudNative #DevOps #Networking

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My Journey Through the AWS SDE-2 Interview Process 🕰️ Every challenge in our career is an opportunity to grow, and my recent experience interviewing for the Software Development Engineer 2 (SDE-2) position at Amazon AWS was a testament to this belief. Although I didn’t land the role, the journey refined my technical expertise, deepened my understanding of scalable systems, and strengthened my resolve to continue evolving as an engineer. The process began with a Online Assessment (OA), designed to test both advanced technical capabilities and behavioral alignment: After clearing the OA, I advanced to the loop interviews, which consisted of three coding rounds and one system design round, each lasting one hour: • Coding Rounds: These involved solving medium to advanced data structure and algorithm challenges. Each round required precision in problem-solving, optimization, and writing clean, efficient code. • System Design Round: This focused on architecting scalable, cloud-based solutions. I was asked to design a system end-to-end, justify design choices, and consider trade-offs, ensuring alignment with real-world scalability and reliability requirements. On the behavioral front, each interview integrated questions rooted in Amazon’s Leadership Principles, requiring me to reflect on past experiences, articulate my thought processes, and demonstrate my ability to make impactful decisions. Though I didn’t make it to the final offer stage, the process was invaluable in identifying areas for growth, including mastering distributed systems design, optimizing for high-scale applications, and improving my ability to communicate technical and architectural decisions effectively. Looking forward, I’m focusing on hands-on cloud architecture projects, delving deeper into AWS services, and enhancing my skills in microservices and scalable system design. This experience has reaffirmed my commitment to continuous learning and prepared me for the challenges ahead. Every experience, whether it leads to an offer or not, contributes to our growth. This journey wasn’t just about an interview—it was a profound learning opportunity, equipping me to become a more impactful and versatile software engineer. #AmazonAWS #InterviewExperience #SDE2 #ScalableSystems #CloudComputing #LeadershipPrinciples #CareerGrowth

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🌱 If you’re not seeing career growth, it might be time for a change. A lot of folks transition to careers in tech because of the compensation, flexibility of the roles, the variety of the type of work, and more. If you get bored or want to make more money or want more flexibility, there’s roles you can work towards. 👉🏾 AND tech is always changing, so it caters to those willing to learn new things. So always a good time to transition. I’ve been in product, engineering, data roles, program management and more. Lots to do lots to learn. 👉🏾 Mentorship is a great way to get guidance, so find your community. #mentormesh #growth

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I’ve never found a job through LinkedIn. But other alternatives helped. LinkedIn didn’t work when I desperately needed a job after graduating from NYU during the pandemic, nor when I got laid off right after signing a new condo lease. Even now, with years of experiences, I still struggle here. I’m not sure why LinkedIn doesn’t work for me, but here are my assumptions: • I don’t have a CS degree as a front-end developer. • I lack big names like FAANG on my resume. • I didn’t have enough experience when I graduated. • My designer/developer skill sets don’t fit conventional categories. • Or maybe I’m just not competitive enough on LinkedIn. Overall, I’m not a candidate who stands out through LinkedIn applications. If you resonate with my assumptions, besides continuously improving yourself, try less popular or niche hiring platforms. Here’s why: • You’re more likely to interact with real humans instead of resume-scanning machines. • If your skill sets are unique, niche platforms are more likely to match you with fitting opportunities. • It’s less competitive. It’s like shopping for clothes. Instead of going to a mall with big brands, visit an indie store. You’ll connect with the owner and find options that fit your style better. Now, here are some job-hunting platforms I’ve used and received offers from: 1️⃣ We the Makers (https://lnkd.in/gudSWw7s): A creative-focused platform where I got my first offer in the US. 2️⃣ “Who is hiring?” monthly thread on Hacker News (https://lnkd.in/gzXpXUy8): A tech-focused platform where I made many great connections. 3️⃣ Y Combinator jobs (https://lnkd.in/gfBXAsrc): A startup-focused platform that appreciates multidisciplinary skills. 4️⃣ RemoteOK (https://remoteok.com): A remote-focused platform perfect for digital nomads. 5️⃣ Wellfound, formerly AngelList Talent (https://wellfound.com/jobs): Another startup-focused platform with more specific categories. If LinkedIn isn’t working for you, try these alternatives tailored to different niches. These platforms can offer better chances to connect with real people and find jobs that match your unique skills. If you know of other great platforms, kindly share them here so more people know. Keep trying, and good luck ✨ Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog: https://lnkd.in/gBv_YAaJ

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Amazon’s move into telemedicine brings up a big question: can it avoid the failures of others like Google, Apple, and Haven? Google Health shut down after struggling to make its tools useful for consumers, Apple faced setbacks with scaling its health initiatives, and Haven collapsed due to disagreements and the complexity of healthcare. Unlike these efforts, Amazon’s focus on low-cost, simple services through Prime might give it a better chance to succeed. Could this be the formula Big Tech needs to finally make healthcare work?

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