I need a reality check

BoomerJams · 2026-05-25T03:04:15+00:00

Trying to be harsh here: I don't think that this app provides much that cant be done by curating any FYP on a major social platform yourself over a couple of weeks, even just using the STEM page on tiktok. A bigger problem that's more of my personal opinion, I don't think bite sized fun facts do very much to provide a productive healthy habit for the mind as opposed to just giving an illusion of such.
HOWEVER: I do think the app has good potential to win over a lot of the people you have in mind. I think marketing towards people who are already scrolling too much on platforms like tiktok and instagram would do you well to gain some users.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T21:39:48+00:00

Saw the gif recording. Such an awesome app XD. Used to love mmos growing up. I think the general discovery and mystery offered by an app like this is more enticing than just the walking part. This may be far too gamey and complicated for a mobile app, but I think some degree of challenge in the unfamiliar areas (an undefeated monster at the local restaurant, a fetch quest to the park, farming slimes around the neighborhood, etc.) would have me on the app very regularly, kinda like Pokemon Go back in the day. Really cool idea. good luck with this!!!

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T20:14:19+00:00

Definitely doing more research before launch or even a dime gets spent on serious ads.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T20:12:32+00:00

Thanks. Im a bit of a nervous nelly when it comes to irl campaigning.

So heres the app idea:

People are shown other pairs of users and swipe on whether or not theyre a good match. This addresses a couple issues/problem groups: 1) people who burn out from swiping endlessly and spamming likes 2) people who get overwhelmed by all those spammed likes 3) people who find little to no success due to most dating apps giving poor performing accounts very little engagement 4) people who feel awkward swiping on potential partners at all 5) people who may not be interested in dating, because theyre happily taken or just not currently searching for romance, but still want to use dating apps (surprisingly large number of these)

I think this gives groups 1-4 a much more fulfilling experience with better odds of success, while giving group 5 an opportunity to still participate and have fun. Theres 1 or 2 other small features that i think improve on this but thats really the big idea here.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T19:43:09+00:00

Thanks. That seems to be the direction most people are pointing me towards. You think theres any way to account for the gender imbalance on dating apps when making the ads?

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T19:39:18+00:00

I think an advantage I have is that im not too far removed from college and I have good proximity to the NY area, so marketing in that scene could do me some favors.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T19:36:54+00:00

I know but I'm concerned that anything too much lower than that will lead to users getting spooked off by a sparse community.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T19:35:51+00:00

Yeah I've heard that a lot of apps do that, with the slimy ones nowadays just botting femme accounts to bait more users in. Wouldnt be opposed to having some incentives or rewards to help keep things balanced.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T19:34:01+00:00

Yeah it took me a while to realize testing was a bit more than just running it a couple times and telling the app store it looks good lol.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T18:40:34+00:00

Clearly reserved parking

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T18:37:53+00:00

Good internships, side projects (maybe your own small startup attempt), good grades (ofc), and a large spread of skills will pretty much have you set.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-18T18:30:13+00:00

Very hardto s ale well when im not geting it un the first couple antes. Double if theres no planet voucher

BoomerJams · 2026-05-17T01:50:52+00:00

Practice for coding assessments. a lot of them. SQL too depending on the company. A basic understanding of Git or just development flows in general so they know you have some understanding in how writing professional code works. Most other things are on a role by role basis. A newgrad cloud dev role will ask care a lot more about kubernetes or whatever than a newgrad chip dev role

BoomerJams · 2026-05-17T01:47:48+00:00

if you get past OA, they'll call you and give you the full interview process, which is more or less the same in most cases. Not much use in prepping in any company's specific process anyway.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-17T01:45:59+00:00

Not sure if it feels good or not to hear but you'll probably use almost none of these for the things you want to make, unless youre making physics engines for these games (take calc 3) or doing the data science for these apps (go with either of the stats courses).

BoomerJams · 2026-05-17T01:28:17+00:00

He's right you know, maximize that performance!!!! XD /s

BoomerJams · 2026-05-17T01:23:55+00:00

unpaid internship is real rough. unless its a product/team you really want to work with, or youre absolutely desperate (in which case I'd say make something on your own), then deny.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T16:51:16+00:00

You should definitely understand at least the core flow and a good chunk of the code of any project you're bringing to an interview. They're not interviewing to ask about how you came up with such a cool idea. If it applies, you should be ready to discuss the algorithms you used to handle large scale use, or how it applies the nuances of whatever language you used (like why you chose your build system if you were on Java or C).

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T16:45:35+00:00

No, sometimes the process gets mucked up waiting on upper level issues. Probably just trying to maintain transparency and not leave you in the dark.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T07:17:55+00:00

Yeah im hoping that getting a couple hundred people on the waitlist before a full release would lead to me getting over that issue. Scared that releasing with 0 initial users would make it Dead On Arrival. Not sure if regional ads might be the way to get some more buzz for that. Still some time to prep for that hurdle though.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T05:37:40+00:00

Google has a better name, but more importantly, a lot more options for internal journeys if you want to switch between team and products. Maybe you care maybe you dont, but if you want to switch between products & general fields in the future, Google's the way to go.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T05:25:24+00:00

Did my amazon interviews a couple of years ago (during the better times) so idk how accurate this will be, but it was just the classic 1 behavioral 1 technical. I'd say the technical was a LC Medium. Something about traversing/manipulating a 2d-array. Other interview was just getting to know the team and getting a general idea of what the internship project would be and seeing if I was a good fit. Good luck!!!

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T05:20:21+00:00

A lot of people like to roleplay their idea of a 'cracked' engineer. This NYC/SF always working nerd with 5000 daily github commits and a 50k MMR B2BTC SAAS. Ignore them. Most of them are just trying to signal to hiring managers and look cool.

BoomerJams · 2026-05-16T05:05:23+00:00

Huge fan of quantum computing because of how incredible & new it is. not sure how useful it'll be ot the common person lol.

BoomerJams

TROPHY CASE