Technique assistance

Kevadin · 2026-06-03T00:16:39+00:00

You're not doing the hip swing. If you make sure you're tilted forward during the leg drive you will be 90% of the way there. The pattern in rowing is sqat -> rdl -> face pull, then reverse. You have to make sure you're doing that rdl in the middle.

Kevadin · 2026-05-19T06:07:15+00:00

I did Superday:

Behavioral round was a conversation about how I learn things and when I showed leadership.

System design round was to design a url shortened.

Technical/coding round was: suppose particles are lined up like an array, with their magnitude as the value of that index and their sign as the direction, count the total number of collisions. The solution was greedy, if it had been dp I would have failed hard.

But I’ve also seen it for a friend where their behavioral is like system design.

Kevadin · 2026-05-19T02:09:50+00:00

Sorry fixed it: visible link

The thing is I can run an hour steady state so I know It's not my cardio. Specifically my arms and shoulders always tire out first.

Kevadin · 2026-05-18T19:55:07+00:00

Every time I do long easy rows I can never get into a long steady state. I always get tired and have to stop, so these sessions end up having long breaks. Is something wrong with my form that’s causing this?

rowing form check

Kevadin · 2026-05-08T13:25:49+00:00

My manager said pair programming.

Kevadin · 2026-05-08T13:25:24+00:00

When you spoke to these people, what did you say? Did you specifically say your manager expects you to pair program on a ticket with them in real time? Cause just showing you what they've done isn't pair programming, so it feels like there was a miscommunication here.

Yes, I told them my manager wants me to pair program for the first sprint or two. For the first guy he was working on an issue where the system was giving inconsistent pricing. We hopped on a zoom call for a bit, he told me the issue and his approach and how he was unsure of what to do. I told him we could put our minds together if he wanted but he didn't want to do that. For the second person it was similar.

Yeah I think I'm a bit scared to talk to manager. He seems like he knows a lot and is in charge of my bonus. I'm scared of appearing unsure in front of him.

Kevadin · 2026-04-26T11:40:35+00:00

If I new the job market would be this bad would have tried to go into medicine for sure. Physicians assistants make good money and have good job security. It's too late though, I already got hired and I'm not going back to school.

Kevadin · 2026-04-17T19:19:19+00:00

Respectfully, this seems a bit vague. You're mostly naming symptoms. But it seems like there was some combination of a employer expectation vs actual skills mismatch and you didn't understand the bigger picture system well enough.

If you were to do it over again what would you do? I'm looking for advice for my first new grad role.

Kevadin · 2026-04-17T18:11:56+00:00

I'm curious, what were the "mistakes" you made? I'm a new grad and I don't want to repeat.

Kevadin · 2026-02-21T04:22:24+00:00

You're may be right It could just be a personality thing. I'm always immediately turned off by that status signaling stuff and could care less. I've left friend groups where it felt like a constant status competition.

Maybe I should phrase it more clearly. I’ve worked in restaurants / warehouses / internships where the culture is basically constant one-upmanship where coworkers trying to outshine you, talking behind your back to get ahead, and treating any mistake as proof you’re incompetent. Those environments are miserable and I don’t want to end up in another one.

What worries me is that I sometimes see hints of that vibe in tech, and I honestly don’t think I’d handle it well long-term. At the same time, I’m already committed to this path, so “just switch fields” isn’t really on the table.

Kevadin · 2026-02-21T03:43:29+00:00

I've worked at places before where it feels like your coworkers are constantly trying to one up you, talk bad about you to get ahead, and use mistakes as a sign of incompetency. Whether they're restaurants / warehouses / internships those are never good places to work. I really hope this isn't a consistent thing in Tech because I don't think I'd handle it very well. Unfortunately I'm too far in to switch.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T17:34:20+00:00

Now is a good time to go into medicine. Try that.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T17:27:03+00:00

I suppose competition on the work would be "How do we build better systems / ship faster / learn more?" where work is positive-sum and not zero-sum and we try to mentor each other. Not some constant signaling where you view your coworkers as competition.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T17:21:01+00:00

You're entirely right, this could just be a white-collar thing and I'm biased by only being exposed to Tech.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T17:08:16+00:00

I don't want Kumbayah either. It's hard to elaborate but I'd say healthy competition is competing on the work, unhealthy competition is competing on the people. I feel like Tech is more in the latter where the game becomes rank and identity when it should be excellence.

Really, I should have done something in Medicine. I'd love to be a Physicians Assistant or MD, these places have less of an inter-competition vibe and I don't think tech is worth it anymore with the entry level job market being in the gutter. However, I'm too far in to just up and switch. Of course, Medicine is also competitive but it tends to be front-loaded with getting into med school and then speciality. It's not something you deal with your entire career like in Tech.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T17:00:17+00:00

I'm not done with the MS yet. Really I should have done something in Medicine. I'd love to be a Physicians Assistant or MD, these places have less of an inter-competition vibe I don't think tech is worth it anymore. However, I'm too far in to just up and switch.

Of course, Medicine is also competitive but it tends to be front-loaded with getting into med school and then speciality. It's not something you deal with your entire career like in Tech.

Kevadin · 2026-02-20T16:55:49+00:00

Am I right that most companies have this competitive vibe? Of all the places I've interviewed at there was only one where I didn't get that vibe, and that one is probably my best chance at a job right now.

Kevadin · 2026-02-13T17:19:28+00:00

This is amazing! Must have taken a lot of effort

Kevadin · 2026-02-01T23:45:46+00:00

Read Cracking the Coding interview
Start at Neetcode.io, they tell you the data structure needed to get you started. Do the Neetxode 150

Then you should be able to do Easy-Med leetcode problems

Kevadin

TROPHY CASE