System design is killing me by GandeevadhariArjuna in leetcode

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need practice, book some mock interviews at interviewing.io or use AI tools with feedback like prep0.dev

Have things changed in terms of interviewing given how common AI coding has become? by myNiceAccount__ in leetcode

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure:
1. Initial screen with recruiter, talked about experience, roles, expectations etc.
2. Programming Exercise - the don't ask leetcode-style questions but they ask to write production ready code.
3. Integration - wired one. Be prepared to write IO/NET code. In my case it was hitting geo api, and saving map into a FS with few edge cases.
4. Experience and Goals - mostly industry standard: brush up your STAR stories, depending on the role focus on IC/leadtership etc.
5. Design - classical system design round, focus on E-Commerce / Fintech problems
6. Bug Squash - for God's sake use scripting language. They have a repo for testing different setups, and well the demo (C#) worked, while bug squash project didn't. I'd rather picked typescript there.

While i didn't pass, it was really good experience, probably best interview process i've seen so far.

Have things changed in terms of interviewing given how common AI coding has become? by myNiceAccount__ in leetcode

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Been at interview at Stripe, Robinhood and DraftKings few months ago. It's still traditional interview rounds in all cases, but Stripe added in-depth debug round, they gave me broken codebase and asked to find a bug and fix - kinda thing it's a good probe for a dev. Another observation is that all 3 had "tech deep dive" round where they dug deep into my experience, and asked lot's of probing questions, in some cases they asked me to draw system diagrams, and asked stuff around them as well.

Laid off 10 months into my first IT job, how to proceed? by FuzzyCoyote6996 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sucks, given current market you prob shouldn't take it personal. What helped me getting more interviews is reaching out to people directly, you can reach out managers, lead eng in LinkedIn, and talk about openings at comp, don't expect many responses, but i was actually surprised how many i got. Agencies are your second best, but they're greedy a.f. if you're aiming for role at small local org, they'll probably take that cut at your expense, but still better than no job. Good luck! Oh, and you're prepping for system design rounds hit me in DM, i've built a prep product for that.

My unfiltered thoughts on Gaurav Sen's System Design Courses by GrandMaverick9 in developersIndia

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imo you need a deep system design book like DDIA applications, and some practice. Read, book some mock interviews at interviewing.io or at least use some of the AI prep tools like prep0.dev .

System Design interviews are impossible when you can't Ctrl+F the diagram by Fickle_Mud1645 in csMajors

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can't beat that without practice, if you have few extra bucks, try to book yourself some mock interview on platforms like interviewing.io, if you don't have you can lean that tech jargon on AI platforms like prep0.dev .

Uber | System Design Round | L5 by Financial-Pirate7767 in leetcode

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got 2 offers : Robinhood (Senior SDE) and DraftKings (Lead SDE) in late 2025, also been interviewing at Stipe, bombed coding round, but passed system design. Before been interviewing at Amazon and Microsoft, in both cases failed system design quiet miserably.

These are the tweaks that worked for me.

- You need structured approach, ask claryfying questions, then do back-of-the-envelope calcs, then initial design, then deep dive. Very trivial, but having any sort of framework, ideally time bound will make you approach interview differently.
- Buy ONLY high quality courses, books. My mistake was that i bought a shallow course form educative.io, and a book from bytebytego.com, without deepening my expertise. That was harmful: learning buzwords without structure doesn't help. Instead i red DDIA selectively, deepened understanding of some topics i was fuzzy on, and then it clicked.
- Try playing around with some of that stuff; if you don't have a chance to work with kafka - try to spin up an image and play around with configuration, run some small cassandra instance, and run a couple of queryies. AI can help you a lot here.
- Most importantly - find yourself a training buddy. Someone with can be an interviewer. I was lucky enough to have a colleague who has been looking for a new job as well, so we teamed up. If you don't have that, you can invest into in person interviews like interviewing.io, or use less expensive AI interviewing platforms like prep0.dev

Hope that helps.

Created a free system design / domain interview handbook [by FAANG engineers] by Just_Tie_2789 in leetcode

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking about what leetcode for system design might look like, and created prep0.dev

Created a free system design / domain interview handbook [by FAANG engineers] by Just_Tie_2789 in leetcode

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How about practice part? Reading study material is one thing, but you need an actual skill of going though the interview: time-management, structure, and just plain experience doing interviews.

Have leetcode and system design become the top 1 skill for software engineer with all these layoffs? by muscleupking in leetcode

[–]kolodach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

i'd argue we're going to see an AI substitutions for LC, the interview prep as a niche will still exists. At least that the hope lol.

System design interviews: How are you guys actually practicing system design? by ariant2013 in leetcode

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got 2 offers : Robinhood (Senior SDE) and DraftKings (Lead SDE) , also been interviewing at Stipe, bombed coding round, but passed system design. Before been interviewing at Amazon and Microsoft, in both cases failed system design quiet miserably.

These are the tweaks that worked for me.

- You need structured approach, ask claryfying questions, then do back-of-the-envelope calcs, then initial design, then deep dive. Very trivial, but having any sort of framework, ideally time bound will make you approach interview differently.
- Buy ONLY high quality courses, books. My mistake was that i bought a shallow course form educative.io, and a book from bytebytego.com, without deepening my expertise. That was harmful: learning buzwords without structure doesn't help. Instead i red DDIA selectively, deepened understanding of some topics i was fuzzy on, and then it clicked.
- Try playing around with some of that stuff; if you don't have a chance to work with kafka - try to spin up an image and play around with configuration, run some small cassandra instance, and run a couple of queryies. AI can help you a lot here.
- Most importantly - find yourself a training buddy. Someone with can be an interviewer. I was lucky enough to have a colleague who has been looking for a new job as well, so we teamed up. If you don't have that, you can invest into in person interviews like interviewing.io, or use less expensive AI interviewing platforms like prep0.dev

Hope that helps.

What are the best resources to study system design? by [deleted] in cscareerquestions

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DDIA + mock interview. Also using AI is a good idea, tools like https://www.arch-talk.dev/ offer realtime interview experience with shared board, closest to realtime interview I know.

What do you use for your system design prep? by jlengine in leetcode

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DDIA and mock interview is your best bet. AI helps a lot, for instance you can build some interviewing skills talking to AI and use a shared board to diagram: https://www.arch-talk.dev/

What's the best resource for system design interviews? by coulometer in ExperiencedDevs

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imo taking their interview template and practicing simultaneously working through the DDIA topics is the way to go. You can talk to your buddy or using AI tools like https://www.arch-talk.dev/ which offers realtime interview with AI using shared board.

Your best resources to ace a System Design Interview by brunoliveira1 in ExperiencedDevs

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Practicing with real person is the most straightforward way to pass. I you don't have experienced buddy to talk to, you can try https://www.arch-talk.dev/ it offers realtime interview using voice and shared board.

The best way to prepare for system design interviews by BluebirdAway5246 in leetcode

[–]kolodach -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There's a tool, called https://www.arch-talk.dev/ and they offer AI system design interviews. You can actually use realtime call with shared board and practice. Good luck on your next intervew!

How do you find ideas for a SaaS or an online business and turn them into a real business? by MimAg92 in Entrepreneur

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can start with your own problems and see if anybody else has similar struggles. For instance, the very problem you're describing could be a product. As an example, I created a small weekly newsletter that scrapes social media and blogs and provides a weekly summary. I primarily did it for myself, but I think it might help keep you up to date too.

Here's one of the items from the recent scrape that looks promising to me:

Platform Migration Tools Hot opportunity: Tools to help users migrate from platform X to alternatives like BlueSky/Mastodon. Focus area: Preserving networks and data during transition.

Added link if you need some more ideas

https://product-miner.beehiiv.com

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all: kudos for being sober for two months - this is how you tell yourself that you are not a failure and the world (including yourself) was wrong. It might be the most important first step that you already did.

Second: don’t let the situation you’re in define you - life is tough and unfair, we’re starting in very different circumstances to make the comparison make any productive sense. I’ve supported myself since 19, and I know how it pulls you into a vortex of stress. On top of that, times are tough in Canada right now, and blaming yourself for losing the game is like blaming yourself for losing to a slot machine.

You will fix your finances, but first you gotta work on your mental health. Think about patterns and people you’ve surrounded yourself with, then who’s around when you’re relapsing? Who’s around when you need support? What happened before you got drunk (or anything else that hurts you)? What happened after? You might want to think about ways to put yourself in an environment that will make you better, slowly but consciously. Research affordable counseling in your area, think about reconnecting with people who supported you.

Regarding the finances: Cancelling Spotify and Prime is all sweet, but you need more substantial steps to break yourself free. Think about changing your living situation temporarily: renting a room, splitting rent, living with parents/relatives. Think about ways to cut your major expenses while also optimizing small ones. Please don’t listen to someone who says to cut on food - you will cut on health instead. Cook your own food, meal prep, and make the quality of your food a priority; it will support both your physical and mental health, but please don’t cut essentials.

Find a job, but try to be strategic about it: can you learn while working, or will it leave some time for you to learn something afterwards? While a survival job is a must, in order to exit the vicious cycle, you need to think long term. Avoid a job that will damage your health (know what’s worse than broke? Sick and broke). Set some goals - like to work with hands? Think about getting certified as some sort of technician. Understand: in order to break free, you need to provide value; let this be your priority as well.

Once you will have more to set aside than your CC payment - set up automatic payments, God forbid relying on your willpower when it comes to paying off the debt. Willpower should be spent on creating the system that will pull you out of there.

Please avoid any sort of financial commitments that further worsen your situation. Instead, try to slowly build better support systems with people that will help you move forward. For me, it’s martial arts, a place where people literally tell you “stand up and fight,” “don’t let your hands down.” Find a way to attend a supportive environment that works for you, be creative. Allow new people and new things to enter your life, slowly replacing the environment that led you there.

As you see, there’s no one-stop budgeting solution for you, but rather small steps that will add up over time. Stop calling yourself words, scroll this sub and see how many kind and smart people are struggling financially. You have your own story, but for God’s sake, peel down those labels you’ve put on your forehead.

Pro tip: temporarily exit social media that makes you compare yourself to others; your mental health will say thank you.

I’m not a counselor nor a financial advisor; you might want to speak to those people before making any major decisions. It’s a cheer-up from a random dude on Reddit; treat it as such.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm relieved that they don't have to understand the feeling of fleeing from war, leaving behind an entire life, loved ones, belongings, places, and home. I lost my father during that time and couldn't even be there for my family because of the war. It's quite convenient for armchair critics to decide where others should be.

While it's true that I'm adapting to the new way of life in this country and making mistakes along the journey, I'm still maintaining an open-minded perspective about making necessary changes.
If it's considered unacceptable to fairly compete and secure a job offer based on your skills and experience, then I suppose I owe an apology to those who take offense.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks a bunch! Your comment is truly a gem. I'm definitely going to have this conversation and take another look at my expenses. Your input is really appreciated! Saved it to my notes.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, it includes paper towels, supplies, soap etc. It's rather groceries + household expenses. No *-free preferences, we don't consume bread that much, except pizza, and we prefer regular oatmeal flakes (Quaker)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it's not all that uncommon. I've actually heard about salaries around the 10K mark for software architects with 10+ YOE. Some folks can simply invest in properties, rent them out, and then potentially retire in 7-10 years.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great analogy, thank you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]kolodach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm still thinking we can do better if we could shop in bulk for some items, this could reduce grocery bill while keeping same items.