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I am a cofounder of a bootcamp (Hack Reactor) that teaches Big O. I believe our average grad knows more about it than I did when I graduated with a CS degree.

I am a cofounder of a bootcamp (Hack Reactor) that teaches Big O. I believe our average grad knows more about it than I did when I graduated with a CS degree. Some comments: 1. If you're a bootcamp grad, be aware that impostor syndrome / low confidence / "maybe I'll be ready to interview after I take one more class" is a FAR GREATER RISK than not knowing big o. When you read an essay like this, consider it as useful input. Big O is useful, and is a special point of interest to interviewers, but do NOT listen to any of the voices (especially those in your head) telling you "you're not a real engineer until you XYZ". So, by all means, internalize this essay if your takeaway is "nudge big o up on the study list". Reject this essay and everything it stands for if your takeaway is "I am not ready to be a software engineer yet". 2. A dissenting viewpoint from me: this is good advice for interviewees, but interviewer focus on Big O / data structures / etc is a part of the same culture that fetishizes CS degrees from tier-1 schools and mistakenly believes that the most difficult/valuable part of software engineering is computer science. In reality, the most difficult/valuable parts of software engineering are craftsmanship (measured in decades of real work, not built at schools except those named waterloo) and working effectively in teams. Big O is not uniquely useful to your work or uniquely difficult to learn on-the-job. You should study it anyway because many interviewers believe that it is.

faitswulff 9y ago
Hi Shawn! I think I interviewed with you as a student when HackReactor was calling itself Catalyst. Anyway: > not built at schools except those named waterloo I was in Vancouver once and visiting a friend at his workplace. They mentioned that they hire a lot of University of Waterloo graduates and I asked, innocently, "is that a good engineering school?" I got a blank stare from everyone before they flatly responded, "Yes." I know Waterloo's prestigious reputation better now, but I'm curious what experiences do you have with Waterloo grads that makes them the exception to this rule?
- shawndrost 9y ago
  Hey there :) Waterloo does one thing uniquely well: the co-op program [1]. Their grads have a ton of real-world experience before they graduate, which puts them head-and-shoulders above their peers. (This is connected to my broader worldview.) [1] https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/future-undergraduate-students/co-op-and-regular https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/future-undergraduate-students/co-op-...
vailripper 9y ago
100% agree. I would argue Big 0, or [insert abstract CS concept here] is drastically overrated in importance. We're much more interested in someones propensity to learn new skills and curiosity than we are in how closely they align with a traditional CS grad. To be honest, some of the best developers we've hired have had no formal schooling whatsoever.

faitswulff 9y ago

Hi Shawn! I think I interviewed with you as a student when HackReactor was calling itself Catalyst. Anyway: > not built at schools except those named waterloo I was in Vancouver once and visiting a friend at his workplace. They mentioned that they hire a lot of University of Waterloo graduates and I asked, innocently, "is that a good engineering school?" I got a blank stare from everyone before they flatly responded, "Yes." I know Waterloo's prestigious reputation better now, but I'm curious what experiences do you have with Waterloo grads that makes them the exception to this rule?

shawndrost 9y ago
Hey there :) Waterloo does one thing uniquely well: the co-op program [1]. Their grads have a ton of real-world experience before they graduate, which puts them head-and-shoulders above their peers. (This is connected to my broader worldview.) [1] https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/future-undergraduate-students/co-op-and-regular https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/future-undergraduate-students/co-op-...

vailripper 9y ago

100% agree. I would argue Big 0, or [insert abstract CS concept here] is drastically overrated in importance. We're much more interested in someones propensity to learn new skills and curiosity than we are in how closely they align with a traditional CS grad. To be honest, some of the best developers we've hired have had no formal schooling whatsoever.