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I'd wager that pretty much EVERYONE applies to Apple, Amazon and Google, because they're known to have the best people/work/benefits. This would make it _harder

by slavak 15y ago

I'd wager that pretty much EVERYONE applies to Apple, Amazon and Google, because they're known to have the best people/work/benefits. This would make it _harder_ to pick out the best and brightest, not easier.

spydertennis 15y ago
Yeah but the other case is that the best and brightest don't apply. Then its impossible to pick them...
epochwolf 15y ago
I haven't applied even. I probably have decent enough programming and system administration skills. I can recognize problem types from my computer science classes but I would need to spend time googling for the exact problem and possible solutions before I could give an answer. The reason I haven't bothered to apply? I don't know how good I really am. I keep jumping between over estimating and under estimating my ability. But, I'm pretty sure I'm not a rockstar since I suck at math. A weak math background keeps a bunch of computer science out of my reach. Still, I've taken a course on OpenGL and managed to pass with a high A because I worked extremely hard to understand all of the vector math that was required. It certainly doesn't help that I've failed every logic puzzle that's ever been presented to me. Ask me to reverse the order of words in a string and you'll get: "Words in a string".split(" ").reverse.join(" ") #=> "string a in Words" I see little point in optimizing that until you can justify the need for a more optimal method. Whacking my brain for a better solution isn't worth it otherwise. TL;DR -> I haven't applied because I don't think I'm good enough.
- robrenaud 15y ago
  If you want the job, I encourage you to apply. The worst case is that you get rejected, and you lost a few hours of your life interviewing. At Google, logic puzzles are frowned upon for interviews. I personally ask questions that I expect candidates to be able to reason through and gradually refine into a good solution, there is no grand aha moment in the problems that I ask.
- khafra 15y ago
  > The reason I haven't bothered to apply? I don't know how good I really am. That sounds like a reason to apply, not a reason to avoid applying. Don't you want some new third-party evidence about how good you really are?
- skrebbel 15y ago
  > Ask me to reverse the order of words in a string and you'll get: "Words in a string".split(" ").reverse.join(" ") #=> "string a in Words" Which is, of course, the best answer you could provide. Unless you're applying for programming microcontrollers, that is.

by slavak 15y ago

spydertennis 15y ago

Yeah but the other case is that the best and brightest don't apply. Then its impossible to pick them...

epochwolf 15y ago

I haven't applied even. I probably have decent enough programming and system administration skills. I can recognize problem types from my computer science classes but I would need to spend time googling for the exact problem and possible solutions before I could give an answer. The reason I haven't bothered to apply? I don't know how good I really am. I keep jumping between over estimating and under estimating my ability. But, I'm pretty sure I'm not a rockstar since I suck at math. A weak math background keeps a bunch of computer science out of my reach. Still, I've taken a course on OpenGL and managed to pass with a high A because I worked extremely hard to understand all of the vector math that was required. It certainly doesn't help that I've failed every logic puzzle that's ever been presented to me. Ask me to reverse the order of words in a string and you'll get: "Words in a string".split(" ").reverse.join(" ") #=> "string a in Words" I see little point in optimizing that until you can justify the need for a more optimal method. Whacking my brain for a better solution isn't worth it otherwise. TL;DR -> I haven't applied because I don't think I'm good enough.

robrenaud 15y ago
If you want the job, I encourage you to apply. The worst case is that you get rejected, and you lost a few hours of your life interviewing. At Google, logic puzzles are frowned upon for interviews. I personally ask questions that I expect candidates to be able to reason through and gradually refine into a good solution, there is no grand aha moment in the problems that I ask.
khafra 15y ago
> The reason I haven't bothered to apply? I don't know how good I really am. That sounds like a reason to apply, not a reason to avoid applying. Don't you want some new third-party evidence about how good you really are?
skrebbel 15y ago
> Ask me to reverse the order of words in a string and you'll get: "Words in a string".split(" ").reverse.join(" ") #=> "string a in Words" Which is, of course, the best answer you could provide. Unless you're applying for programming microcontrollers, that is.