4 ms·

> Carmack does not have a Master’s Degree, as listed in the minimum requirements. Other than that, he seems to greatly exceed every other requirement. In other

> Carmack does not have a Master’s Degree, as listed in the minimum requirements. Other than that, he seems to greatly exceed every other requirement. In other words: Industry legend ALMOST makes minimum requirements. I know what you are saying, but it is absolutely crazy to me that they would post a job ad with Minimum Requirements even someone like Carmack doesn't have. Not to mention the "Preferred Requirements". Maybe they should make their Minimum Requirements more realistic or stop calling them minimum if they are not actually minimum requirements.

patrakov 5y ago
To add insult to the injury: he will probably not pass the Facebook coding interview. I tried (for a different position) and failed, due to a bullshit reason. It was a coding interview with two problems, 1-hour time limit, and an interviewer who watches how you enter code into their online editor without the possibility to run anything. The problems were not that hard, the real difficulty was due to the time limit. During my previous experience as a software developer I have acquired a habit to write an obviously-correct but non-optimized solution to every problem, to use as something to compare a better solution to, i.e. as a test factory. So, I had only enough time to solve the first problem correctly, and to implement a wasteful solution to the second one. In retrospect, implementing the "obviously correct" but wasteful solution would not have helped, because I could not compare the results anyway. In my opinion, the test selects for people who are lucky enough to discover and implement the non-obvious optimization correctly from the first attempt. Or, as I have discovered later, who have bought all books on programming interview preparation, because the problems were actually non-unique.
- lostcolony 5y ago
  Yep. Leetcode style problems are effective filters only for people who grind leetcode. It's tailored for a very particular level of developer; someone who is smart enough to understand the problems and solutions (and retain them well enough to trot them out quickly), ambitious enough to put in that level of effort to work for a 'top tier' tech company, and sufficiently docile and willing to work on BS (outside of their working hours, typically, too) that they'll spend that kind of time just to try to make it into one. So someone who went out and built a SaaS business themselves, was moderately successful, and sold it? Not going to pass. Someone who spent three months grinding leetcode and doing little else? Probably going to pass. I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want.
  - htrp 5y ago
    > I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want. Bingo!!!
  - goodpoint 5y ago
    > I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want. Why would a like a large company favors candidates that are willing to jump through hoops? Perhaps they are selecting for docile, dutiful, eager to please?
    - lostcolony 5y ago
      That was part of the implication I was very intentionally making, yes.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
ThrowawayR2 5y ago
> "I know what you are saying, but it is absolutely crazy to me that they would post a job ad with Minimum Requirements even someone like Carmack doesn't have." Why? Carmack is an extreme outlier and it's likely that even among the people he knows that he would label as qualified for the position nearly all have at least a master's degree and the other requirements.
- VonGallifrey 5y ago
  Where do you get the assumption from that Carmack knows people that fulfil these minimum requirements? I would bet he doesn't or at least thinks the minimum requirements are overkill, otherwise why would he make a remark like he did? The point is that when a legend like Carmack doesn't make the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS maybe there is something wrong with the requirements.
  - ThrowawayR2 5y ago
    > "Where do you get the assumption from that Carmack knows people that fulfil these minimum requirements?" The top names in any given field tend to know each other (it's a pretty small group and they network) and most of them got their degrees and other qualifications the traditional way. As for why he made the remark, IMO it's a self-deprecating joke about his being an outlier.

patrakov 5y ago

To add insult to the injury: he will probably not pass the Facebook coding interview. I tried (for a different position) and failed, due to a bullshit reason. It was a coding interview with two problems, 1-hour time limit, and an interviewer who watches how you enter code into their online editor without the possibility to run anything. The problems were not that hard, the real difficulty was due to the time limit. During my previous experience as a software developer I have acquired a habit to write an obviously-correct but non-optimized solution to every problem, to use as something to compare a better solution to, i.e. as a test factory. So, I had only enough time to solve the first problem correctly, and to implement a wasteful solution to the second one. In retrospect, implementing the "obviously correct" but wasteful solution would not have helped, because I could not compare the results anyway. In my opinion, the test selects for people who are lucky enough to discover and implement the non-obvious optimization correctly from the first attempt. Or, as I have discovered later, who have bought all books on programming interview preparation, because the problems were actually non-unique.

lostcolony 5y ago
Yep. Leetcode style problems are effective filters only for people who grind leetcode. It's tailored for a very particular level of developer; someone who is smart enough to understand the problems and solutions (and retain them well enough to trot them out quickly), ambitious enough to put in that level of effort to work for a 'top tier' tech company, and sufficiently docile and willing to work on BS (outside of their working hours, typically, too) that they'll spend that kind of time just to try to make it into one. So someone who went out and built a SaaS business themselves, was moderately successful, and sold it? Not going to pass. Someone who spent three months grinding leetcode and doing little else? Probably going to pass. I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want.
- htrp 5y ago
  > I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want. Bingo!!!
- goodpoint 5y ago
  > I'm guessing it's highly effective at selecting for the kind of candidates these companies want. Why would a like a large company favors candidates that are willing to jump through hoops? Perhaps they are selecting for docile, dutiful, eager to please?
  - lostcolony 5y ago
    That was part of the implication I was very intentionally making, yes.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

ThrowawayR2 5y ago

> "I know what you are saying, but it is absolutely crazy to me that they would post a job ad with Minimum Requirements even someone like Carmack doesn't have." Why? Carmack is an extreme outlier and it's likely that even among the people he knows that he would label as qualified for the position nearly all have at least a master's degree and the other requirements.

VonGallifrey 5y ago
Where do you get the assumption from that Carmack knows people that fulfil these minimum requirements? I would bet he doesn't or at least thinks the minimum requirements are overkill, otherwise why would he make a remark like he did? The point is that when a legend like Carmack doesn't make the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS maybe there is something wrong with the requirements.
- ThrowawayR2 5y ago
  > "Where do you get the assumption from that Carmack knows people that fulfil these minimum requirements?" The top names in any given field tend to know each other (it's a pretty small group and they network) and most of them got their degrees and other qualifications the traditional way. As for why he made the remark, IMO it's a self-deprecating joke about his being an outlier.