Become A Debugging Master [Part 4] - Where To Find Bugs

Finding and fixing bugs proactively is one of the most underrated ways to accelerate your growth as an engineer. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Great engineers don’t wait for bugs to be assigned—they actively hunt for them through QA reports, user feedback, crash logs, dashboards, and on-call alerts
- Proactively surfacing and solving bugs builds trust, reduces last-minute surprises, and makes you a more reliable and promotable team member
- Attending SEV (severe incident) reviews, learning from outages, and applying those lessons is a major career hack for fast growth
- Engineers can approach bugs at different levels of ownership, from simply reporting them to fully owning the investigation, fix, and communication
- Creating scope by finding and fixing high-priority bugs—even without being asked—can dramatically accelerate your career trajectory and reputation

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 22] - Do Mock Interviews

Software engineers love working and studying solo, but this is extremely difficult with behavioral interviews. This lesson teaches you:

- Why behavioral interviews are inherently collaborative and effectively require mock interviews to master
- How to get the most value from your mock behavioral interview sessions

Claiming Full Credit For Your Projects On Performance Review

- What is the project: Which features did it compose of? How does it work?
- Context behind the project:
  - Why was this project hard/interesting: Complexity of projects is especially important for more senior engineers.
  - What was the business impact: Did it lead to more revenue directly? Did it improve user experience? Was a core KPI increased?
- Role you played in the project: What value did you specifically add to the project, especially that of the deeper kind? For Big Tech companies, this is very important as projects can easily have 15+ people working on them.

[Masterclass] Understanding And Optimizing Your Pay In Tech

Related resources:
- ["If my main goal is compensation, would it be wise to learn blockchain tech since it will potentially be the tech of the next couple decades?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/tyS6MzzADqBzt10802Mh/if-my-main-goal-is-compensation-would-it-be-wise-to-learn-blockchain-tech-since-it-will-potentially-be-the-tech-of-the-next-couple-decades/)
- ["How do people in Big Tech deal with constantly fluctuating Stock Prices from their company?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/JhEDkJl8AexlsL4IXBOH/how-do-people-in-big-tech-deal-with-constantly-fluctuating-stock-prices-from-their-company/)
- [[Taro Top 10] Pay Negotiation](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/uyWSc5q79zFw2Ei7w59d/)
- [Presentation Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MdJrfT-wBDI6p-3z2_4rNY8IJwlvj1X7n3E5bmYajFU/edit?usp=sharing)

20 Years Of Fighting Procrastination [Part 8] - Do Work When You're Working

When engineers say they’ve been “working all day,” that time often includes distractions, shallow tasks, or unnecessary overhead. To truly be productive, you have to focus on high-leverage, distraction-free work. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Real productivity comes from deep work—uninterrupted, focused effort on cognitively demanding tasks—not from staying busy or checking email 50+ times a day
- Recognize and minimize "startup costs" like syncing code, building the app, and reviewing changes, so you can spend more time in the value-generating loop of building and debugging
- Block off long stretches of time for deep work rather than relying on scattered 30–45 minute sessions that get consumed by overhead
- Automate or script repetitive setup tasks (e.g. syncing and builds) to reduce friction and start meaningful work faster each day
- Prioritize difficult, ambiguous tasks early—they often influence downstream work, and avoiding them leads to fake progress and missed deadlines

How Big Tech Judges Interview Performance Differently

What is the main extra axis that Big Tech companies will grade interview candidates on?

As long as you get a correct, optimal solution, that is enough to pass a Big Tech interview round.

Why is communication so important in Big Tech companies?

True or false: Big Tech companies don't really care about what specific technologies and programming languages you have worked with.

What's the core high-level asset Big Tech interviewers look for?

- At a lot of companies, you can just get the right solution and pass. This will often not be the case with Big Tech interviews.
- Communication is much more important at Big Tech companies as there's more stakeholders on everything
- Try not to be silent for 5+ minutes at a time during the interview. Regularly be explaining your thought process
- Massive companies like Meta and Microsoft will have very custom technology, so it doesn't really matter what you're currently experienced in
  - Because of this, Big Tech companies generally let you code in whatever language you want
- It's possible to get the sub-optimal solution or a slightly incomplete solution and still pass the interview if your communication is very strong

Related resources:
- [[Masterclass] How To Ace Your Big Tech Interview - Data Structures And Algorithms](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/V4sTACzfOh22nMVcUV3w/masterclass-how-to-ace-your-big-tech-interview-data-structures-and-algorithms/) - The video this clip was taken from
- [Alex's Guide To Effective Communication](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/hVdLQQzfslaYarLSCmmy/)
- [[Masterclass] How To Ace Your Big Tech Interview - System Design](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/J3I9fTW9ulr6T9KjxpqY/masterclass-how-to-ace-your-big-tech-interview-system-design/)
- [How Alex Got Into Meta With 0 Prior LeetCode Experience](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/ZYiTbN21FsqFxFdpwt5a/how-alex-got-into-meta-with-0-prior-leetcode-experience/)

Grow From Mid-Level To Senior Engineer [Part 8] - Fill In The Gaps

Senior engineers solve fundamentally different problems compared to mid-level engineers. This lesson teaches you:

- The expectation for senior engineer mindset and behavior when problems arise in a project they're working on
- The types of problems that mid-level engineers tend to avoid
- The types of problems that senior engineers uniquely solve compared to more junior engineers

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 11] - Interviews Are A 2-Way Street

One of the easiest ways to tank your career as a software engineer is to join the wrong company or team. Despite this, so many software engineers squander their time in behavioral interviews to uncover extremely valuable information about the quality of an organization. This lesson teaches you:

- Why not having thoughtful prepared questions to ask the interviewer makes you look really bad in a behavioral round
- The critical career importance of behavioral interviews being a 2-way street

How To Navigate Pivotal Points In Your Tech Career - By Casey Dai

[Casey Dai](https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseydai/) is a Head of Engineering at Capgemini, leading Data Engineerings and ML Ops. On top of that, he has a rich history of tech leadership across Manulife and Accenture.

To learn more from Casey, connect with him on LinkedIn: [Casey's LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseydai/)

Here's some of the incredible career wisdom Casey has shared on Taro:
- ["How do I choose whether to become a people manager or continue to be an individual contributor?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/aMvbV6SUjdDaU8RftQk5/how-do-i-choose-whether-to-become-a-people-manager-or-continue-to-be-an-individual-contributor/)
- ["How to make communication succinct and more impactful?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/QDLV5owweJveRLlspOdc/how-to-make-communication-succinct-and-more-impactful/)
- ["Why would a senior make themselves replaceable?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/b5eUTVq4m9ANQ5QCUc3q/why-would-a-senior-make-themselves-replaceable/)
- ["How to get into networking as a fresher?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/2Ld9u7f4pVcm36cj1P36/how-to-get-into-networking-as-a-fresher/)
- ["How to get interview calls?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/MOCBUYFhyn7Yv5ZF7qBU/how-to-get-interview-calls/)

Don't Waste Your 1 on 1s. Build The Relationship

Why should you build the relationship in 1 on 1 meetings?

True or false: Small talk is okay in 1 on 1 meetings to break the ice and learn more about the other person's life outside of work.

Why are deep relationships needed in tech, especially at senior levels?

One-on-one meetings are a foundational tool for building trust and social capital within a company. Especially in medium to large organizations, relationships drive execution—and one-on-ones provide a structured, intentional space to cultivate those relationships.

- **Build social capital early**: Scheduling one-on-ones with key teammates—engineers, designers, PMs, and adjacent team managers—early on helps lay the groundwork for future collaboration. This “trust bank” can be drawn on when challenges inevitably arise.
- **Treat relationships as human endeavors**: There's no formula for connection. These conversations are opportunities to build real understanding, not just to exchange project updates.
- **Welcome small talk, especially at first**: In early one-on-ones, light conversation about emotions, hobbies, and general well-being helps establish rapport. This human connection builds the trust needed for deeper collaboration later.
- **Shift toward deeper conversations over time**: Once a working relationship is more established, focus should evolve toward more meaningful topics—emotions, motivations, and work challenges—while still leaving space for the personal.
- **Listen with genuine care**: The most effective relationships are built on authentic interest. It’s not enough to ask personal questions—true connection comes from caring about and following up on what others share.

By using one-on-ones intentionally and empathetically, it's possible to create strong, lasting connections that enhance both individual performance and team effectiveness.

The Most Important Thing To Do After You Get Laid Off

As a software engineer, you naturally have a lot of leverage as a highly sought after, highly-skilled worker. If you end up getting laid off, take the opportunity to use that leverage and seriously think about bettering your future.

Here are the core points:
- **Take the time to introspect about career direction** - When you're working, it's way too easy to get lost in the hustle and just trudge from project to project. After you're laid off, you now have the mental freedom to really think about where you want to go with your career. This will take at least several days, maybe even weeks. Try to envision what the perfect job looks like to you and make that your goal. Ask yourself where you want to be 5 or 10 years from now.
- **Think about what makes you happy** - This sounds cliched, but it's 100% true. There's no point min-maxing your compensation and level if you're fundamentally unhappy while doing it. The tech industry is such a broad space: There is a right opportunity for everybody where they can grow their career and be happy while doing it. But in order to get that opportunity, you need to discover what genuine passions you have.

Related resources:
- [[Masterclass] How To Choose A Good Company And Team As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/0WEmTNZOMIh8xAdfO3JH/masterclass-how-to-choose-a-good-company-and-team-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [Figuring Out The Best Company To Join As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Nqs0U6rt2qFyXKSZurTh/figuring-out-the-best-company-to-join-as-a-software-engineer/)
- ["How do I know what I'm great at?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/hksE5OSxktWdbnQQFdaT/how-do-i-know-what-im-great-at/)

Level Up Your Code Quality As A Software Engineer [Part 24] - Infinite Layers Of Nesting

Nesting is great for birds, but terrible for code. Having too much nesting is one of the easiest ways to make code terrible. This lesson will teach you:

- Why deeply nested code is literally hard to read
- The early-return pattern to unfurl nested code
- How to compress conditionals properly (this includes how not to mess them up)

Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer [Part 15] - Live And Breathe Quality

One of the biggest myths in the tech industry is that in order to move incredibly fast, you need to sacrifice quality and do a mediocre job. This lesson teaches you:

- The dangers of cutting corners when it comes to engineering work
- Why having high code quality leads to you landing code faster
- Different ways for you to weave quality into your work for an immediate positive return on investment for your time

[Distributed Systems Deep Dive] Design a KV such as Dynamo DB

This is a session on DynamoDB if you're looking to understand how to design a distributed key-value stores. We'll start with what DynamoDB is and why people are using it. Expect a run-through of its architecture and a straightforward explanation of how data gets sliced for efficiency. We'll also cover what happens when things go south and how DynamoDB keeps data consistent and up-to-date as well as the pros and cons.

If you write code and care about making it scale, this will be worth your time.\
\
**Dynamo Basics:** Understand what DynamoDB is built for and when to use it over other databases.

1. **Architecture:** Get to grips with DynamoDB's architecture - how it's built to scale effortlessly and provide consistent performance.

2. **Data Handling:** Learn about partitioning strategies that spread data across nodes effectively and replication techniques that prevent data loss.

3. **Resolving Conflicts:** Master vector clocks for resolving data conflicts in a system designed for eventual consistency.

4. **Operational Workflow:** Gain insight into the lifecycle of 'put' and 'get' operations and how DynamoDB handles data under the hood.

5. **Merkle Trees:** Understand how DynamoDB uses Merkle trees to synchronize data across distributed systems efficiently.

6. **Gossip Protocol:** Learn the workings of the gossip protocol for node communication and how it contributes to DynamoDB's robustness.

Thanks to [Alex Poon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thealexpoon/) for leading this session!

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 18] - The 3 Core Interview Stages

So a tech company has decided to not throw your resume straight in the trash and are giving you a chance. How does the interview process work? This lesson teaches you:

- What the first round of *screeners* is
- What the second round of *phone screens* is (and the history behind the term)
- What the final round of onsites is (and the history behind the term)

DSA Crash Course [Part 39] - Depth First Values Approach

In this lesson, Alvin explores the strategy to solving the following interview problem:

> Write a function, *depth_first_values*, that takes in the root of a binary tree. The function should return a list containing all values of the tree in depth-first order.

```
a = Node('a')
b = Node('b')
c = Node('c')
d = Node('d')
e = Node('e')
f = Node('f')
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
c.right = f
#      a
#    /   \
#   b     c
#  / \     \
# d   e     f

depth_first_values(a)
#   -> ['a', 'b', 'd', 'e', 'c', 'f']
```

```
a = Node('a')
b = Node('b')
c = Node('c')
d = Node('d')
e = Node('e')
f = Node('f')
g = Node('g')
a.left = b
a.right = c
b.left = d
b.right = e
c.right = f
e.left = g
#      a
#    /   \
#   b     c
#  / \     \
# d   e     f
#    /
#   g

depth_first_values(a)
#   -> ['a', 'b', 'd', 'e', 'g', 'c', 'f']
```

```
a = Node('a')
#     a

depth_first_values(a)
#   -> ['a']
```

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 10] - You Need More Junior Teammates

Every software engineer pushing for promotion understands that they need more senior teammates to emulate as role models and seek mentorship. However, many software engineers don't realize they need more junior teammates too. This lesson teaches you:

- Why you need more junior teammates
- How scope dynamics work on an engineering team
- The classic "pyramid scheme" of growth that a healthy engineering team runs
- What healthy and unhealthy teams look like when it comes to more junior engineer presence

To learn how to scale yourself through more junior engineers, check out this incredibly in-depth explainer here: ["How can I help juniors?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/OzbQJCzLPbOKTEqpeSxF/how-can-i-help-juniors/)

Write A Stellar Resume As A Software Engineer [Part 15] - Ordering

Everyone reads top-down, and this applies to resumes as well. This means that you need to be deliberate about what goes first and the overall order of your resume's content. This lesson teaches you:

- The core principle behind proper resume ordering
- The best resume section order for the vast majority of engineers
- The best resume section order for engineers who have 0 work experience (college students, bootcampers, self-taught developers)

How The Top 1% Of Engineers Are Judged

As a former VP of Engineering at Amazon, Ethan has the unique ability to share how the senior-most engineers were evaluated within Big Tech. These are the top few percent of engineers in the company (Staff Engineers, Principal Engineers, Distinguished Engineers, etc), and the expectations are incredibly high.

**Key insights:**

- **At very senior levels, technical excellence is table stakes.** The top-performing engineers use their technical expertise to help the business. 
- **The dynamic with company leadership is important**: these engineers must be proactive in helping the business, and not simply the "guru on the hill" who provides answers when asked.
- **There are different modalities to get to a very senior level**, e.g. CTO model, technical expert, product engineer, and others. It's ok if you don't want daily meetings with company leadership, but you must be working on a valuable enough problem that can merit an engineer of that seniority.
- **Finding a good manager is critical for both ICs and managers**. Two ways to evaluate this are (1) find a leader who has grown many people and (2) find a leader who is advancing rapidly in their career.

[**Ethan Evans**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) is a retired Amazon VP who now teaches managers how to break into executive levels. He was at Amazon for 15 years, and he became a VP in 2013 until he left in 2020. Ethan shares valuable insights for anyone interested in management or career development.

**Helpful links:**

- [**\[Masterclass\] How To Work Better With Your Engineering Manager**](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/2PbJb2fuqF3iMHy57eEg/masterclass-how-to-work-better-with-your-engineering-manager/)
- Rahul's Senior to Staff course: <https://maven.com/taro/senior-to-staff>
- More from Ethan: <https://www.jointaro.com/topic/ethan-evans/>
- [Rahul's $800K TC journey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inydj1VZ0y0)

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 12] - Double Dip

Software engineers and people in general don't realize how incredibly powerful questions can be when you ask the right ones. This lesson teaches you:

- How the best questions that you can ask in a behavioral interview actually help you pass on top of extracting useful team selection information
- What the 2 core failure modes are when it comes to you asking the interviewer questions

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.