Master The DSA Interview [Part 30] - Go Deeper: Follow Through

Take these courses as well:

- [Ace Your Tech Interview And Get A Job As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/ace-your-tech-interview-and-get-a-job-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [Level Up Your Code Quality As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/level-up-your-code-quality-as-a-software-engineer/)

Master The DSA Interview [Part 29] - LeetCode Stockholm Syndrome

Even after passing the data structures and algorithms interview, a surprising amount of engineers maintain a toxic relationship with it. This lesson teaches you:

- What LeetCode Stockholm Syndrome looks like
- Why it doesn't make sense to continue studying data structures and algorithms after you have started the job
- The key towards true growth as a software engineer (hint: it's not LeetCode)
- A super simple way to understand data structures and algorithms studying and how it fits into your life

Master The DSA Interview [Part 28] - Don't Forget: Other Interview Types Exist

Data structures and algorithms are a core part of the software engineering interview loop, but it's important to remember that there are other critical interview types as well, including for FAANG. This lesson teaches you:

- How many engineers who completely fail their Big Tech interview actually did well on the data structures and algorithms portion, wasting all of their LeetCode grind
- How the amount of time you spend on data structures and algorithms preparation will vary based on the types of interviews you have
- How the amount of time you spend on data structures and algorithms preparation will vary based on your level
- General attributes to use to calculate the amount of time you need to allocate to data structures and algorithms

Please ask your recruiter what's going to be on your interviews. Don't be afraid to be a bit aggressive and don't be shy. Follow the advice here: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/ace-your-tech-interview-and-get-a-job-as-a-software-engineer/talk-to-your-recruiter/>

Master the behavioral interview with this course: [Master The Behavioral Interview As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/master-the-behavioral-interview-as-a-software-engineer/)

Master the system design interview with this course: [The Top Ways People Fail System Design Interviews](https://www.jointaro.com/course/the-top-ways-people-fail-system-design-interviews/)

Master The DSA Interview [Part 27] - How FAANG DSA Rounds Work

A big part of being prepared for a data structures and algorithms interviews is having a clear general idea of what problems are going to be asked. This lesson teaches you:

- What LeetCode problem difficulties mean
- What kinds of data structures and algorithms questions are asked in FAANG phone screen (screening) interviews
- What kinds of data structures and algorithms questions are asked in FAANG onsite (final round) interviews
- The common trap you must avoid when preparing for FAANG data structures and algorithms interviews, depending on where you are within the interview process

Master The DSA Interview [Part 26] - Find A Buddy

When it comes to data structures and algorithms, it's best to not go it alone. This lesson teaches you:

- Why data structures and algorithms is the easiest part of the interview space to partner with someone on
- How having a data structures and algorithms buddy is greatly helpful for your personal morale
- A sample meetup agenda that you can use when you meet with your data structures and algorithms interview buddy

Find a data structures and algorithms interview buddy here: <https://www.jointaro.com/networking/?selectedServices=Mock+Interviews>

Taro Book Club: The Pragmatic Programmer - Session 5

Session Led by [Bikram Kashyap](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kashyapbikram/)

In this #taro-bookclub discussion, we'll go over [**"The Pragmatic Programmer"**](https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X) by Andrew Hund & David Thomas

Here's the agenda:

- Decoupling
- Juggling the Real World
- Transforming Programming
- Inheritance Tax
- Configuration

Please send your questions ahead of time to [**Bikram Kashyap**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kashyapbikram/) in the [**Taro Premium**](https://www.jointaro.com/membership/) Slack, so that they can be included in the discussion. *If you don't have the book or want more details on how this all works, check out the #taro-bookclub channel in the Taro Premium Slack as well!*

Get ready for another engaging and informative session!

Master The DSA Interview [Part 25] - Do Mocks

Many engineers actually know all of the data structures and algorithms concepts, but they aren't able to bring that out during the live interview when it actually matters. Luckily, there's a solution for that. This lesson teaches you:

- Why there's a fundamental dynamic shift between studying data structures and algorithms and actually solving the problems in a live interview
- The many concrete differences between data structures and algorithms in study mode vs. live interview mode
- General tips on how to both give and receive a good mock interview
- What a quality data structures and algorithms interview scorecard looks like so you can create good ones when you give a mock interview

Find mock interview partners here: <https://www.jointaro.com/networking/?selectedServices=Mock+Interviews>

Master The DSA Interview [Part 24] - It's About Consistency

How should you spend your time with data structures and algorithms problems? This lesson teaches you:

- Why it's better to have consistent, more reasonably sized studying blocks for data structures and algorithms instead of monster 1-day sprints
- What a good data structures and algorithms prep schedule looks like, shown with an in-depth example

Paper Reading: Enhancing Reasoning Abilities in LLMs through Geometrical Understanding

Session Led by [Lucia Mocz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-mocz-ph-d/)

The advancement of large language models (LLMs) for real-world applications hinges critically on enhancing their reasoning capabilities. In this paper read, we explore the reasoning abilities of LLMs through a geometrical framework. We establish a connection between the expressive power of LLMs and the density of their self-attention graphs.

The analysis performed in this work demonstrates that the density of these self-attention graphs defines the intrinsic dimension of the inputs to the MLP blocks. In particular, it shows, through theoretical analysis and toy examples, that a higher intrinsic dimension implies a greater expressive capacity of the LLM. Additionally, it provides empirical evidence linking this geometric framework to recent advancements in methods aimed at enhancing the reasoning capabilities of LLMs.

Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of how geometrical insights can drive improvements in AI reasoning. Whether you're an AI researcher, practitioner, or enthusiast, this talk promises to offer valuable perspectives and groundbreaking ideas.\
\
Paper: [**https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.02678**\
(Accompanying](https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.02678￼\(Accompanying) paper: [**https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.01648**](https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.01648))

Master The DSA Interview [Part 23] - Don't Just Surrender

When preparing data structures and algorithms, you will almost certainly get frustrated at many points in the process. How you react to those moments will dictate how well you do in those interviews:

- What to do when you're stuck on a data structures and algorithms problem in prep so you can actually learn the problem and its concepts
- How to unblock yourself on a data structures and algorithms problem properly in prep, shown with an in-depth example

Master The DSA Interview [Part 22] - The #1 Tool For DSA Prep

As a mainstay of the software engineering industry for 15+ years, data structures and algorithms have more than their fair share of online resources to help you learn it. This lesson teaches you:

- The #1, time-tested resource to learn data structures and algorithms
- The trap many engineers fall into when learning data structures and algorithms when it comes to tool selection
- How to organically expand LeetCode into the rest of your learning tree
- What to do when you get a FAANG interview

If you're interested in NeetCode, you get a discount on it with your Taro Premium membership. Redeem it here by using code TARO at checkout: <https://neetcode.io/pro?utm_source=taro>

Master The DSA Interview [Part 21] - Programming Language Selection

There are a ton of programming languages you can use for a data structures and algorithms interview. This lesson teaches you:

- A basic flowchart to follow to determine which programming language you should use in data structures and algorithms interviews
- Why it's often not worth it to pick up an entirely new but "optimal" programming language for data structures and algorithms interviews
- How overly verbose languages can ruin your chances, explained with an in-depth example

Master The DSA Interview [Part 20] - Missing What Matters

When you're doing a data structures and algorithms interview, you don't have a ton of time. That's why it's important to focus on what matters. This lesson teaches you:

- What order to code your solution in when it comes to happy flow and edge cases
- Why the core data structures and algorithms themselves often aren't that important during the interview
- How to get functionality for free, explained with a real-life Meta interview example
- A tactic you can use to prioritize components of your data structures and algorithms solution properly

Master The DSA Interview [Part 19] - Perfection Obsession

Getting the optimal solution to a data structures and algorithms problem is great, but it isn't always possible. This lesson teaches you:

- Why pursuing the optimal solution upfront when you're very stuck can easily lead to your rejection in a data structures and algorithms interview
- What to do instead when you're unable to get the optimal solution upfront
- How being completely stuck can lead to a vicious cycle that forces you to fail interviews
- A simple way to think about data structures and algorithms problem solving in general

Master The DSA Interview [Part 18] - Fishing

Many engineers think that they got rejected due to the interviewer being bad or "out to get them". While low-quality interviewers do exist (and there are a lot of them), it is often the engineer's fault by being a weak candidate. This lesson teaches you:

- Why there is often a discrepancy between what engineers believe is the cause of their data structures and algorithms interview rejection and what reality actually is
- What fishing is and how it forces interviewers into a very awkward situation that makes them seem icy to the candidate
- How to not do fishing during an interview so you can have a real chance of passing (and make the interviewer more likely to help you)
- Why asking the interviewer for a raw hint is a recipe for failure

Master The DSA Interview [Part 17] - How To Pass FAANG DSA Rounds

Why is it so hard to break into FAANG? Well, it's because FAANG tends to push engineers far harder on data structures and interviews problems. This lesson teaches you:

- The score spectrum FAANG interviewers use to grade candidate
- What it means to get a "Yes" vote on a data structures and algorithms round
- What it means to get a "Strong Yes" vote on a data structures and algorithms round (very important when the market is bad)
- What a strong passing data structures and algorithms interview performance looks like, explained with an in-depth example

What Engineers Get Wrong About Open Source (From the OSS Lead at Meta)

Open source software is not just about the code! It's about understanding and working with project maintainers to solve a problem.

Why Big Tech Companies Do Open Source (From A Director at Meta)

Companies like Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Hugging Face have made enormous contributions to open source. These companies often allocate tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to creating or maintaining open source software. Why? 

- These companies often rely on the software for their production code
- Companies can use popular open-source projects as a tool to recruit top engineers
- Engineers familiar with a company's software will onboard faster

Why Don't More Big Tech Engineers Contribute To Open Source?

The modern software industry runs on open source software. Should more software engineers (especially those in Big Tech) contribute back to open source?

This Facebook Engineering Director Quit To Sail The World

After more than 10 years working at Meta (Facebook), James quit to work on his boat full-time. While sailing, he also contributes to open-source! <https://github.com/tinyplex/tinybase>

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.