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

The Incredibly Rare Benefit Top Tech Companies Offer - Equity Refreshers

This video segment explains **refresher equity grants**, a powerful and rare form of compensation offered mainly by top-tier tech companies like Facebook and Google. These grants serve as both a performance incentive and a retention strategy.

- **Refresher grants are annual RSU awards**, given in addition to the initial offer. Their size is determined by an employee's level and most recent performance review.
- **Compensation structure is formulaic** at big tech companies, including the calculation of refresher amounts, which often outpace inflation even in challenging economic climates.
- **Grants stack over time**, meaning employees may have multiple overlapping equity packages (original + yearly refreshers), significantly increasing total stock-based compensation over the years.
- **Year four marks a peak**, where compensation from the initial grant and up to three refreshers overlap—this is why many employees leave after their fourth year, as compensation often drops after the original grant fully vests.
- **Refresher grants are a major retention tool**, helping extend average tenure at top companies from around two years closer to four.

[Case Study] How To Become A Data Guru As An Engineer (w/ Senior Director of DS Mo Shahangian)

Mo has had a successful career at the intersection of data science and engineering at companies like Pinterest, Meta, and Epic Games.

Mo talked about the biggest data mistakes and how the job changes as you navigate seniority levels. He also shared his contrarian approach to promotion that has worked so well in his career. 

## Data knowledge for engineers:
- Data science is an overloaded term. The high-level goal for anyone working with data is to surface insights that will inform decisions. 
- Being insightful isn’t enough -- you need to surface **actionable** and **causal** relationships.

Everyone needs a reminder correlation != causation. Have some tools to remind yourself.
- Which way does the causal arrow go?
- Remember [Goodhart’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law)

## Career growth
- At the most senior levels, leaders are business owners/product leaders, not functional leaders.
- At more junior levels, it’s the opposite, there needs to be order and a separation of responsibility. The best people learn how to work, not only within their lane, but across.

Career success comes from being deliberate:
- A career is a series of decisions
- These decisions come with tradeoffs
- Those best at navigating tradeoffs emerge as leaders
- "Deliberate" means that you are both intentional and calculated

Mo started out building data systems at UCLA, joined Pinterest during hypergrowth, and eventually became a Senior Director of Data Science at Meta, and recently joined Epic Games at the leadership level. Connect with Mo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-shahangian-b040188/

[Connect with Mo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-shahangian-b040188/)

More resources: 
- Another Taro Premium Session about [junior --> senior eng promos at Meta](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/session-5-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)
- [Why chasing promo could hurt you](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/qj2kX94TfFPgBLlQZBtb/why-chasing-promotion-could-hurt-you/)

Grow From Mid-Level To Senior Engineer [Part 20] - Mentorship

Mentorship is one of the most skills to master as a software engineer, especially at senior levels. It is both a way for you to do some good and scale yourself. This lesson teaches you: 

- The difference between passive and active mentorship
- Ways to provide passive mentorship to teammates
- Why you should consider taking on an intern as a mid-level engineer growing to senior
- The jump in quality when it comes to mentorship advice given by a mid-level engineer vs. a senior engineer
- The key thing to remember when being an effective mentor

To learn how Alex was such an effective mentor: [\[Case Study\] Mentoring Junior SWEs \[E3\] to Senior \[E5\] In Just 2.5 Years At Meta](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/case-study-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)

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

DSA Crash Course [Part 53] - Has Path Approach

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

> Write a function, *has_path*, that takes in a dictionary representing the adjacency list of a directed acyclic graph and two nodes (\_src\_, *dst*). The function should return a boolean indicating whether or not there exists a directed path between the *source* and *destination* nodes.

```
graph = {
'f': ['g', 'i'],
'g': ['h'],
'h': [],
'i': ['g', 'k'],
'j': ['i'],
'k': []
}

has_path(graph, 'f', 'k') # True
```

```
graph = {
'f': ['g', 'i'],
'g': ['h'],
'h': [],
'i': ['g', 'k'],
'j': ['i'],
'k': []
}

has_path(graph, 'f', 'j') # False
```

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/>

From "Meets Most" to "Greatly Exceeds" in 3 Months at Facebook

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into your work, only to be met with criticism instead of commendation. This scenario is all too familiar for many engineers who, despite their hard work, find themselves at odds with their manager's expectations due to a misalignment with business priorities. My own journey at Facebook serves as a testament to this common predicament. Tasked with two major projects, I found myself at a critical juncture halfway through, being told my efforts were not meeting expectations.

I was not always doing exceptional at Facebook, but this time I knew that I was not below the "meets expectation" mark. I had been there before, but this time was not it.

Learn more about ratings at Facebook (aka Meta): <https://www.jointaro.com/topic/meta/performance-review/>

Despite knowing that, the assessment of the manager was a bitter pill to swallow, leaving me furious and speechless. However, it also marked the beginning of a transformative journey. I ventured into realms that many engineers shy away from, embracing principles that I previously overlooked. This shift in behavior and perception propelled me from being perceived as merely meeting most expectations to greatly exceeding them, achieving a rating leap that not only vindicated my efforts but also significantly enhanced my bonus.

In this seminar, I aim to share the insights and strategies that catalyzed my dramatic turnaround. I will delve into how a recalibration of focus and an embrace of broader impact can elevate your work from good to exceptional. Additionally, I will touch on the crucial balance between maintaining stellar job performance and navigating a job search. This balance is critical for ensuring you are not cornered should your job search extend longer than anticipated. Join me as I unravel the nuances of achieving long-term career satisfaction through sustained excellence and strategic job search efforts.

Check out these resources for additional deep insights into performance review:

- [\[Masterclass\] How To Navigate Your Performance Review In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/b0B8uqIAUnBLE10jJHJG/masterclass-how-to-navigate-your-performance-review-in-tech/)
- [\[Masterclass\] How To Work Better With Your Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/2PbJb2fuqF3iMHy57eEg/masterclass-how-to-work-better-with-your-engineering-manager/)

Presented by Yogi Sharma: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogi1/>

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 18] - Organizational Complexity

In order to get promoted to senior engineering levels and beyond, you can't just be good with code, you need to be good with people too. This lesson teaches you:

- A basic, straightforward framework to understand what the organizational complexity of your project is
- How to calculate the quantity of your organizational complexity
- How to calculate the quality of your organizational complexityIn rode

The Most Misunderstood Part Of Tech Pay - Stock Options

This segment unpacks **stock options**, a type of equity compensation typically offered by startups rather than large public tech companies. It contrasts stock options with RSUs and explains how options function, including taxation and risk.

- **What Stock Options Are:** A stock option gives the right to purchase company shares at a predetermined price (the “strike price”). These are common in startups but rare in large public companies like Google or Facebook.
- **Grant and Vesting Mechanics:** Similar to RSUs, options usually vest over four years with a one-year cliff. The total grant allows employees to buy a fixed number of shares—often a large number—at a low strike price.
- **Value and Risk:** The value of stock options depends on the company’s success. While paper valuations can be high, employees must actually buy the shares (unlike RSUs, which are granted). If the company never goes public, the options might end up worthless.
- **Types of Stock Options:**
  - **ISOs (Incentive Stock Options):** Taxed only upon sale, usually favorable for employees.

  - **NSOs (Non-qualified Stock Options):** Taxed at the time of exercising and again at sale, even if the shares haven't yet generated real money—making them riskier.
- **Tax Implications:** With NSOs, employees may owe taxes just for exercising the option (based on fair market value), creating potential financial burden even before any profit is realized.

This complexity and risk/reward profile is a key difference from the more predictable RSU structure in big tech compensation packages.

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/)

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 4] - The 2-Step Process

Networking doesn't have to be overly complicated and fuzzy. This lesson teaches you:

- A very basic 2-step framework to approach networking with
- The spectrum of help and providing value to people
- How much help you should provide to someone, especially prospective people you want in your network
- Why you should always give a non-zero amount of help in a work environment, especially if you work at a strong tech company

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 15] - Use Synchronous Time Wisely

**In this section, we explored strategies for optimizing our synchronous time and effectively communicating our work and desires.**

To make the most of our time and build strong professional relationships, we should:

- **Prioritize synchronous time:** Focus on activities that require real-time collaboration and cannot be effectively accomplished asynchronously.
- **Minimize unnecessary meetings:** Reduce the number of meetings and their duration to maximize productivity.
- **Communicate proactively:** Share updates and seek feedback regularly, both synchronously and asynchronously.
- **Build strong relationships:** Cultivate positive relationships with colleagues and managers through open and honest communication.
- **Be mindful of our communication style:** Adapt our communication style to different audiences and situations to ensure effective message delivery.

By implementing these strategies, we can improve our efficiency, effectiveness, and overall job satisfaction.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

[Become A Go-To Person 3/18] Jordan's Story (Imposter Syndrome)

Dealing with imposter syndrome and getting to the senior level.

A course by [Jordan Cutler](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordancutler1/), Senior Software Engineer at Pinterest and Author of the [High Growth Engineer Newsletter](https://read.highgrowthengineer.com/)

Write A Stellar Resume As A Software Engineer [Part 11] - Self Ratings

There's tremendous pressure to stand out with your resume as a software engineer, especially as you usually need to beat out 100+ or even 1000+ other engineers to get an interview opportunity. This lesson teaches you:

- Why self ratings don't add any value to a resume
- The dangers behind self ratings on a resume, particularly with more junior engineers

Make Your Promotion Case Easy - Keep A Brag Journal

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 16] - Working With Your Manager

The single most important person in your professional life as a software developer is your engineering manager. This lesson teaches you:

- How most engineers perceive the engineer &lt;-&gt; engineering manager relationship incorrectly
- The importance of recurring 1 on 1 meetings between you and your manager
- How to get the most value from your manager 1 on 1s

To dive deeper into building a better relationship with your manager, take our course here: [Managing Up: Build Effective Relationships With Your Boss](https://www.jointaro.com/course/managing-up-build-effective-relationships-with-your-boss/)

Are you a PIP risk? The Ultimate Guide To Navigating A PIP

The most obvious way to identify if you’re at risk for a PIP is if you’ve received poor ratings in prior performance review cycles. But this is a **lagging indicator**, so it may be too late to do anything at this point. Ideally, we’d like a **leading indicator** so you can take steps to avoid a PIP by discovering the warning signs early enough. 

The best leading indicators are: 

- Check-in with your peers and managers and get feedback
- Compare markers of progress: code output, design docs, and updates on tickets of projects. 

On the topics of ratings, you should understand the breakdown of what percent of employees get each rating. Companies may not reveal this info directly, so you can ask your manager or look up internal documentation.

If your manager and teammates start ignoring you or removing your scope, that’s an unhealthy sign.

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 17] - Avoiding Scams

There is a lot of desperation among job seeking software engineers, and there's tragically a lot of evil people out there eager to take advantage of that. This lesson teaches you:

- The most common "job training" scam and how it works
- The relatively new fake check remote work scam and how it works
- How to keep yourself safe with the overall principle to keep in mind when it comes to identifying scams in general (not just when job searching)

"How did you decide to quit your job and make a startup?" - 9/13/2022

If you're interested in starting your own startup, check out our curated playlist for it here: [[Taro Top 10] Entrepreneurship And Tech Startups](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/ArtlSzF17v7cad1K6TJG/)

- Alex has wanted to start his own thing for a while - Ever since his side projects started getting serious traction in 2015-2016 (25,000+ users each).
- The initial goal with [Tech Career Growth Community](https://www.linkedin.com/company/techcareergrowth/) wasn't to make a business out of it. The pandemic was happening and people were suffering - We just wanted to help people.
  - Tech Career Growth then grew beyond Rahul's and Alex's wildest imaginations.
  - This made them start thinking what they could accomplish if they worked on it full-time instead of part-time.
- For Alex, there are the core reasons why he decided to make the jump back in early 2022:
  - **Diminishing returns on "preparing" to make a startup** - He had the 0 to 1 experience from doing side projects and building Course Hero's Android apps from scratch. Meta was great helping him build soft skills.
  - **Tech Career Growth taking off** - Alex had more fun working on this community than working his full-time job at Robinhood (which is saying something as he *really* enjoyed working at Robinhood!).
  - **Getting into an incubator** - In late 2021, Alex and Rahul got into OnDeck, which gives the old YC deal of 125k for 7%.
  - **Life timing** - Alex is 30 as of the publishing date of this video, and creating a startup only gets harder as you age due to increasing responsibilities outside of work.

If you're interested in how Alex published ~30 apps that got ~3 million users combined, check these out:
- ["Finding a mobile app idea - How to do it?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/KJ4VXh6rUhKbWeiJoRDe/finding-a-mobile-app-idea-how-to-do-it/)
- [[Masterclass] How To Come Up With 100k+ Users App Ideas You Can Build For Free](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/AI4zi759PSGn6RwIFT6f/masterclass-how-to-come-up-with-100k-users-app-ideas-you-can-build-for-free/)
- [[Masterclass] How To Build And Grow Tech Products To 500k+ Users For Free](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/OEuX0KMhcnNSTJ50Voee/masterclass-how-to-build-and-grow-tech-products-to-500k-users-for-free/)

Lastly, here's a great discussion on how hard startups are compared to leveling up at a "traditional" job: ["Career advancement or building a startup? Which one is harder?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/EquWmWjZhqiiujyltreJ/career-advancement-or-building-a-startup-which-one-is-harder/)

The Key Insight Behind Negotiation

Negotiation is fundamentally about leverage, and the strongest leverage comes from being able to walk away. Timing, preparation, and understanding the multifaceted nature of compensation are key to negotiating effectively.

- **Leverage is built through optionality**: The ability to walk away—especially when holding multiple offers—provides the greatest negotiating power. Desperation weakens a candidate’s position.
- **Don’t discuss compensation too early**: Deflect pre-interview compensation questions by focusing on mutual fit. Only begin negotiating after a formal offer is made.
- **Confirmed offers reflect high value**: By the time a company extends an offer, they've invested significant time and resources. With a low conversion rate from interviews to offers, candidates who make it to the offer stage are rare and valuable.
- **Companies don’t rescind offers for negotiating**: Especially in big tech, it’s extremely rare for a company to withdraw an offer just because a candidate is negotiating for better terms.
- **Compensation has multiple levers**: Salary, equity, and sign-on bonuses are negotiable components. Candidates can prioritize based on their risk profile and financial goals, trading one component for gains in another.

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.