Software Engineering Vs School -- What's the Difference?

A core confusion for many new Computer Science graduates who land a role as an engineer is that **their job is only partially about coding**. Edsger Dijkstra once said:

> Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.

A software engineer is much more than a computer programmer. You're a point of contact for your team, and you better get used to working with tons of other... humans.

And humans are often harder than computers to deal with :)

1️⃣ Learn to push back on requests or features
2️⃣ Communicate the value of your work
3️⃣ Understand how career growth works at your company

This video covers the main areas in which being a software engineer diverges from being a computer science student. The earlier in your career that you are able to fully recognize and account for these differences, the sooner you can go from a simple low-level engineer “who just writes code” to a more senior actor that is able to push the direction of both your team and other teams in your organization.

- Read the [blog post version](https://www.jointaro.com/blog/school-vs-swe-a-lot-of-nos/) of this
- Follow Jordan on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@jordanhasnolife5163](https://www.youtube.com/@jordanhasnolife5163)

Related resources: 
- [Working with your manager for promotion](https://www.jointaro.com/question/iH4HPSNkRpGGCGSlNhNm/resurfacing-a-discussion-about-a-promotion-with-my-manager/)
- [Masterclass on choosing a good team and company](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/0WEmTNZOMIh8xAdfO3JH/masterclass-how-to-choose-a-good-company-and-team-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [Masterclass about learning quickly in tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/u9ldIvrTvV1wfWExccDR/masterclass-how-to-learn-quickly-in-tech/)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 29] - The Step-By-Step Plan

Here's the step-by-step plan if you want it for your notes:

### Find A Good Team

- **Engineering manager has a track record getting engineers promoted**
- Teammates 1 level above you to learn from
- Teammates more junior than you to lead
- Team isn’t overloaded with engineers at your level
- Team isn’t overloaded with engineers at next level

To learn about finding a quality engineering manager: [\[Masterclass\] What Software Engineers Should Look For In Their Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/)

### Establish Yourself As A High Performer

- **Build a strong, honest relationship with your engineering manager**
- Identify core peers and add value to them to make them like you
- Develop a consistent track record shipping with velocity and quality
- Look for opportunities to expand scope of assigned projects
- Be creative and brainstorm new project ideas

To learn how to build trust quickly: [\[Course\] Effective Communication For Engineers](https://www.jointaro.com/course/effective-communication-for-engineers/)

### Clarify Expectations And Gaps

- **Write a promotion plan with as much clarity as possible**
- Have that honest, deliberate conversation with your manager
- Observe engineers at the next level to understand the delta
- Break down your weaknesses across engineering axes
- Don’t get jealous of more senior peers

### Execute And Grow

- **Make sure to check in on and maintain your expectations plan**
- Publicly document and share your wins
- Go through your gaps 1 by 1 and patch them up
- Be hungry for feedback and learn from mistakes
- Amp it up in the final quarter before review

To learn how to get constructive feedback: [This Is How You Get Feedback - Making The Process Smooth](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/aGuxjGbFjYb34ofhRxjs/this-is-how-you-get-feedback-making-the-process-smooth/?playlistId=llknt3sHtV4xmhDThKOx)

### Go Through Performance Review

- **Thoroughly go through your promotion plan and make sure it’s all addressed**
- Compile artifacts from your brag journal, launch posts, and other sources
- Link as much evidence as you possibly can
- Request targeted feedback from core peers
- Share self-review with manager beforehand

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 14] - 1 on 1 Meetings

1 on 1 meetings are some of the most important and powerful uses of time... when leveraged properly (which junior engineers often don't). This lesson teaches you:

- The difference between junior and mid-level engineers when it comes to 1 on 1 meetings
- The simple, proactive tactic you should use for every single 1 on 1 meeting you have to make them far more useful

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 11] - Behavioral Rounds

Data structures and algorithms (DSA) suck up all the air in the room, but behavioral rounds are actually the most important interview round. This lesson teaches you:

- The signal behavioral interviews give that DSA interviews cannot
- The 3 keys you need to communicate in a behavioral interview
- How to structure your behavioral interview answers effectively

To dive deeper into behavioral interviews, take our course here: [Master The Behavioral Interview As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/master-the-behavioral-interview-as-a-software-engineer/)

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 12] - Disambiguation

Engineers will constantly get tasks that aren't fully defined, especially if they work at a top tech company like FAANG. This lesson teaches you:

- The differences between junior and mid-level engineers when it comes to disambiguation
- How mid-level engineers are much more effective at disambiguation compared to junior engineers, explained with an in-depth example

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

How To Avoid PIPs: The Ultimate Guide To Navigating A PIP

**Prevention is the best cure**, so let’s talk about what steps you should take to avoid a PIP. The #1 thing you can do is get high-quality feedback from the people you work with. The issue is that most tech workers are horrible at asking for feedback in a way that actually gets them something substantive.

Your guiding principle should be to **make it easy to receive feedback, especially constructive feedback.**

Here’s a system you should employ to get high-quality feedback: 

- Schedule dedicated “feedback 1:1s” with key people: manager, XFN partners
- Write down what they say
- Follow up: short-term and long-term

A PIP should **never** be a surprise, and yet it often Is. This system will prevent you from being negatively surprised. With a manager, you ask how you’re trending and discuss a hypothetical rating, broken down by the axes of evaluation at your company.

We also cover two examples of proactively addressing concerns with your manager.

Ask Me Anything (AMA) with a Meta and Databricks Eng Director - Ritendra Datta

[**Ritendra Datta**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritendradatta/) is a Senior Director of Engineering at Databricks.

Previously, he was the Head of FB Reels and Video Recommendations (Director of Engineering) at Meta, where he worked from 2019 - 2023. Prior to that, he was a Senior Staff Software Engineer and Tech Lead working at Google in Mountain View. See the [Q&A Ritendra led in the discussion forum](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FaRXsBFD3JpNtFlsmC6Q/im-ritendra-ex-metagoogle-current-senior-director-at-databricks-ama/).

In this Ask Me Anything (AMA), Ritendra answered many questions about tech leadership and career growth!

**Career Preferences in Small vs Large Companies**

Ritendra explained that he enjoys working in smaller, more self-contained companies where he can have a greater impact and more direct relationships with colleagues and superiors. He also highlighted his discomfort in large companies where there are more people than problems and where he would rather focus on technical work than fighting for scope. He ended by stating that his 'sweet spot' is in smaller companies like Databricks or the early days of Google.

**Manager Evaluation and Influence Strategies**

Ritendra discussed how to evaluate a manager and increase influence in a new company. Rahul asked for advice on evaluating a manager, and Ritendra emphasized the importance of empathy, understanding, and a focus on the employee's growth. He suggested asking existing reports about their manager's responses to failure and success, and their approach to career growth. Later, Rahul asked about increasing influence in a new company, and Ritendra advised understanding the company's pain points and focusing on solving them. He cautioned against bringing in new problems to solve, as it can be dismissed due to the existing workload. He also mentioned that introducing a new perspective can also lead to influence.

**Director's Tech Role: Problems and Strategies**

Ritendra discussed the common people problems faced by a director in a technology leading role. Ritendra highlighted the issue of conflict within an overgrown organization, where there are too many people and not enough problems, leading to fights over scope and misaligned career aspirations. He also shared his personal strategy of moving to a different part of the company where the problem is less prevalent. Rahul asked about identifying fast-growing opportunities within a company, to which Ritendra suggested evaluating visibility and impact potential. He advised focusing on areas that are important to the business outcomes but not heavily crowded, and not always following the CEO's narrative.

**Executive Presence: Leading Beyond Teams**

Ritendra shared his personal experience of receiving feedback about his lack of executive presence early in his career and his subsequent efforts to develop it. They also emphasized the importance of understanding and executing on leaders' strategies, as well as effective communication with senior leadership. The conversation touched on the importance of taking action items and follow-ups, and maintaining a balance between being assertive and respectful in discussions with senior leaders. They concluded that executive presence is not solely about intelligence or technical expertise, but also about understanding and acting on strategic directions.

**Relationship-Building and Communication Strategies**

Jordan queried how to optimize the value of one-on-one meetings, to which Ritendra expressed his preference for these meetings due to their potential for honest communication and vulnerability. He shared his personal experience of joining a new company to highlight the significance of openness in establishing deep connections with others. Ritendra cautioned against frequent complaining, recommending a balance of 70% positive communication and 30% expressing struggles.

**Managing Difficult Relationships and Career Advice**

If you have a difficult manager relationship, Ritendra suggested that one should make a judgment call on whether the manager has already given up on them and advised seeking an exit if the relationship can't be repaired. He also mentioned that negative performance reviews often lead to further negative reviews, making it less likely for a turnaround. The topic of how much senior leadership knows about struggling mid or senior-level engineers was also discussed, with Ritendra confirming that such information does spread up the reporting chain. Lastly, Rahul asked about Ritendra's relationship with money as he climbed the career ladder. Ritendra stated that beyond a certain compensation, money doesn't significantly change one's quality of life and that he values his daily happiness over a higher salary.

**AI and ML Advice From Experienced Engineer**

Ritendra advises to focus on the areas surrounding the problem at hand, follow industry experts, read Linkedin articles, and listen to podcasts for new ideas. He emphasized that companies typically focus on fundamental knowledge rather than specific details about recent developments. Ritendra also suggested the use of co-pilot tools, such as AI assisted code writing, to make lives easier and recommended learning about the psychology of engineering and technology.

Relevant links:

- See the [Q&A Ritendra led in the discussion forum](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FaRXsBFD3JpNtFlsmC6Q/im-ritendra-ex-metagoogle-current-senior-director-at-databricks-ama/).
- Check out [**Ritendra's Substack here**](https://tldr0.substack.com/) and [**Medium here**](https://tldr0.medium.com/). (He wrote about his prior [**AMA from Blind**](https://tldr0.substack.com/p/a-fascinating-q-and-a-with-meta-employees) here.)
- Check out discussions with another [**Senior Eng Leader, David Pan, here**](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/david-pan/) and [**Rachel Zhao, here**](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/rachel-zhao/).

How Alex Made An App That Got 80k+ Users In 1 Month

### The Story
- In summer 2016, Pokemon GO took over the world. Alex saw a need for an app to figure out where certain Pokemon were, so he and a friend quickly created a Yelp-style crowd-sourced app tying Pokemon to locations (pulled from the Yelp API). Alex worked on the Android app, and the friend owned by back-end.
- The app immediately saw immense traction, going from a few dozen to a few hundred to a few thousand (3,000+) new installs *per day* within just a week. **After less than a month, the app had been used by 80,000+ people.**
- Alex ran into copyright issues publishing the app as it used Pokemon images. Despite the app being free, ad-free, and not even asking for donations, it kept getting rejected. To hack around this, a server-side flag was created to turn off the images as the app was in review and turn them back on when the app got approved.
- Google Play eventually found out about the trick and took down the app for copyright infringement. However, the app was impressive enough at this point that Alex could include it on his resume, and it helped a lot getting interviews and giving him something to talk about during them.

### Learnings
- *Building a marketplace is extremely difficult* - A marketplace product is one that's a platform and requires a certain amount of some valuable resource in order to be useful: It's not useful on its own in a vacuum. For example, Uber needs a supply of readily available drivers to be useful. In this app's case, it needed data on Pokemon locations, which had to be provided by users.
- *Don't expect users to use the product properly* - In fact, don't expect your users to not be jerks. The app suffered a lot initially as users were uploading blatantly fake data of legendary Pokemon showing up in the wild - Legendary Pokemon hadn't even been released yet during the app's lifespan!
- *Be proactive and think through edge cases* - Zooming out from the prior point, it's just good to do this in general no matter what kind of software you're building, whether it's an entire app or a small feature on some already existing product owned by a FAANG company. Understand how things can get weird and address those scenarios accordingly.

If you want to learn how to build your own side projects, check these out:
- [[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/)

If you're interested in the code of the Android app, Alex took the time to save it here: [https://github.com/Gear61/GO-Database](https://github.com/Gear61/GO-Database).

DSA Crash Course [Part 57] - Connected Components Count Approach

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

> Write a function, *connected_components_count*, that takes in the adjacency list of an undirected graph. The function should return the number of connected components within the graph.

```
connected_components_count({
  0: [8, 1, 5],
  1: [0],
  5: [0, 8],
  8: [0, 5],
  2: [3, 4],
  3: [2, 4],
  4: [3, 2]
}) # -> 2
```

```
connected_components_count({
  1: [2],
  2: [1,8],
  6: [7],
  9: [8],
  7: [6, 8],
  8: [9, 7, 2]
}) # -> 1
```

```
connected_components_count({
  3: [],
  4: [6],
  6: [4, 5, 7, 8],
  8: [6],
  7: [6],
  5: [6],
  1: [2],
  2: [1]
}) # -> 3
```

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/**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 48] - Tree Min Value Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *tree_min_value* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/tree-min-value?language=py>

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/>

What Are Layoffs?

We break down what layoffs are, how they differ from firings, and why terminology matters in the tech industry.

Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Layoffs are ad hoc, unpredictable events that cut a large number of employees for economic reasons, unlike regular performance-based cuts where low performers are ranked out.
- Being laid off is generally not the employee’s fault and is different from being fired for incompetence, which is why layoffs—especially in tech—typically come with generous severance packages.
- Most recent “layoffs” in tech are technically RIFs (reductions in force), meaning the company has no intention of rehiring those employees, even though the industry commonly uses the term layoff.

Engineer Your Ideal Tech Career [Part 10] - Sophie Novati: The Founder Journey

This video kicks off a section of 4 videos in which you’ll hear from different accomplished engineers on their career paths and what drew them to that route.

Starting us off, [Sophie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophienovati/) (course author!) provides more context into how she became a founder, the typical founder path, and why she has a deep admiration for the work she does.

Looking for mentorship from tech’s top engineers + personalized job hunt assistance and interview prep? [Formation.dev](http://Formation.dev) can provide you unlimited career coaching, technical mentorship, personalized practice, and mock interviews. Join us here: <https://formation.dev/partners/taro>

Worksheet: [Formation - Coding Your Career](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/tech-career-growth.appspot.com/o/courses%2Fslides%2FFormation%20Career%20Direction%20Worksheet.pdf?alt=media&token=f6344b78-529a-411e-a449-7a34a8d55fc8)

Negotiation Course: View The Recruiter As Ally, Not Antagonist

Recruiters get a bad reputation, but they can actually help you a lot! The recruiter's job is to get qualified people to work for the company, so there is incentive alignment between both parties.

Instead of viewing the recruiter as an obstacle you must overcome, view them as an ally and a valuable source of information. 

- **Before the interview**,  ask them what will be on the interview and what advice they'd have to prepare.
- **After the interview**, ask them what parts of the comp are likely to change, and build the relationship with them so they can advocate for you.

How do you build a relationship with the recruiter? 

- Say thank you whenever the recruiter shares an update with you: *"Thank you for sharing, I appreciate your clear communication throughout this process!"*
- Show an interest in the job and what makes it unique. Don't ask generic questions. 

Keep in mind that most recruiters are not technical and may not understand the value you bring as an engineer. (Unlike the hiring manager, who will know intimately what role they're hiring for.)

Understand 2 different types of recruiters:

- **Contract (agency) recruiters** are compensated for landing a butt in the seat: they’ll be much more transactional and focused on getting you to accept an offer (any offer).
- **In-house recruiters** will usually NOT see a direct financial gain if you accept the offer. They are evaluated based on goals around recruiting conversion metrics.

Become An Engineer Influencer [Part 4] - Strategy #2: Social Media is a Sales Funnel

Define

In this section, we explain how we at Amazon adopted the **DMAIC process**—a structured Six Sigma methodology—to bring clarity and control to our increasingly complex operations. This approach helped us stay focused on what drives business performance, even as we scaled globally and diversified our offerings.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We turned to Six Sigma to manage complexity**: As Amazon grew from a book retailer into a multi-product, international company, we needed a structured way to measure, monitor, and improve our processes. Six Sigma’s DMAIC framework offered exactly that.
- **DMAIC became our operational foundation**: The five steps—**Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control**—allowed us to break down complex systems into manageable parts, identify input metrics, and drive improvements with precision.
- **We embraced Donald Wheeler’s philosophy**: Following his principle that understanding variation is key to improvement, we focused on how changing inputs affects outputs, aligning our culture around continuous improvement.
- **We built clarity into invisible systems**: Since much of Amazon’s operations (software, fulfillment, logistics) were either virtual or distant, we created standard definitions and measurements to make the system’s performance tangible and actionable.
- **We aligned every part of our system to inputs**: From product selection and pricing to software reliability and delivery speed, we learned that managing the inputs across all departments ultimately shaped our outputs like revenue and customer satisfaction.

To dive deeper into Input Metrics Mastery and learn more from Bill and Colin, follow these links:

- Take the full course at their website: <https://workingbackwards.com/>
- Buy the book: <https://www.amazon.com/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595>
- Bill's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-carr/>
- Colin's LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinbryar/>

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 30] - Be Patient

It can be frustrating waiting so long to get promoted as a software engineer. You've been working so hard for so long, and you still don't have that fancier title. This lesson teaches you:

- Why getting promoted is so hard
- The right mentality to always have as you're going through the promotion process
- A clear framework you can use to determine if you are truly getting better as an engineer

[Part 2] Software Engineer Onboarding: Learn the Workflow

To make the hard work easier, learn the workflow and process first.

**A big mistake new engineers make**: they dive in directly to a project and start landing code/landing impact. You goal is be curious about the testing and deployment procedures, along with the workflows and processes. One way to do this is to deliberately pick the simplest possible bugs and code changes to make, so you can exercise the workflow. 

- [Use Code Review Feedback For Hypergrowth](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/aBRgdYpUfnUpoyWG4qZC/use-code-review-feedback-for-hypergrowth-meta-prodigy-engineer-story/)
- [How To Write Better Code Faster As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/iYpRj8XfyzCSaTYnce3y/how-to-write-better-code-faster-as-a-software-engineer-11192022/)

This is part 2 of a 4 part series from Daniel about how to **most efficiently** and **most effectively** onboard into a new team or company. What should you spend your time doing in the first few months of joining, and how should that change based on your level? 

This masterclass covers this topic from the perspective of Daniel Tomko, a 20 year Big Tech veteran. Daniel spent 11 years at Microsoft and 8 years at Meta in various senior IC and management positions. 

- [Go to part 3 of the masterclass here](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/7l4Nr4hQf8Pv8zfGZwh4/part-3-software-engineer-onboarding-understand-tactical-decisions/)
- [Go back to part 1 of the masterclass here.](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/IYZRmwp33E3TBeFQFr9c/part-1-software-engineer-onboarding-embrace-your-lack-of-knowledge/)

Motivation

If you want direct interview support from Alex and Uzair, take their live Maven course with discount code **TARO10**: <https://maven.com/alex-kliotzkin/acing-em-interviews>

In this video, I discuss the common challenges engineers face when preparing for engineering manager interviews, highlighting that the criteria for these roles differ significantly from those of individual contributor positions. Many engineers are unaware of these differences, which can lead to confusion and poor performance during the interview process. I emphasize the importance of understanding these unique expectations to improve your chances of success. I encourage viewers to reflect on their own experiences and consider how they can better prepare for these types of interviews.

Asking Great Questions [Part 23] - Deep Thanks

Your journey doesn't end after you get an answer to your question, quite the opposite. The follow-through after getting a great answer is absolutely critical. This lesson teaches you:

- What a basic thanks looks like and an easy way to level up past it
- 5 more creative ways to give deeper thanks
- Why giving thanks is also a skill with tremendous depth that can unlock tremendous opportunity if you truly become one of the best in the world at it (with one of those opportunities being making everyone want to answer your questions all the time)

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.