How This Onboarding Course Works

Onboarding into a new job is (hopefully) the start of a rewarding and impactful career change. "*Welcome to the rest of your life*" is apt when you're the new employee: you are setting the stage for the rest of your job. Make it count!

This course will guide you through the onboarding process as a software engineer. Rahul will share his experiences and knowledge to help you establish relationships, navigate change, and prevent common failure modes. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of how to build respect, measure progress, and succeed in your new role

Why Rahul is qualified to teach this course: 

- Across full-time and internships, Rahul has worked at 7 different companies with wildly different onboarding processes
- Rahul has directly coached and mentored hundreds of engineers as they started in new roles
- Rahul has seen what works (and what doesn't) when engineers apply the advice on the job

When engineers fail to productively ramp up in a company, it's often because they are one extreme of the spectrum of panicked to complacent: 

- **Panicked engineers** lack focus, try to do/read everything, and are very stressed out. 
- **Complacent engineers** are too reactive, lack curiosity, and are not stressed enough.

If you're looking for a job, start with this course: [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/)

Paper Reading: Self-supervised Vision Transformers (Foundational Model)

Session led by [Mandar Deshpande](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandardeshpande1995/)

Dino is a self-supervised learning approach for computer vision tasks. It leverages vision transformers without using any labeled data. Dino v2 introduces several improvements over its predecessor, enhancing performance and scalability. It achieves state-of-the-art results on various benchmarks. Notably, Dino v2 demonstrates strong performance on downstream tasks such as image classification and object detection.

We will be walking through

- Basics of computer vision
- Self supervised learning
- ViT (vision transformers)
- DINO
- DINO v2 model

Paper link - [**https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07193**](https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07193)

[Event link](https://www.jointaro.com/event/paper-reading-dino-v2-ie-foundational-model-for-computer-vision/)

[Distributed Systems Deep Dive] Wide-column NoSQL DB / Cassandra

If you're interested in how to design a wide-column NoSQL database, this session is for you. We'll start with the basics: what Cassandra is and why it's a popular choice for handling massive amounts of data. Expect a clear explanation of its architecture and how it spreads data across multiple servers. We'll cover how Cassandra keeps your data in sync and the trade-offs you might face.

- **Cassandra Basics:** Learn what Cassandra is made for and when it's better than other database options.

- **Architecture Overview:** Understand Cassandra's setup and how it's built for horizontal scaling.

- **Data Duplication:** Find out how Cassandra copies data to protect against outages.

- **Consistency Levels:** See how you can control consistency in Cassandra to fit your use case.

- **Writes and Reads:** Get into the details of how Cassandra handles your data when you're adding or retrieving it.

- **Node Communication:** Discover how Cassandra's nodes talk to each other to stay up to date.

- **Space Management:** Take a look at how Cassandra keeps disk space in check by getting rid of unnecessary data.

- **Dealing with Deletions:** Understand how Cassandra handles the cleanup of deleted records.

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

For more system design resources:

- [\[Masterclass\] 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/)
- [\[Course\] Frontend System Design Masterclass - Building Playlists](https://www.jointaro.com/course/frontend-system-design-masterclass-building-playlists/)

[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!

Taro Book Club: Designing Data Intensive Applications - Chapter 3

Topic: Chapter 3 - Storage and Retrieval

In this #taro-bookclub discussion, we talk about Chapter 3 of [**"Designing Data-Intensive Applications"**](https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321) by Martin Kleppmann.

Here's the agenda:

- Let’s get to know each other with some quick introductions.
- We’ll break down and discuss the key concepts from Chapter 3.
- There will also be time for any questions and answers you might have.

Thanks to [**Suraj Singh**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-singh-495b192b/) and [**Sangavi Pari**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangavi-pari/) for leading this session!

Taro Book Club: Designing Data Intensive Applications - Chapter 2 (Data Models and Query Languages)

Discussion led by: [Ankur Agrawal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/erankuragr/) & [Raj Shah](https://www.linkedin.com/in/therajshah/)

Topic: Chapter 2 - Data Models and Query Languages In this #taro-bookclub discussion, we'll go over Chapter 2 of the book "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin Kleppmann. This chapter is about Data Models and Query Languages and will provide good mental models to think about Relational vs Document Models, Graph Data Models and various types of Query Languages.

Here's the agenda: We’ll break down and discuss the key concepts from Chapter 2. There will also be time for any questions and answers you might have.

Get ready for our second session on this engaging and informative book! If you don't have a Taro Premium membership, you can get it at a discount with Ankur's special link here: <https://www.jointaro.com/r/eventu507/>

Event Link: <https://www.jointaro.com/event/taro-book-club-designing-data-intensive-applications-chapter-2-data-models-and-query-languages/>

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 38] - Go Deeper, Follow Through

You made it! By completing this course, you have attained the necessary wisdom to avoid the many, many failure modes software engineers so often fall into when searching for a job. This video teaches you:

- Why completing this course is actually just the beginning of your job search success
- The Top 5 overall learnings from this course
- The exact difference between struggling job seekers and successful ones
- How you can follow through with the knowledge gained from this course and actually apply it to your job search

If your job search dilemma isn't covered by this course, start a community discussion here: <https://www.jointaro.com/questions/create/>

Taro regularly hosts events to get your resume reviewed, pair up for mock interviews, and deep-dive into system design problems. You can find those events here: <https://www.jointaro.com/events/>

**UPDATE:** We have shut down Taro Networking as a feature. Sorry for the inconvenience 🙏

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 37] - Getting The Offer

Congratulations, you got the offer! However, the journey isn't over yet. This video teaches you:

- The exact steps you should follow after getting an offer (it doesn't even have to be a formal offer letter)
- Why offers are often even more valuable than software engineers think, even the more lackluster ones
- How to communicate with other companies you're in the interview loop for after you have gotten any offer (even a verbal one)

To master the art of negotiation, follow the advice here: [The Insider's Guide To Negotiating Your Tech Salary And Compensation](https://www.jointaro.com/course/the-insiders-guide-to-negotiating-your-tech-salary-and-compensation/)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 36] - Getting Interview Feedback

The best way to get better at software engineer interviews is to fail a bunch of software engineer interviews. But how exactly do we do that? This lesson teaches you: 

- Why you're probably not getting feedback from the company after you have failed their interview
- What you should do instead after an interview to maximize the learning that you get from the experience

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 35] - Temper Your Expectations

You just went through an interview as a software engineer and are eagerly awaiting the result. Is it time to get your hopes up? This lesson teaches you:

- The dangers of having the wrong mentality after an interview
- Why having tempered expectations is crucial for long-term success on the software engineer job hunt
- Why software engineers often overestimate how they performed on an interview, especially with top tech companies like FAANG
- The exact calculation and framework you should follow to set expectations appropriately after you have gone through an interview, particularly an onsite (final round)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 34] - Don’t Be Weird

It is easy for software engineers to get desperate when looking for a job, and this can lead to things getting weird. The danger here is that if you're too weird, you can get automatically rejected. This lesson teaches you:

- How to send Thank You notes properly and how doing it incorrectly can lead to you failing the interview
- What to do if you were able to complete the interview problem just a couple minutes after the round ended
- The general framework to follow when it comes to post-interview communication

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 33] - Understanding Big Tech Interviews

For many software engineers on the interview grind, FAANG is **the** pinnacle, the dream destination. However, Big Tech interviews are so frustrating and notorious for their difficulty. Why is that? This lesson teaches you:

- The general perspective of Big Tech when it comes to hiring software engineers
- What centralized hiring is, why it's unique, and how it affects the interview process (particularly for 2 certain FAANG companies)
- Which interview types are more common for Big Tech and why
- Which interview types are less common for Big Tech and why

To dive deeper into cracking the FAANG interview: [\[Taro Top 10\] Breaking Into FAANG](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/roKqDHgxu4C5CioEFpJY/)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 32] - Understanding Startup Interviews

A huge portion of software engineers will be unable to get into Big Tech on their first try, and that's completely okay! The good news is that startups are quite awesome and can often lead to better career growth compared to FAANG. This lesson teaches you:

- The general perspective of startups when it comes to hiring software engineers
- Which interview types are more common for startups and why
- Which interview types are less common for startups and why

To dive deeper into acing startup interviews: ["How to prep for interviews at a startup?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/iNwnJg9G2DCXrLFdIwmV/how-to-prep-for-interviews-at-a-startup/)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 31] - Scout Online

It's the classic question: What can I expect for the interview for X company? Well, chances are that you aren't doing enough to find information online. This lesson teaches you:

- Why your Big Tech interview should never be a complete surprise
- The various big online sources of interview information, organized by quality
- How you should organize online interview information to extract the best insights and optimize your interview preparation

To build up your network to get insider interview advice, follow our masterclass: [\[Masterclass\] How To Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/nvsMxZ9ZGIjlyaZbWqYS/)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 30] - Talk To Your Recruiter

Too many software engineers see the tech recruiter as the enemy when they really shouldn't be. In reality, one of the core keys behind a successful interview loop is leveraging your recruiter optimally. This lesson teaches you:

- How to understand the world through the eyes of a recruiter, particularly when they have given you a chance and let you into their company's interview process
- Why software engineers usually fail to collaborate with their recruiter properly to maximize their chances of passing the interview
- The true cost of interviewing a software engineer (it's probably higher than you realize)
- How you can reach out optimally to recruiters to figure out what's going to be on your upcoming interview with an in-depth message example

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 29] - Don't Get Downleveled

Downleveling is something many software engineers aren't aware of when they enter the industry and immediately start idolizing FAANG. It's a brutal phenomena that absolutely needs to be accounted for during your software engineer interview job search. This lesson teaches you:

- What downleveling is and why it's so common among Big Tech companies
- How to avoid getting downleveled in the interview process, both the easy way and the hard way
- General frameworks to understand the differences between the core engineering levels of junior, mid-level, senior, and staff at Big Tech companies

To develop a much better understanding of engineering levels at top tier companies, check this out: [\[Taro Top 10\] Understanding Engineering Levels](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/e9rjATPbSyvRPsukXiHn/)

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 28] - How Much LeetCode Should I Grind?

If you're this deep in the course, you now know that grinding 1,000 LeetCode problems doesn't lead to a Google hiring manager magically appearing on your doorstep with a fresh offer letter in hand. This lesson teaches you:

- Why data structures and algorithms are more damaging to the overall health of a job search than software engineers realize
- Exactly how over-indexing on data structures and algorithms and LeetCode completely destroys the job search of many software engineers
- The framework you should apply on whether you should be grinding LeetCode

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 27] - Hiring Manager Round (Separate)

Congratulations, you went through the onsite loop and did well! But what's this - The engineering director behind the job you're interviewing for wants to talk? This lesson teaches you:

- When separate hiring manager rounds happen (and why that's a good thing)
- How to pass hiring manager rounds and what to expect from them

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 26] - Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Many programming languages are Object-Oriented Programming languages, otherwise known as OOP languages. This lesson teaches you:

- What OOP interview rounds are and when to expect it
- The optimal way to prepare for an OOP interview round
- What a good OOP diagram looks like

Ace Your Tech Interview As A Software Engineer [Part 25] - Practical Coding

Practical interview coding rounds are the purest form of software engineering and what software engineers generally hope the interviews are (at least when they complain about data structures and algorithms problems online). This lesson teaches you:

- What a practical coding round is and when to expect it
- What kinds of companies give practical coding rounds
- How to prepare for practical coding rounds

To get the absolute best practice for practical coding rounds, check out our side projects playlist: [\[Taro Top 10\] Building Impressive Side Projects](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/vKUWMgmmaEvzcYUXZs4B/)

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.