One Of Management’s Hardest Tasks: Properly Giving Feedback

This video explores the complexities of effective feedback in engineering management, emphasizing the balance between honesty and empathy. It also highlights how mentoring approaches must evolve based on the experience level of the engineer receiving feedback.

- **Honest feedback is essential for growth**: Engineering managers must avoid both extremes—being overly harsh or too protective of emotions—and instead aim to deliver candid, constructive feedback with empathy.
- **Empathy does not mean avoidance**: Withholding critical feedback to preserve feelings can be detrimental to an engineer’s development; it’s important to be honest even when the message is difficult.
- **Good mentorship goes beyond directives**: Effective managers explain the *why* behind advice, helping reports internalize the underlying principles rather than just follow instructions blindly.
- **Tailor feedback to experience level**: Junior and mid-level engineers often need clear, actionable advice, while senior engineers should be given higher-level guidance and trusted to translate it into execution independently.
- **Mentoring is a skill that evolves**: The ability to adjust mentoring style across a range of experience levels is a key marker of a strong engineering manager.

How To Influence Your Team Without Authority

Huge thanks to [Ryan Kuck](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kuck/) for leading this session!

Have you had amazing idea with clear data to support it, but it was rejected? In this event we will talk about why that might have happened, and suggest alternate strategies for next time.

Spoiler alert: We use computers to reach millions/billions of users, but we are very different from computers ourselves. Presenting the best data to another person can actually backfire, unless it is coming from a place of shared goals/values and trust. It isn’t logical, but it is human nature. If you explain a better idea than I presented, and you even have rock solid evidence, I no longer am thinking about the user or our business impact but rather about how I just don’t want to “be wrong”.

Come to this event with your stories of challenges and successes of influencing your engineering team!

To dive deeper, check out these resources:

- [**"How do I lead without authority?"**](https://www.jointaro.com/question/BWv3hFSELbn59mXJbkNB/how-do-i-lead-without-authority/)
- [**\[Course\] Effective Communication For Engineers**](https://www.jointaro.com/course/effective-communication-for-engineers/)

Become An Open Source Master [Part 21] - Start With Something Small

- Start with small contributions to get familiar with the workflow and build our confidence. Maintainers probably won't give you the adequate time of day if you have a large code change while being unkonwn.
- Fork the project to our own account, make changes, and commit them there.
- Answer the questions in the pull request template to help the maintainers understand our changes.

Github guide to forking a repository: <https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks/fork-a-repo>

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Was Getting A Masters While Working Worthwhile? From a Distinguished Engineer

Andrew Zhai was a Distinguished Engineer at Pinterest.

After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2013, Andrew started working at Pinterest in Computer Vision. Within a few years, he decided to do a part-time Masters degree from Stanford to build his foundational knowledge of Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

Andrew says the academic rigor and the courses helped him achieve success in industry. For the Machine Learning (ML) field in general, the field evolved quickly enough that going 'back to school' was worthwhile.

[Andrew on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-zhai-2796ab34/)

Related:

- [Does having a Master's mean I can expect a salary equivaent of a 2 YoE SWE?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/YSMUN3uxDmGLqKxIvmXI/does-having-a-masters-mean-i-can-expect-a-salary-equivaent-of-a-2-yoe-swe/)
- [Do I need to do masters in Computer Science to move ahead in career?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/tKuUT3ELEa1uCGBuMykX/do-i-need-to-do-masters-in-computer-science-to-move-ahead-in-career/)
- [Is an online Master's Degree in Computer Science worth it for a non-CS Bachelor's degree holder with 2 YOE?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/Qth4ohK7HbHTEC83dwIJ/is-an-online-masters-degree-in-computer-science-worth-it-for-a-non-cs-bachelors-degree-holder-with-2-yoe/)
- [Rahul's Computer Science Masters Degree from Stanford in 7 Minutes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDu6slRfLY4)

This Is Why You Should Work For Big Tech

So many engineers want to work for FAANG and for good reason: There are lot of career benefits that Big Tech is exceptionally good at providing.

Here are the core scenarios where Big Tech is a slam dunk career choice for you:
- **You are earlier in career** - Big Tech will give you a rock solid foundation across all levels: Learning, compensation, job prospects - You name it. When you're younger, you will generally be more flexible with work-life balance (i.e. you're more physically able to work longer hours), so you will be better equipped to deal with the stress of Big Tech.
- **You need money** - More money is almost always useful, and if you live in a very high cost-of-living area (e.g. SF Bay Area), it becomes necessary. Big Tech gives a consistent, incredibly high income.
- **You value stability and are risk-averse** - Even with the layoffs, these companies are some of the safest places to be. Compared to peer companies, they have done far fewer layoffs across their lifespan and they have rock solid, wildly profitable business models.

Related resources:
- ["I want to land a job in a big tech as a SWE - How to do it?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/MWJfUBnnUr8CKYFCO8bp/i-want-to-land-a-job-in-a-big-tech-as-a-swe-how-to-do-it/)
- ["What's the difference between Big Tech and startups in terms of learning and growth?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/KWXIrFIR1EIJsvdOdo7u/whats-the-difference-between-big-tech-and-startups-in-terms-of-learning-and-growth/)

DSA Crash Course [Part 77] - Max Path Sum Approach

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

> Write a function, *max_path_sum*, that takes in a grid as an argument. The function should return the maximum sum possible by traveling a path from the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner. You may only travel through the grid by moving down or right.
>
> You can assume that all numbers are non-negative.

```
grid = [
[1, 3, 12],
[5, 1, 1],
[3, 6, 1],
]

max_path_sum(grid) # -> 18
```

```
grid = [
[1, 2, 8,  1],
[3, 1, 12, 10],
[4, 0, 6,  3],
]

max_path_sum(grid) # -> 36
```

```
grid = [
[1, 2, 8, 1],
[3, 10, 12, 10],
[4, 0, 6, 3],
]

max_path_sum(grid) # -> 39
```

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/)

"How can I help with what you guys are doing with Taro?" - 9/13/2022

- If you can afford it, please [join Taro Premium](https://app.jointaro.com/membership)!
  - If you work at a Big Tech company, there's a good chance you have L&D (learning and development) budget that you can use to expense Taro and pretty much get it for free! Here's a [template](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xpY2XBKTpiMN-o7U2c1pvqai5afQSVIuGMgQZiB-_Rg/edit) you can share with your manager to get Taro reimbursed.
  - Here are the companies we know of that can reimburse Taro: Meta, Google, Amazon, Robinhood, Airtable, Yelp, Gusto, Shopify, Gusto, New Relic
- Send us your feedback!
  - As an early user of Taro, you have outsized power for taking a bet on us. We listen very closely to all user feedback at this stage.
  - On the mobile apps, we have a "Send feedback" button in your profile.
  - We're also on LinkedIn and the [Tech Career Growth Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/techcareergrowth/shared_invite/zt-lt2tbjcn-LOAVIDuGPI~nkuc4woHDLg).
- If the Taro's content is helpful for you, share it!
  - In the mobile apps, there's a share button on every Q&A and video.
  - We spent a lot of time on the underlying tech for this sharing, using something called "dynamic links". They work on every platform, matching the user to the Taro web app, iOS app, or Android app accordingly.
  - Fun fact: Taro content links will open up within the Android app after you install it and sign-in if you are shared a piece of Taro content and didn't have the app yet.
- If you're on Taro Premium, please share your perspective and answer questions! One of our core goals is to diversify the perspective on the platform.

What To Do If Your Manager Seems Detached

This segment addresses the common experience of feeling disconnected from a manager and provides tactical advice for becoming more visible and driving engagement in that relationship. The message is rooted in realism: most managers are overwhelmed, and visibility must be earned through structured communication.

- **Managers often appear detached—not maliciously, but due to bandwidth**: With many reports and constant demands, a manager may not track every individual’s progress or struggles unless the impact is urgent or visible.
- **Visibility must be self-driven**: It's essential to lower the "activation energy" required for a manager to know what’s going on. Regular updates make it easier for them to stay engaged and supportive.
- **Weekly written updates are powerful**: Creating a consistent cadence of updates helps establish a communication rhythm. These should include:
  - *Top of mind*: What’s currently being prioritized.

  - *Priorities*: Key goals from the current or past week.

  - *Actions*: Clear tasks being worked on, by either the employee or the manager.
- **Proactive documentation helps managers help more effectively**: Preparing and sharing this structure before one-on-ones gives the manager context and allows for more productive, actionable feedback.
- **Taking initiative builds influence**: Instead of expecting a manager to chase progress or identify gaps, the individual contributor can shape the relationship by driving clarity and making collaboration easier.

Why Companies Do PIPs: The Ultimate Guide To Navigating A PIP

A PIP can seem cruel, but there’s a clear reason that companies use them year after year. Let’s start with the top priority for a manager: ensure the optimal performance of the team. For a manager, getting their reports promoted or singing their praises is important, but only insofar as it’s in service of the optimal performance of the team.

Another detail to realize is that the high performers on any team do an outsized amount of work. This is especially true in jobs that have tremendous leverage for the most skilled workers, such as software engineering (thus the famed “10x engineer”). When a company is large enough, a “bell curve” of performance will emerge. A PIP is focused on the employees who are deemed as low performers, typically the bottom 10% of the bell curve.

So, returning back to the original question: the reason why companies do PIPs is to **ensure optimal productivity and impact** for the overall employee base. If high performers sense that poor performance is not being addressed, they may leave the team. So a PIP is a way to push poor performers off the team.

The company also wants to push people out in a way that **minimizes the chance of a lawsuit**. Even though employment in the US is at-will, there’s still a chance of getting sued if the employee argues that they were fired for an illegal reason (e.g. due to a protected characteristic).

The company or manager may claim that the PIP is designed to help you, but that’s almost never the case. They’re more concerned about minimizing the negative impact on the broader team.

Finally, PIPs are often “weaponized” to fire people under the guise of performance when the company doesn’t want to call it a layoff. This is especially relevant now in the current economy as companies may enter an age of austerity.

DSA Crash Course [Part 83] - Counting Change Approach

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

> Write a function, *counting_change*, that takes in an amount and a list of coins. The function should return the number of different ways it is possible to make change for the given amount using the coins.
>
> You may reuse a coin as many times as necessary.
>
> For example,
>
> counting_change(4, \[1,2,3\]) -&gt; 4
>
> There are four different ways to make an amount of 4:
>
> 1\. 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
>
> 2\. 1 + 1 + 2
>
> 3\. 1 + 3
>
> 4\. 2 + 2

```
counting_change(4, [1, 2, 3]) # -> 4
```

```
counting_change(8, [1, 2, 3]) # -> 10
```

```
counting_change(24, [5, 7, 3]) # -> 5
```

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/)

How To Be An Effective Tech Lead [Part 12] - Foster Trust

Trust or social capital is the primary currency you need to get anything done as a tech lead. This lesson teaches you:

- Why fostering trust is so important for team efficiency, explained through a simple example
- How to build up trust when things aren't going perfectly (which will inevitably happen to you as a tech lead)
- How to build up trust when things are going well, taking full advantage of positive momentum

Learn how to build deep relationships fast here: [\[Masterclass\] How To Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/tyaPFMXPoz2pmzB7OVzt/masterclass-how-to-build-deep-relationships-quickly-in-tech/)

Negotiation Course: Prefer Async Communication

Recruiters have much more information and practice with negotiation relative to job candidates. The pressure of a phone call and our desire to please others means that phone calls become dangerous places where engineers shoot themselves in the foot. Too many tech employees keep speaking on the phone call and end up revealing too much.

- Recruiters have orders of magnitude more knowledge about the job, the range of possible offers from the company, and even the range of possible offers are peer companies. 
- On the other hand, most job candidates have a handful of data points around their compensation could be, based on their past jobs and what their friends have told them.

This information asymmetry clearly favors the recruiter, who can read your emotions and take advantage of the knowledge gap to lowball you.

For that reason, you should prefer to eliminate phone calls or keep them short, and then be deliberate about your emails where you can craft the exact message you want to send. Async communication is also better for clarity and you can research on your own.

How To Be An Effective Tech Lead [Part 14] - Manage Expectations

As a tech lead, you will have a ton of things to do and not a ton of time. Because of this, you need to be crystal clear about what you're working on, why you're working on it, and when you're going to have that work done. This lesson teaches you:

- The danger and hugely negative consequences of mismanaging expectations
- Proactive mechanisms you can use to maintain alignment around expectations
- How to properly react and communicate when expectations are falling through

How To Be An Effective Tech Lead [Part 13] - Leverage The Power Of Feedback

Feedback is the main fuel you need to improve as a software engineer. It's especially important for tech leads as they are responsible for the well-being and productivity of many other people. This lesson teaches you:

- The proper mentality to have when it comes to feedback
- The right medium to deliver feedback based on its contents
- How to deliver feedback in a healthy way that doesn't hurt people
- What to do after receiving/delivering feedback to guarantee that it actually creates value

To dive deeper into how feedback is a gift, read through our excellent explainer here: ["Can someone elaborate on "always treating feedback as a gift"?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/4DoEnMIq2ISadfAJuwp9/can-someone-elaborate-on-always-treating-feedback-as-a-gift/)

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 19] - Conclusion

**In this course, we’ve explored strategies for increasing our impact and achieving long-term success.**

We covered three key areas:

- **Understanding Impact Dynamics:** We learned how to create value and communicate it effectively to others.
- **Increasing Luck Surface Area:** We explored strategies for getting things done and sharing our work with the world.
- **Building an Empowering State:** We discussed the importance of cultivating a positive mindset, building strong relationships, and prioritizing self-care.

By applying these principles, we can improve our professional and personal lives. If you have any questions or would like to delve deeper into these concepts, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

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**](https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi).

Become An Open Source Master [Part 15] - Find The Project Community

It's important to understand the bigger picture instead of focusing on every single line of code. Some questions worth asking when approaching a new codebase are: 

- what is the purpose of the code
- what are the opinions of the developers
- how is the code structured?

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Engineer Your Ideal Tech Career [Part 9] - Becoming A Founder

In this video, Sophie shares the advice that she often gives to people who want to explore becoming a founder from the perspective of being a founder herself. She then tactically explains what’s required as a founder, and ways to compensate if you don’t have (or are interested in) 100% of the necessary skills.

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)

How To Land 18 FAANG+ Offers With Steven Zhang (Airtable, USDR, Tableau) [October 2023 Version]

While on the job hunt in 2019, Steven Zhang received 18 offers (out of 22 onsites), including from companies such as Airbnb, Apple, Facebook, Palantir Technologies, Pinterest, Stripe, Uber. If you're interested in learning from Steven as part of a cohort-based course about job searching, sign up here: [https://bit.ly/18offers-course](https://bit.ly/18offers-course)

In the process, he became an expert in software engineering interviews and job searching. Steven shared his thought process and methodology:
- When you have many interviews, **operationalize it, and treat it like a multi-week/month project**. Some days will feel like a slog, but that's ok and part of the process. (Steven used Airtable to coordinate all his conversations.)
- **Doing an interview prep course is completely worth it for DSA**. It may cost a few thousand dollars, but being able to land the ideal job is definitely worth it (and likely worth tens of thousands of $$). Steven used InterviewKickstart (his referral: https://bit.ly/swe-tips-ik).
- **For behavioral interviews**, Steven recommends:
    - Writing all questions you received in a Google doc
    - Recording yourself doing mock interviews with a friend and then listening to it. 
- **Steven received offers at various levels through the bands**, from L3 (junior) to L5 (senior). Your level has huge implications for your compensation.
- Negotiation tips: 
    - Negotiation should not be adversarial- think of it as doing price discovery
     - If you ask nicely, no one will rescind your offer for asking for more money.
     - Negotiation/post team matching is a way to get signal on the company itself

Relevant 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/)
- [[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/)
- [Steven's original talk on Taro about receiving 18 offers](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/gGkO4pLeFq1ctRM9tSBF/case-study-how-to-land-18-faang-offers-with-steven-zhang-airtable-usdr-tableau/)
- Steven's [viral Medium article about this experience](https://medium.com/@stevenzhang/how-i-landed-18-faang-software-engineer-offers-after-not-interviewing-for-5-years-fc0dfc957a5d).
- Connect with [Steven on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenqzhang/)

Become A Debugging Master [Part 7] - Understand The Blast Radius

One of the biggest mistakes software engineers make is jumping straight into fixing a bug without first understanding the full impact. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Before fixing anything, assess and document the “blast radius” by asking when the issue started, who and where it impacts, and what product versions are affected
- Think ahead to the post-mortem by tracking detection, notification, response, and mitigation details early, even while still gathering info
- Communicate frequent updates to leadership and stakeholders—even if there’s no fix yet—to maintain trust and reduce panic

Common Pitfalls (Red Flags)

In this section, we’re cautioned against common mistakes that even capable candidates make during ML interviews. By knowing what to avoid, we can better showcase our understanding with clarity, relevance, and maturity.

- We avoid **math without context**—using complex terms without explaining their real-world application often hurts more than it helps.
- We steer clear of **overcomplicating explanations**, especially when simpler, intuitive answers are more effective.
- We make sure not to **misapply ML techniques**, choosing the right tool for the problem rather than defaulting to complexity.
- We are careful not to **confuse correlation with causation**, especially when interpreting features or results without proper experimentation.
- We stay grounded by not **overstating model performance** and always considering **data quality** as a core factor in success.

By being clear, humble, and practically minded, we avoid these pitfalls and come across as thoughtful and well-prepared candidates.

If you want to learn even more from Yayun:

- Book 1 on 1 career guidance with her here: <https://calendly.com/your-friend-yayun/1on1>
- Follow her on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/yayunjin/>

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.