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

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).

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)

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>

Understanding ESPP - 85k Salary Example

This segment breaks down a numerical example of how **Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs)** work in practice. While ESPPs may offer modest financial gains, they remain a valuable benefit—especially at companies that don't provide RSUs.

- **Basic Example:** With an $85,000 base salary, contributing the maximum 10% ($8,500) into an ESPP with a 15% discount allows purchase of 100 shares at $85/share when market price is $100/share—equating to $10,000 worth of stock.
- **Annual Gain:** This results in an immediate $1,500 gain, illustrating the perk's effective “free money” nature through discounted stock purchasing.
- **Complex Structure:** Though ESPPs involve layers such as salary withholding, fund accumulation, and exercise schedules, the benefit is relatively straightforward once broken down.
- **Limited Upside:** Because ESPPs are tied to salary and offer a modest discount, the overall financial impact is smaller than RSUs—yet still meaningful.
- **Prevalence at Non-Big Tech Companies:** Many companies, particularly outside top-tier tech, offer ESPPs instead of RSUs. For example, PayPal provided only ESPP (no RSUs) to new grads eight years ago.

What People Get Wrong About The Manager To Software Engineer Relationship

In this lesson, we discuss the common mistake that senior engineers commit, which is that they continue to assume that the manager is an authority figure.

This is often the case, but doesn't have to be. David talks about a case in his past job where an IC on the team was more senior than him as the manager. And the IC engineer was objectively more important to the team, indicating the value of this senior-level person not only to getting work done, but also setting direction and giving feedback to others.

Senior engineers should view the relationship with the manager as a partnership rather than a person for whom they must *follow orders*. **The tech lead and manager have different but overlapping responsibilities in helping the team succeed**. Realizing this unlocks a more fruitful collaboration.

Remember, managers will frequently have blind spots that a tech lead can point out. These insights and observations may manifest in actually pushing back on the manager's plans or strategy. This is a role that senior engineers should embrace.

- More from David: <https://www.jointaro.com/topic/david-pan/>
- [Onboarding as a Tech Lead at Robinhood in 1 Month](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/X8vpfJooDpsX915ouC00/case-study-becoming-a-tech-lead-again-in-just-1-month-after-joining-robinhood-from-meta/)
- [The EM "Partner In Crime": The Tech Lead](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/uZQZlS6tdXbztajM0tqa/the-em-partner-in-crime-the-tech-lead/)

Become An Open Source Master [Part 14] - ReactJS Open Source Repo Case Study

We can make a huge difference to an open source project by spreading the good news about it. Sharing our experiences and knowledge about the project can help it gain more interest and adoption. Even seemingly small actions, like writing a blog post or giving a presentation, can have a significant impact on the project's success.

React project stars: <https://star-history.com/#facebook/react&Date>

Connect with James:

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

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 11] - Code Velocity

Your success as a software engineering intern hinges on one key metric: your ability to ship code consistently. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Code velocity is the primary way interns are evaluated, so focus your time on writing and shipping impactful code
- Every company has a different pace, but you should ask your manager for benchmarks and observe full-time engineers to calibrate your own output
- Structure your day around long blocks of uninterrupted coding time, and avoid distractions like intern socials or long-term architecture meetings
- Make small, frequent code changes instead of large ones to make code review easier, allow quicker course correction, and prevent painful merge conflicts
- Communicate your approach with your team so they understand your intent to seek faster feedback through smaller pull requests

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/)

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/>

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 3] - Do Your Research

Preparing before your internship starts can dramatically boost your success and confidence. Here are the core points from this lesson:

-  Do early research to understand your team, tech stack, workflow, and company culture so you can hit the ground running
- Gather information in two key areas: the day-to-day process (tools, tech, work style) and desired outcomes (like return offer criteria and evaluation timelines)
- Use sources like your future manager, forums, and most importantly, upperclassmen who’ve done similar internships—they’ll offer the most candid, balanced insights
- Ask thoughtful questions to get meaningful answers (e.g., “What do you wish you had known at the start?” instead of “Did you like it?”)
- Even learning small details—like which version control system is used—can give you a valuable head start and make your first week much smoother

Learn how to succeed overall in school as a Computer Science student here: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/15-years-of-software-engineer-knowledge-in-1-hour-30-minutes/succeeding-in-school/>

How To Navigate Your Stock Options

This section of the video explores **what to do with startup stock options**—both while employed and after leaving a company. It emphasizes evaluating offer quality upfront and making strategic decisions about exercising options based on company outlook and personal risk tolerance.

- **Understand the offer**: When joining a startup, it's important to know both the **strike price** (cost to buy shares) and the **fair market value (FMV)** of the shares. A significant gap between these numbers indicates more potential upside.
- **Don’t exercise too early**: While employed, it's typically better to wait before exercising options. Exercising early ties up personal capital and carries risk if the company performs poorly or fails before a liquidity event.
- **Exception for early-stage employees**: If the cost to exercise is very low (e.g., a few hundred dollars), it may make sense to do so early to start the **long-term capital gains clock** for better tax treatment.
- **After leaving the company**: Most startups require options to be exercised within **90 days of departure**. If there's confidence in the company’s future, it may be worth exercising all or part of the options—otherwise, it might be best to walk away.
- **Weigh risk vs. return**: Exercising options is a personal investment decision. If the company is struggling or unlikely to succeed, even favorable strike prices can result in total losses.

The CLEAR Framework

In this part of the course, we learn how to speak about machine learning concepts in a way that’s clear, confident, and impactful. The instructor introduces a practical, repeatable framework—CLEAR—that helps us explain any concept with structure and depth.

- **C is for Conceptualize**: Start with a high-level, simple definition of the concept (e.g., logistic regression predicts binary outcomes).
- **L is for Link**: Connect the concept to related ideas or typical use cases, showing broader understanding.
- **E is for Example**: Provide a real-world application to ground the concept in practice.
- **A is for Advantages and Disadvantages**: Discuss trade-offs to demonstrate critical thinking.
- **R is for Result**: Explain how success is measured using appropriate evaluation metrics.

By using the CLEAR framework, we present ourselves as organized, knowledgeable, and experienced—even when discussing foundational topics.

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/>

You can’t force someone into ownership.

You don’t know how much someone is carrying.\
But you feel it when they stop moving.

This isn’t about accountability frameworks or “holding people to outcomes.”\
It’s about what shuts people down—and what might help them open back up.

**Want to go deeper?**

- Explore more tools and courses at [**Taha’s Method**](https://www.tahasmethod.com/) — from interview prep to leadership development.

- Follow me on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahussain/) and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, [**The Conscious Leader**](https://tahahussain.substack.com/), for more lessons like these.

- Get 30% off [**Top Tech Leader**](https://bit.ly/tarotopleader) with code **ILOVETARO** (exclusive for Taro members).

How To Build A Strong Manager Relationship (From An Ex-Amazon VP)

The relationship you have with your manager is the most important one in your professional life. So why do so many tech workers **make obvious mistakes** when dealing with their manager?

In this session, Ethan will share strategies and tips to:

1. Build trust with your manager, even if you've had challenges in the past
2. Drive your professional development and earn investment
3. Navigate difficult conversations and manage up effectively.

[**Ethan Evans**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) managed teams of 800+ while a Vice President (VP) at Amazon. Across 15 years, he grew from manager to Vice President, providing executive leadership for multiple $500M+ businesses. In that process, he's managed hundreds of people directly across dozens of changes in his own management chain.

Ethan is now a career development expert and teacher. Watch his course about layoffs on Taro: [**Make The Most Of A Layoff: Maximize Your Severance Package**](https://www.jointaro.com/course/maximizing-a-severance-package/)

Learn more:

- Watch the [**interview series with Ethan about eng management on YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8McoEVUiYQ&list=PLMrAfqhZjqfIkD-0p0tJ_zqvPnBdYsixT&index=4).
- Ethan's live cohort-based course "Stuck at Senior Manager" is open for enrollment now: [**https://maven.com/ethan-evans/break-through-to-executive**](https://maven.com/ethan-evans/break-through-to-executive)
- Taro members get a discount to join [**Ethan's Level Up community**](https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/taro25)

Come Up With 500k+ User Project Ideas [Part 14] - Your Superpower: Thinking Small

As a software engineer building things on the side, there is no chance that you'll take down Google. The good news is that you don't have to in order to achieve massive career benefits with side projects. This lesson teaches you:

- The massive advantage you have over Big Tech companies when it comes to the types of products you can build
- Why taking the more humble outcome with a lower success ceiling is much better for you tactically (and statistically) when it comes to building side projects

Come Up With 500k+ User Project Ideas [Part 11] - Simple Is Complex

Engineers tend to get excited for complex ideas and bored with simple ones. However, there's more to the technical realm than simply "complex" and "simple". This lesson teaches you:

- How simplicity and complexity aren't a binary spectrum
- How complexity can actually be created from simplicity if you come in with the right mentality
- Why striving for a certain level of quality always brings a meaningful degree of complexity, explained with how Alex made 60,000+ lines of code changes to grow Random Name Picker to a 1 million+ user app
- Why the "simple is complex" mentality is critical towards becoming a truly strong engineer

Asking Great Questions [Part 12] - Length Balancing

One of the most important attributes of a question is its length, and the reason why is simple: The length of a question is directly connected to how much time a helper needs to spend answering it. This lesson teaches you:

- Why questions that are too short are bad
- Why questions that are too long are bad
- What to do if your question seems too short
- What to do if your question seems too long
- What a healthy question length is, demonstrated with a real-world example
- A tactic you can use to keep the length of your question in-check while still including a lot of important context

Different Roles, Different Focus

In this section, we explore how the emphasis on the four pillars of ML interview success shifts depending on the specific role we’re targeting. The course is designed to help us align our strengths with the expectations of different ML career paths.

- We learn that **ML infrastructure roles** prioritize software engineering and system design, as these roles focus on building scalable and reliable ML platforms.
- **Product-focused ML roles** value end-to-end system design and business impact, requiring us to connect our technical solutions directly to user outcomes.
- For **research-oriented roles**, a deep dive into ML theory and algorithms is essential, with an emphasis on innovation and pushing technical boundaries.
- We’ll identify our personal strengths and tailor our preparation to highlight the most relevant ones for our target role.
- We’ll also work on filling any skill gaps so we can enter interviews with greater confidence and a clear strategy.

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.