Break Into Tech And Become A Software Engineer [Part 22] - Maintaining A Positive Mindset

In this lesson, Brian emphasizes the importance of controlling the information you consume and maintaining a positive mindset when navigating the tech job market.

This lesson covers:

- The dangers of negative content, like fear-mongering videos on social media, which can distort your perception and feed into unnecessary fear and pessimism
- The "red car theory," where focusing on something makes you see it everywhere, influencing how you perceive reality, especially when it comes to fear and job security
- How to cultivate optimism by unfollowing fear-based content, following educational accounts, and using tools like the imposter syndrome killer worksheet to identify gaps and take actionable steps toward your goals

If you need extra help breaking into tech, join Brian's exclusive, cohort-based bootcamp (just 10 students per batch). Use this special link for $800 off: <https://www.parsity.io/taro>

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjenney/>

The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself When It Comes To Productivity

Which of these is the best gift you can give yourself when it comes to productivity?

True or false: Phones are great productivity tools as they allow us to accomplish almost anything in a really convenient way. This is why we should make sure that we always have our phones close by as we are working.

Where should you have your phone when you are trying to do deep work?

Between flow state and context switching, which is the safer option to invest into to make yourself more productive?

One of the best ways to improve your productivity is to block off chunks of time where you can focus without having to context switch.

Market Expansion: The Similarity Between Startups And Content Creators

Steve supports several hundred engineers at Amazon as a Principal Engineer. After finding himself giving out the same advice repeatedly, he decided to package up his insights into a YouTube channel. However, similar to Rahul's content, the applicability of his advice turns out to be much broader than just software engineers.

Steve is focused on having the maximum impact on as many people as possible, which means that he welcomes the “pivot” into the broader audience of knowledge workers.

This is a common pattern within content creation and startups: you start by focusing on a specific niche and being hyper-focused on serving them. But you realize that the product or content you created is actually applicable to a much broader set of people. 

- [How to evaluate a startup?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/UCG4XxyEOTjjyg4pEuwY/how-to-evaluate-a-startup/) 
- [“How much am I hurting my career with this startup?”](https://www.jointaro.com/question/dqCvmYhI9WE0k33orZEP/how-much-am-i-hurting-my-career-by-staying-at-a-startup-pressure-to-work-for-big-tech/)

Connect with Steve: 
- [Taro](https://www.jointaro.com/profile/aZJL3ucq9dQnscO09F4JDRkgPo72/)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ALifeEngineered)

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 12] - Storytelling For Impact

In this video, I delve into the power of storytelling using Freytag's Pyramid, a framework that structures narratives into five key parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. I explain how storytelling enhances communication by making information memorable, engaging, and emotionally resonant, ultimately simplifying complex details and fostering audience connection.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 14] - How Communication Changes With Seniority

I discuss how communication expectations evolve from junior to senior engineer roles. Junior engineers focus on asking insightful questions and providing clear updates. Mid-level engineers lead projects, suggest improvements, and collaborate effectively. Senior engineers take on leadership roles, communicate strategic decisions, and provide insights based on experience. Adapting communication styles based on audience expertise is crucial for career growth.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 16] - 1 on 1 Meetings

Want to make someone like you? Go talk to them privately! This lesson teaches you:

- Why 1 on 1s are the most important vehicle for deepening relationships
- A simple 2-step framework to make a relationship incredibly powerful, centered around 1 on 1s
- The core mindset you need to have in order to make 1 on 1s effective
- How to think about the frequency of your 1 on 1s
- Basic tactics to get far more value from your 1 on 1s, especially with more senior people

DSA Interview Step Finale: Analyze Your Solution

You should proactively go over the time requirements, space requirements, and edge cases of your coding solution once you're finished coding.

Related resources:
- [[Taro Top 10] Effective Interview Prep](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/HLBYxJI7D1j8STolrwum/)
- [[Taro Top 10] Finding A Tech Job](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/E6R0wVJ5EyCfVnVrlfno/)

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 9] - Tactical Stakeholders

To succeed at work, you need to have the right people trust you. This lesson teaches you:

- What tactical stakeholders are and why they're crucial for your network
- How tactical stakeholder relationships become more and more important as you become more senior
- Who your tactical stakeholders are and how they change as you level up as an engineer

"Is Taro hiring?" - 8/18/2022

If you're searching for a job, check out [our in-depth video on how Taro can help you do just that](https://link.jointaro.com/e5Swdksn8886KrQs9).

- **Not right now, but hopefully soon** - We want to make sure that when we do hire a full-time employee, we treat them very well and pay them top-of-market. We also want to make sure we're running as stable a ship as possible, especially in this economy - We don't want to hire someone just to lay them off within a year. This requires a lot of capital, more than we have with just the YC investment.
- We're raising our seed round now, and if this goes well, we should be able to hire a full-time engineer, maybe 2.
- Our dream is to turn Taro into a huge, financially sound company and then hire folks who have been supporting us for a long time, all the way back to the Tech Career Growth days.
- If you want to help, continue using Taro, letting us know how we can improve, and sharing the app with your friends and colleagues! The more we grow, the faster we can scale up Taro and achieve our vision of empowering every software engineer in the world to be happier and more effective in their careers.

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 12] - Align With Intermediate Picture

**In this video, we discussed the importance of aligning our work with the broader organizational goals.**

To effectively align our efforts, we should:

- **Build relationships with key stakeholders:** Connect with managers, peers, and executives to gain insights into the company's strategic direction.
- **Understand the big picture:** Develop a comprehensive understanding of the organization's goals, challenges, and opportunities.
- **Communicate effectively:** Clearly articulate the impact of our work on the overall business objectives.
- **Embrace a collaborative mindset:** Work closely with others to achieve shared goals and leverage collective expertise.
- **Be proactive:** Take initiative in identifying opportunities to contribute to the organization's success.

By aligning our work with the broader organizational goals, we can increase our visibility, influence, and career opportunities.

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>.

Finding The Best Environment For Learning

True or false: The best way to level up is to join a team where you are the absolute strongest and know more than everybody. This way, you will get made the lead by default.

Why is it good to be the dumbest person in the room?

How can you really level up your skills building within a tech stack you are already familiar with?

The best environment for learning as a software engineer is one where you can get feedback and grow each day.

Why Time Is The Most Important Resource In The Tech Industry

Which one of these is a crucial skill working in a top tech company?

True or false: Time is an overpowered, often underappreciated resource.

Become An Engineer Influencer [Part 28] - Final Words Of Encouragement

Congratulations, you made it to the end of the course, **Become An Engineer Influencer**! Connect with Michael:

- LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lin-tech/>
- Twitter: <https://x.com/\_michaellin>
- Newsletter: <https://www.michaellinwrites.com/>

Feel free to share any feedback on this course with us at [team@jointaro.com](mailto:team@jointaro.com). 

Share + get support on the Taro forum: [**joinTaro.com/questions/create/**](http://joinTaro.com/questions/create/)

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 10] - "Good To Know" People

You never know who's going to come in and completely change your career for the better. This lesson teaches you:

- What "good to know" connections are
- Why networking with these connections can actually be quite easy
- The most powerful way to identify "good to know" connections

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 6] - Deployment & Beyond

Discussing deployment and monitoring is a crucial signal of real-world machine learning experience in an interview. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Familiarize yourself with deployment patterns like shadow mode, A/B testing, and blue-green deployments, understanding their trade-offs and when to apply them
- Monitor both offline (ML engineer-focused) and online (business-focused) metrics, paying close attention to the distribution of inputs and outputs at each stage of a multi-stage system
- Recognize that significant shifts in input or output distributions should trigger immediate attention, as they often indicate real-world changes affecting model performance
- Avoid suggesting online learning unless you have deep expertise, as it can lead to complex follow-up questions
- Be prepared to discuss retraining strategies, as models inevitably need updates over time

If you like what Ilya has to say, subscribe to his YouTube for more high-quality ML/AI career guidance: [MLEpath - YouTube](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-youtube-mlepath)

If you want hands-on support from Ilya to crack the FAANG ML interview, join his coaching program: [MLEpath - Coaching Program](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-march-25)

How Am I Being Evaluated Now?

In this lesson we talk about how candidates are evaluated in AI-assisted coding interviews and how the scoring rubric has shifted.

- **Understand what still matters—and what matters more:** Learn how the core engineering method (problem exploration, solution design, implementation, and testing) remains the foundation, but with greater emphasis on deep problem exploration and structured thinking before coding.
- **Recognize why problem solving is now the primary signal:** Because AI handles much of the typing, interviewers focus more heavily on your ability to form a clear plan, choose the right algorithms and data structures, and articulate trade-offs.
- **Master delegation and verification with AI:** Discover how execution now means directing AI effectively—accelerating typing but not thinking—and how careful verification of AI-generated code is a major part of your evaluation.

Competitive Pay

Big Tech companies are widely known for offering extremely competitive compensation packages, which is often one of the primary reasons engineers aim to work at these firms. This segment outlines both personal anecdotes and structural strategies that explain why compensation in Big Tech is so high.

- **Top-Tier Compensation Strategy**: Meta’s compensation goal, for example, is to pay in the 90th percentile—more than 90% of other tech companies—making total compensation significantly higher for engineers who make the transition into Big Tech.
- **Drastic Pay Increases**: It's common for engineers switching from smaller or non-FAANG companies to experience dramatic increases in pay - often as much as 50–100%.
- **High Cost of Living Justification**: These lucrative salaries help offset the cost of living in expensive tech hubs like Silicon Valley, New York City, and Seattle, where basic housing or property ownership can be out of reach without this level of income.
- **Prestige + Pay Combo**: Many engineers underestimate the financial upside of Big Tech and initially assume a 20–30% increase is generous. In reality, the combination of prestige and substantial pay is a powerful draw.

Part 8 [RBP] Next Steps With React

Follow Florian on various social media platforms like [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/CodinginFlow), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/codinginflow/), [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@codinginflow), and [X/Twitter](https://x.com/codinginflow) for more web development content and updates. Mailing list: [CodingInFlow.com/newsletter](http://CodingInFlow.com/newsletter)

Links:

- Florian’s free web development playlist on YouTube: <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrnPJCHvNZuDG6BWjUFVxeWyYlve_SVJO>
- Code link: <https://github.com/codinginflow/react-best-practices/branches/stale>

The Do's and Don'ts For Good Metrics

Here's the exercise worksheet: [Metrics Template and Worksheet Combined (B2C + B2B)](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/tech-career-growth.appspot.com/o/courses%2Fslides%2FMetrics%20Template%20and%20Worksheet%20Combined%20$B2C%20%2B%20B2B$.xlsx?alt=media&token=3951bfd7-ef9e-4c81-9245-80043a4973d0)

In this wrap-up, we assign a powerful, hands-on homework exercise: to generate a **comprehensive set of input and output metrics** that can answer three foundational business questions. This process, built on the tools and frameworks we've covered, is the first real step in building a metrics-driven, customer-obsessed organization.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We focus on three key questions**:

  1. How did our business do last week?

  2. What was the customer experience like last week?

  3. Are we on track to hit our goals?

- **We use four core methods to identify input metrics**:

  1. **Metrics Mapping** – Drill down from business goals to uncover metric drivers.

  2. **Customer Experience Mapping** – Map and measure every customer interaction.

  3. **Customers** – Mine support data and engage with end users directly.

  4. **Defects** – Use root cause analysis (like CoEs) to find and track preventable errors.

- **We cast a wide net—hundreds of metrics is a good start**: This is not about picking the “best” metrics yet. We brainstorm 200–300 across all functions without concern for whether they’re inputs or outputs, or even if they can be measured immediately.

- **We avoid vague or compound metrics**: Good metrics are discrete, observable, and repeatable by different people or systems. Avoid averages where possible—percentiles and RMS error are often better indicators of variation and performance.

- **We assign priorities and assess data readiness**: After brainstorming, we tag each metric as Priority 1, 2, or 3 and indicate whether the data is currently available. This helps build a phased implementation plan for metrics collection and review.

This assignment launches the foundational work needed to operationalize a **weekly business review (WBR)**. It sets the stage for measurement, analysis, improvement, and control—ensuring our teams are focused on the right inputs to drive the right outcomes.

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/>

Amazon Behavioral Interview [Part 12] - Tell Me About A Time You Exceeded Expectations (Evaluation)

This video segment provides feedback on an individual's response to a behavioral interview question.

- **Strengths:**

  - The interviewee provided a concise and impactful example of exceeding expectations in a previous role.
  - They effectively described how they leveraged a unique opportunity (increased gas rebate) and identified key levers for success, such as warehouse training and targeted marketing.
  - They highlighted the significant impact of their efforts, achieving a threefold increase in card acquisitions.

- **Areas for Improvement:**

  - **Quantify Impact Further:** While the interviewee mentioned a threefold increase in acquisitions, they could have further quantified their impact by mentioning specific revenue figures or the financial value of the increased customer base.
  - **Highlight Leadership and Collaboration:** The interviewee could have further emphasized their leadership and collaboration skills by describing how they:
    - **Overcame internal resistance:** They could have elaborated on how they addressed the concerns of the consumer card division and gained their buy-in.
    - **Built consensus with stakeholders:** They could have described their approach to gaining buy-in from Costco on marketing initiatives.
  - **Expand on Long-Term Impact:** The interviewee could have further discussed the long-term impact of their work, such as the development of a standardized process for acquiring new business customers, its adoption by other teams within the organization, or its contribution to the company's overall financial success.

- **Overall:** The interviewee provided a good foundation for their response. By incorporating the suggested improvements, they can further enhance their ability to effectively communicate their accomplishments and demonstrate their leadership, problem-solving, and results-oriented approach in a job interview setting.

Learn more about Alan's job search program, Kadima Careers, using this [discount link](https://signup.kadimacareers.com/mQBsDvu).

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.