SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 7] - Feedback Is Your Growth Fuel

Feedback is the most important growth tool for interns—and how you seek, receive, and apply it can define your success. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Regularly ask for feedback (ideally weekly or biweekly), and be specific—ask what you should start, stop, or continue doing to improve
- Synchronous conversations (in-person or video) lead to deeper, more honest feedback than async messages—don’t rely only on Slack or email
- Always thank people for feedback, turn it into action items, and follow up to show progress—this builds trust and reinforces your coachability
- Make your improvements visible (e.g. call out test validation or coding pattern adherence in PRs) so your growth is legible to others
- Interns are evaluated heavily on growth rate (“slope”)—even if you start off behind, showing fast, consistent improvement is what earns return offers

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 9] - Common Problems

While specific interview questions vary, common themes emerge, and preparing for these can significantly improve readiness. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Scaled recommendation systems are frequently encountered, with core components like filtering, ranking, and embedding computation remaining relevant despite variations in specific use cases
- Adapt recommendation system designs to different contexts, such as local recommendations, where rule-based systems might complement or replace certain machine learning components
- Harmful content detection is another common topic, requiring a feedback loop to generate training data, particularly from ambiguous cases in the "maybe" category
- Be prepared to explain how to handle ambiguous cases, as this demonstrates a deeper understanding of the problem
- Understanding the general concepts behind these two question types will provide a strong foundation for tackling many other interview questions

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)

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)

"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.

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.

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/>

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 8] - Ask Great Questions

As an intern, asking high-quality questions is one of the most important ways to learn quickly, make progress on your project, and build strong relationships with your team. But not all questions are equal—there’s a right way to do this that can significantly increase your chances of getting a return offer. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- There’s a sweet spot between asking too few questions (and struggling in silence) and asking too many low-effort ones (which can burden your team). Most struggling interns fall on the “not asking enough” side
- Every question is a chance to build trust and relationships. They help others evaluate your growth and give you valuable feedback—so don’t underestimate their importance
- High-quality questions include just enough context (like screenshots or code snippets), are well-structured, and are ideally asked in public forums like Slack channels to benefit others too
- Avoid “leading hellos” (e.g. *“Hey, got a sec?”*). Instead, ask your question directly in the first message to reduce unnecessary back-and-forth and show respect for others’ time

Take the full question asking course here: [Ask Great Questions That Get Great Answers Quickly](https://www.jointaro.com/course/ask-great-questions-that-get-great-answers-quickly/)

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 6] - Onboard Efficiently

Onboarding efficiently is one of the most critical phases of your internship. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Embrace being new—ask questions early and often, seek feedback, and don’t waste time being stuck on problems for longer than an hour
- Prioritize setting up your environment and making small code changes early to learn workflows and gain confidence
- Build relationships immediately: meet with your intern manager and schedule one-on-ones with at least two other teammates for broader support and perspective
- The sooner you engage and request help, the more value you’ll get from the relationship—and the less it will feel awkward or overdue later in the internship

Take the full onboarding course here: [The Complete Onboarding Guide For Software Engineers](https://www.jointaro.com/course/the-complete-onboarding-guide-for-software-engineers-succeeding-when-youre-new/)

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).

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/)

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.

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 14] - Regular Check Ins

**In this section, we explored the importance of regular check-ins with key stakeholders.**

To effectively leverage regular check-ins, we should:

- **Prioritize career discussions:** Shift the focus of our one-on-one meetings from status updates to career development.
- **Proactively communicate:** Initiate conversations about our goals, aspirations, and challenges.
- **Exhaust the feedback process:** Actively seek and incorporate feedback to improve our performance.
- **Communicate effectively:** Clearly articulate our needs and desires, using compassionate language.
- **Be patient and persistent:** Understand that change takes time and be persistent in our efforts to achieve our goals.

By effectively utilizing regular check-ins, we can accelerate our career progression and build strong relationships with our colleagues and managers.

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>.

Maximize Your Equity And Benefits In Tech [Part 5] - Taxes (RSUs/Bonuses)

Many tech employees misunderstand the tax treatment of RSUs, leading to unexpected bills and avoidable penalties. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- When RSUs vest, their value is taxed immediately as ordinary income—similar to receiving a cash bonus
- Default federal withholding on RSUs is typically 22%, which is often too low for high earners, potentially resulting in underpayment penalties
- To avoid penalties, aim to meet the IRS Safe Harbor rule—usually by paying 110% of last year’s tax liability if your income exceeds $150k

Next steps with Andy:

- [Connect with Andy on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymoranio)
- [Leave feedback and/or sign up for Andy’s newsletter](https://subscribepage.io/taroequitycourse)
- [Schedule a consultation](http://adastrafp.com/contact-us/)

Does Your Job Performance Matter For Building A Startup?

In college, the common wisdom these days for Computer Science students is “your grades don’t matter, just focus on your network and building cool stuff.” 

**Does the same logic apply for aspiring entrepreneurs who are working in Big Tech?**

If you know you want to leave to start a startup, how much should you focus on getting the highest ratings and quickest promotions on the job, vs just doing enough to get by?

In Eric's case, he was was content with doing just enough to get by -- his time and energy was better spent preparing for his startup. Eric was barely getting a Meets All (MA) rating at Meta, and in fact, he was about to be put on a PIP before he left!

Instead of focusing on your ratings on the job, you should instead focus on having positive relationships with the people you work with. You want them to vouch for you as someone who is trustworthy, hard-working, and easy to work with. 

**Your network is your biggest asset as a founder.** Your job is not to be the expert who knows everything. Instead, your job is to have a deep network of people (advisors, friends, employees) who you can leverage to arrive at the best decision. 

---------
Connect with [Eric on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbahn/)

Part 6 [RBP] Create Hooks For Your Context Providers

This lesson presents a best practice for working with context providers in React, specifically addressing situations where a meaningful default value isn't available.

- **The Problem with Undefined Context:** Understand the challenges of using context providers without a proper default value, leading to potential silent failures and difficulties in debugging.
- **Custom Hooks for Context Providers:** Learn how to create custom hooks that encapsulate the logic for accessing and validating context values, ensuring that errors are caught early in the development process.
- **Improving Code Reliability and Reusability:** Discover how this approach improves code readability, promotes reusability of context-related logic, and provides more informative error messages, making your React applications more robust.

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/tree/context-hook/src/app>

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 15] - Reflection And Practical Exercises

In this video, I provide reflection prompts, practical exercises, and tips for continuous improvement to enhance communication skills. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on recent communications, analyze communication structures, and assess clarity, engagement, listening, adaptability, and feedback. Practical exercises and suggestions for continuous improvement are also shared to help viewers continuously enhance their communication skills.

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

Ship & Grow 500k+ User Side Projects [Part 15] - ASO

When it comes to mobile apps, you have a much simpler tool in your arsenal to get users. This lesson teaches you:

- What ASO (app store optimization) is
- Why ASO is much simpler than SEO
- The highest leverage thing you can do to optimize your ASO, explained with a simple example
- Basic, largely technical ways to improve your ASO, which you should just already be doing anyways as a good engineer

Make amazing mobile app pictures for free here: <https://app-mockup.com/>

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 16] - Spend Time On Your Career

**In this section, we explored the importance of maintaining an empowering state to sustain long-term success.**

To cultivate an empowering state, we should:

- **Prioritize long-term goals:** Focus on building a sustainable career and avoiding short-term sacrifices that may hinder long-term growth.
- **Cultivate a growth mindset:** Embrace challenges as opportunities for learning and development.
- **Practice self-care:** Prioritize physical and mental health to maintain energy and focus.
- **Build strong relationships:** Foster meaningful connections with others to provide support and inspiration.
- **Maintain a positive mindset:** Cultivate a positive outlook and practice gratitude to reduce stress and anxiety.

By adopting these strategies, we can increase our resilience, motivation, and overall well-being, enabling us to achieve long-term success.

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>.

DSA Interview Step #2: Figure Out Your Overall Strategy

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/)

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.