Newbie Programming Interviews/Get a Job Megathread: Fake it 'til you make it

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Cavern of COBOL > Newbie Programming Interviews/Get a Job Megathread: Fake it 'til you make it

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TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

Hu Fa Ted posted:

Not sperg out when I ask what a pointer is (or sperg out in general)

What kind strange things would people say w/r/t pointers? "a pointer is a variable whose value is the memory location of another variable"

# ? Oct 9, 2011 18:12

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 01:52

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

TasteMyHouse posted:

What kind strange things would people say w/r/t pointers? "a pointer is a variable whose value is the memory location of another variable"

I interviewed this one lady, who when asked this question went off the bloody deep end. She turned out to be a really hot call girl though :smug:

-- which she listed on her resume under example websites. I was ok with that, but her reaction wasn't cool.

She was a terrible interview subject, couldn't be assed to answer anything of a remotely technical nature even though she was a applying for a dev position.

# ? Oct 9, 2011 18:57

Captain Cappy: Aug 7, 2008

Why would someone using C# and making websites need to know what a pointer is?

# ? Oct 9, 2011 20:41

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

Captain Cappy posted:

Why would someone using C# and making websites need to know what a pointer is?

Eh, general knowledge I suppose. I wouldn't disqualify someone for not knowing, but if they don't know I don't expect them to wig out or lie about it.

# ? Oct 9, 2011 22:13

baquerd: Jul 2, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

Captain Cappy posted:

Why would someone using C# and making websites need to know what a pointer is?

It's kind of like asking why someone would need to know how to implement a linked list. It's not that you need it, but if you don't know anything about it there's a serious gap in your general knowledge.

# ? Oct 9, 2011 22:52

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005; Can't post for 5 hours!

I've noticed that UK posters ITT seem to throw out 10-20K GBP as standard starting salaries across the pond. Is that for real? That seems ridiculously low to me.

# ? Oct 9, 2011 23:48

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

shrike82 posted:

I've noticed that UK posters ITT seem to throw out 10-20K GBP as standard starting salaries across the pond. Is that for real? That seems ridiculously low to me.

That's retardedly low. Where I am, starting junior devs get around $60k if they can demonstrate basic compentency and aren't fuckwits.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 02:03

Safe and Secure!: Jun 14, 2008; OFFICIAL SA THREAD RUINER
SPRING 2013

Hu Fa Ted posted:

That's retardedly low. Where I am, starting junior devs get around $60k if they can demonstrate basic compentency and aren't fuckwits.

Where are you, exactly?

# ? Oct 10, 2011 02:06

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

Safe and Secure! posted:

Where are you, exactly?

Northern Virginia-ish, we pull from that pool of talent anyway... Well, not exactly... :tinfoil:

But close enough that if you're in the area it's not a stretch and the pay's pretty good for the area.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 02:29

kitten smoothie: Dec 29, 2001

Hu Fa Ted posted:

2.) Not sperg out when I ask what a pointer is (or sperg out in general)

I once worked with someone who once told me "I know C, but I just plain do not get pointers." Bozo bit: flipped.

quote:

3.) I usually ask, on a scale of 1 - 10, where 1 is "have heard of it" and 10 is "wrote the book on it", to rate themselves in a few topics, C#, etc. If they go over 5 I usually test to destruction.

Thank you. I had someone do something similar to me on a Microsoft interview when I was about to graduate college. I way overestimated my abilities with C++ and the interviewer did me a great favor by tearing me a new rear end in a top hat with questions that she totally knew I would have no clue about. It taught me a very necessary degree of humility.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 04:27

TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

kitten smoothie posted:

I once worked with someone who once told me "I know C, but I just plain do not get pointers." Bozo bit: flipped.

Thank you. I had someone do something similar to me on a Microsoft interview when I was about to graduate college. I way overestimated my abilities with C++ and the interviewer did me a great favor by tearing me a new rear end in a top hat with questions that she totally knew I would have no clue about. It taught me a very necessary degree of humility.

I wanna know what kind of questions were asked :3 I wanna see how I measure up

# ? Oct 10, 2011 04:42

kitten smoothie: Dec 29, 2001

TasteMyHouse posted:

I wanna know what kind of questions were asked :3 I wanna see how I measure up

Unfortunately it was nearly a decade ago and the only real detail of the interview I remember was how awkward it was that I was wearing a suit, while the interviewer was wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt that had to have come from the Salvation Army.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 05:04

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Hu Fa Ted posted:

That's retardedly low. Where I am, starting junior devs get around $60k if they can demonstrate basic compentency and aren't fuckwits.

This is actually completely normal. The big names seem to pay more like 75-90k starting now, but that's generally for high cost-of-living areas.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 05:21

Belgarath: Feb 21, 2003

shrike82 posted:

I've noticed that UK posters ITT seem to throw out 10-20K GBP as standard starting salaries across the pond. Is that for real? That seems ridiculously low to me.

When I got my first real programming job after Uni, I started on �15.5k. That was a near five years ago. Gone through acquisition and a couple of promotions since then, but I still earn a loving lot less than I should.

You're right though: it is ridiculously low. Starting salaries for Graduates (outside London) seems to average at about 18k these days; with enough experience to shoot for Junior, you'll get a little more.

Some of my ex-work mates are now contractors, and earn an absolute ton of money. One of them has just started a vacation, next contract starts in January. He's gonna snowboard and get drunk for three months, because he can, the oval office.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 09:39

tef: May 30, 2004; -> some l-system crap ->

then again you have to compare cost of living too. I mean I pay so much for healthcare in the uk :3:

# ? Oct 10, 2011 11:42

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005; Can't post for 5 hours!

tef posted:

then again you have to compare cost of living too. I mean I pay so much for healthcare in the uk

Except all the major tech companies in the US give workers essentially free gold-plated private healthcare. And the salary disparity... that's 400-500%. Crazy.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 12:18

IMlemon: Dec 29, 2008

I just started working as a junior programmer in Lithuania, which is basically a third world country, and I'm getting about 7,5k$ after taxes :smith:

# ? Oct 10, 2011 12:51

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

shrike82 posted:

Except all the major tech companies in the US give workers essentially free gold-plated private healthcare. And the salary disparity... that's 400-500%. Crazy.

This is true, I think I pay $40 a paycheck for myself for pretty good insurance. Plus there are quarterly bonuses paid to all employees. Only 12 days of vacation and 1 week of sick though.

They can't find enough people, we're staffed with 10 H1Bs...

# ? Oct 10, 2011 14:18

Thom Yorke raps: Nov 2, 2004

Yeah, we have a grand total of 3 applicants for our full time positions, and we start around $65,000, great health plan, and bonuses (mine was $10,000 my first year). 18,000 starting is just terrible.

# ? Oct 10, 2011 22:04

Pimblor: Sep 13, 2003; bob; Grimey Drawer

tef posted:

then again you have to compare cost of living too. I mean I pay so much for healthcare in the uk

All of you smart goons in furrin' countries: I salute you. You let me keep my retardedly reasonably paid job apparently. :patriot:

Actually, I've been pretty naive about this, I used to work at a different company with a very nice woman from Bulgaria who was way smarter than me. She described all the hoops she had to get through, bribing immigration, the lovely way they treat you etc. And all I could think was, to hell with that. Why not stay home?

I guess if that salary is the norm, I see why.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 01:25

Ensign Expendable: Nov 11, 2008; Lager beer is proof that god loves us; Pillbug

Ranma posted:

Yeah, we have a grand total of 3 applicants for our full time positions, and we start around $65,000, great health plan, and bonuses (mine was $10,000 my first year). 18,000 starting is just terrible.

I made $12,000 per a 4-month co-op term in my first year of my undergrad. $18,000 per year for a grad is awful.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 03:50

Blotto Skorzany: Nov 7, 2008; He's a PSoC, loose and runnin'
came the whisper from each lip
And he's here to do some business with
the bad ADC on his chip
bad ADC on his chiiiiip

That's 18k GBP, ~28k USD, still terrible but not below the poverty line at least

# ? Oct 11, 2011 04:12

baquerd: Jul 2, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

Otto Skorzeny posted:

That's 18k GBP, ~28k USD, still terrible but not below the poverty line at least

I was making twice that fresh out of undergrad in Chicago working nights in finance (supporting London interestingly enough) where my job entailed browsing SA while working on whatever side project I wanted (main job took maybe 2 hours a night). I'm sure I could have been more ambitious too, I was doing grad school at the time and the easy job was very welcome.

baquerd fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Oct 11, 2011

# ? Oct 11, 2011 04:20

Sab669: Sep 24, 2009

Hu Fa Ted posted:

That's retardedly low. Where I am, starting junior devs get around $60k if they can demonstrate basic compentency and aren't fuckwits.

Hang on, $60k/yr for an entry level position? drat- Rhode Island sucks! Most job postings I've seen are like, $35k

# ? Oct 11, 2011 15:09

MrMoo: Sep 14, 2000

I knew Reuters significantly dropped their entry grade to $40k in Times Square, New York a while back. That was quite impressive. When I started in London a developer was at �21k.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 15:20

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005; Can't post for 5 hours!

MrMoo posted:

I knew Reuters significantly dropped their entry grade to $40k in Times Square, New York a while back. That was quite impressive. When I started in London a developer was at �21k.

LOL, and Bloomberg devs start at 105-110K these days.

# ? Oct 11, 2011 16:56

MrTheDevious: May 7, 2006; Ahh nostalgia, you cruel bitch

I started fresh out of college in an extremely-low-cost-of-living area at 62k and still feel I'm being shortchanged. I am suddenly really glad I live in America (only time I'll ever say that)

# ? Oct 12, 2011 01:19

Piss Man 94: Jun 11, 2003

Had an interview the other week. I asked the guy to program A Thing so he made a new class and started writing code his code outside the class :confused:

edit: Java position

Piss Man 94 fucked around with this message at 12:41 on Oct 12, 2011

# ? Oct 12, 2011 12:38

TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

Piss Man 94 posted:

Had an interview the other week. I asked the guy to program A Thing so he made a new class and started writing code his code outside the class

edit: Java position

Like, just in the file, completely outside of the class or a function or anything? that's weird.

He could've been coming from C++ though, where classes are written like this:

code:

// foo.h
#ifndef FOO_H
#define FOO_H

class Foo 
{
    void bar();
public:
    Foo();
};

#endif

and in a completely different file....

code:

//foo.cpp
#include <iostream>
#include "foo.h"

void Foo::bar()
{
    std::cout<<"lol C++"<<std::endl;
}

sorry if you already knew this

# ? Oct 12, 2011 12:59

kitten smoothie: Dec 29, 2001

Piss Man 94 posted:

Had an interview the other week. I asked the guy to program A Thing so he made a new class and started writing code his code outside the class

edit: Java position

like this?

code:

public class Monkeybutt extends Thingymabob {

   private static Snuffleupagus myFriend;

}

System.out.println("I KNOW JAVA");

# ? Oct 12, 2011 21:08

Piss Man 94: Jun 11, 2003

TasteMyHouse posted:

Like, just in the file, completely outside of the class or a function or anything? that's weird.

like so:

code:

class ImADummy{

}

/* CODE GOES HERE */

TasteMyHouse posted:

He could've been coming from C++

and he should go back to it

# ? Oct 13, 2011 11:20

TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

Piss Man 94 posted:

like so:

code:

class ImADummy{

}

/* CODE GOES HERE */

Welp, that isn't valid in any language that I know of, sounds like he was just a complete moron.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 17:55

qntm: Jun 17, 2009

TasteMyHouse posted:

Welp, that isn't valid in any language that I know of, sounds like he was just a complete moron.

Works in PHP.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 18:35

Good Will Punting: Aug 30, 2009; And as the curtain falls
Just know you did it all except lift weights

I cannot believe I just saw this thread now. Holy poo poo, this is a goldmine.

I'm in my first Data Structures class and would like to really rock the gently caress out of the material but my teacher is a little mediocre so I'm looking for some good supplementary reading. Anything, really. Books, websites, anything that would be a big help. Right now, we're doing Linked Lists. Yes, I realize something has probably been mentioned but this is a long thread!

# ? Oct 13, 2011 20:15

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

For core CS concepts, Wikipedia is a good resource. In fact, a few of my CS classes would actually link to Wikipedia for reading material.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 20:24

TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

Good Will Punting posted:

I cannot believe I just saw this thread now. Holy poo poo, this is a goldmine.

I'm in my first Data Structures class and would like to really rock the gently caress out of the material but my teacher is a little mediocre so I'm looking for some good supplementary reading. Anything, really. Books, websites, anything that would be a big help. Right now, we're doing Linked Lists. Yes, I realize something has probably been mentioned but this is a long thread!

Sorry if this seems rude, but you seem to be confused -- this thread is for advice on getting jobs, doing well in interviews, etc. If you just want to talk about core CS concepts, there's the general programming questions thread... and IMO the best programming discussion goes on in the C++ thread, so go ask your questions there (like we told you to in that thread :P)

# ? Oct 13, 2011 20:28

Good Will Punting: Aug 30, 2009; And as the curtain falls
Just know you did it all except lift weights

Yeah my bad, I saw mention on the first page of many books and guess I jumped the gun a bit. This forum has a gratuitous amount of programming threads.

# ? Oct 13, 2011 20:30

TasteMyHouse: Dec 21, 2006

Well, it IS the programming subforum after all :confused:

# ? Oct 13, 2011 20:32

Good Will Punting: Aug 30, 2009; And as the curtain falls
Just know you did it all except lift weights

Oh I meant it in the positive way! It seems like everyone is exceedingly helpful and expects nothing in return. ~~Probably~~ definitely not the best word choice on my part.

That OP was/is an awesome read. I don't have much to offer at the moment because I'm not looking yet, but I just wanted to say thanks to the folks who contributed. As someone who's transitioning into the CS field from my terrible information systems undergraduate education and is terrified about finding a job in the future, it was very informative.

Good Will Punting fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Oct 14, 2011

# ? Oct 13, 2011 23:56

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 01:52

Super Dude: Jan 23, 2005; Do the Jew

Well I've got an interview with Microsoft tomorrow. Anyone have any tips or comments about their interview process? (It's an interview at my university if that makes a difference.)

# ? Oct 14, 2011 02:05

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Cavern of COBOL > Newbie Programming Interviews/Get a Job Megathread: Fake it 'til you make it

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