Self-study to success
An ambitious Github project offers multi-month study guide for developers to learn what they need in order to become a software engineer for Google.
John Washam, the founder of TalkToTheManager outlined the project from Google’s coaching notes. The curriculum also includes notes about possible questions and resources for solving Google-ish problems. He draws on his own experience, known Google resources, and outside sources like material from the Get That Job at Google blog from Steve Yegge.
Banishing imposter syndrome
The plan is divided up by days and would take several months to complete. That’s a long time to prep for a interview, but not as long as it would take to earn a CS degree. And that’s really what this program is designed to circumvent. Washam, whose degree is in economics, says that many engineers fear they aren’t smart or educated enough to work for a company as prestigious as Google. In fact, some engineers that already work for Google even feel this way.
In addition to offering education, Washam wants to help debunk the myth of the “Genius Programmer” and empower self-taught engineers to take their place in a field that still sometimes values skill over arbitrary educational achievements.
This program offers an intense regime of study and coding, but people who are familiar with things like trees, graphs, and sorting algorithms will not have a problem completing the course material.
Knowledge + strategy = success
In addition to beefing up your knowledge and skills, Washam offers advice and strategy for an interview. One tip included is to pick one language for the interview even if you are able to code in several. Another tells you to review cheat cheers on the ASCII and OSi stack.
They key, according to Washam, is focus: “There are a lot of distractions that can take up valuable time. Focus and concentration is hard.”
Washam plans to test the success of his program when he applies to work for Google in February. Until then, he recommends that followers of the program follow his lead and tape a sign that says “Future Google” above their workstation to keep themselves focused and motivated.
