Monthly Archives: February 2014

Thoughts

Moving Forward

One of the hardest things I go through in life is moving forward. Leaving friends, leaving home, leaving school -- abandonment. This isn't a cry for help, but more of the deevolution of my brain. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I've definitely become less social and more content with my surroundings and my experiences.. A sort of zen-esque experience, if you will.

When I first came to California, I wanted to meet everyone around me and try new things all the time, but now that my life is at the cornerstone of moving forward again, it seems that these things are all the things I don't want to do. Maybe, I'm lacking the proper motivation to get me out of my towel lifestyle. Maybe, I still feel like I'm in school. Or maybe, I just don't give a damn about getting ahead anymore.

The people that I'm surrounded by; the life that I live; my nonexistent job.. This is my safe haven.. my royal throne.. my loves.. my legacy.. I can't grow up, even if I have all the tools to do so. When I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was grow up and do whatever my little heart desired (my AIM screen name was dasuntheman26, lol). But now that I'm a fledgling adult, all I wish for is being a kid again -- dasunthekid26.

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Programming

Why you should use Angel List vs. LinkedIn

I'm a budding software developer. I have the most experience with full stack web development. Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, PHP -- that's my game. After filling out my profiles to the best of my ability, I've noticed something very significant. This is a comparison for startup and job opportunities for 2 places to market yourself (Note: I'm not a LinkedIn Premium member):

LinkedIn profile creation date: 03/02/13
LinkedIn connections: 518
Emails from companies/recruiters: 6

Angel List talent profile creation date: 02/09/14
Angel List followers: 30
Emails from startups/recruiters: 15

Bottom line: USE ANGEL LIST. Startups desperately need engineering talent like YOU. The best part: you get to see the salaries (and equity %) all upfront.

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Programming

Job Interviews

Well I just absolutely bombed my Google interview, but this has been a great lesson for me in terms of finding full-time employment.

  1. Learning the material is half the battle. Coding is the other half.
  2. It's all about the pseudocode.
  3. Get a good night's rest beforehand.. Not just 4 hours of nap time.
  4. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and always ask for coding examples.
  5. Practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more.
  6. Recursion is always the key.
  7. Don't just pray for success based on your resume. Get your shit together and become an expert.
  8. Anyone can code, but not everyone can become a computer scientist.
  9. Use your education to your advantage! It's important that you retain what you learned (drinking isn't the solution for everything).

Just some food for thought. Glad that's over with though.. Now I have a full syllabus of all potential interview topics for all potential employers!! Thanks, Google!

In the end, I'm only concerned with the opportunities I'm capable of. Next stop, start-up interviews! Fingers crossed (emoji).

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Thoughts

Less Money, a Shit-ton of Problems

"Mo money, mo problems" -- Pretty much everyone who is affluent has this as their life motto. It's almost as if they've achieved happiness through being broke as hell. If this is you, I really really do congratulate you. I'm still trying to find happiness in my life, but do whatever makes you happy. At the end of day, you're the only person who can make yourself happy.

But back to the point, I've got about a month's rent left in California, and I'm a recent UC Berkeley EECS graduate.. It should be easy to find a job.. right?? Having no money sucks, I can't do whatever I want, but on top of that, the world takes no mercy. The recent fender bender I got into -- if the victims file a claim against me, I could be filing bankruptcy real soon.. at the promising age of 21..

Classic me: one step forward, three steps back. The world shows no mercy, but life moves on. Only I can change what I want to, and being poor is one of the few things I can control.

"Stop bitching, and fucking adapt." - Richard Sherman. Time to grow up.

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