# Start Here

You can use this repo in two modes:

- **Job search mode (4–12 weeks):** you already know the basics and want to maximize interview performance.
- **Career transition mode (8–24+ weeks):** you’re switching lanes (e.g., DS → DE, Backend → MLE) or returning after a gap.

## What “good” looks like across companies

Different company archetypes value different signals:

- **FAANG / high-growth consumer:** speed + scale tradeoffs, ambiguity handling, crisp communication, strong coding.
- **Enterprise software:** correctness, maintainability, incremental delivery, compatibility, compliance, stakeholder management.
- **Automotive / industrial:** safety mindset, verification culture, long-lived systems, careful risk management, reliability.

Same skills show up everywhere; the **weighting** changes.

## 3-step setup

1. **Pick a lane** (role + level + company archetype)
   - Use [02-ROLE-ROADMAPS/00-Role-Chooser.md](../02-ROLE-ROADMAPS/00-Role-Chooser.md)
2. **Baseline yourself**
   - Do one timed coding interview (45–60 min)
   - Do one “design a service” prompt (45–60 min)
   - Do one behavioral story (15 min)
   - Score yourself using [00-START-HERE/02-Interview-Loop-At-A-Glance.md](02-Interview-Loop-At-A-Glance.md)
3. **Pick a cadence you can sustain**
   - 60–90 min/day beats 6 hours on Sunday.

## The golden rule

Interview prep fails when you optimize for _feeling prepared_ (reading) instead of _being prepared_ (practice under constraints).

Practice should resemble the interview:

- timeboxed
- verbalized thinking
- written tradeoffs
- explicit assumptions
- post-mortem after each session

## A concrete 7-day kickoff plan

This plan is meant to create momentum and reveal the biggest gaps.

Day 1: Choose lane + set scope

- Define target roles/levels and company archetypes.
- Write a one-paragraph “why me” narrative (role fit, projects, domain).
- Pick your core stack (language + infra/cloud).

Day 2: Resume + recruiter pass

- Rewrite resume for readability (one screen = one story).
- Remove ambiguity: add numbers, ownership, and impact.
- Build a 30-second pitch and a 2-minute deeper version.

Day 3: Coding baseline

- 2 problems: one easy/medium, one medium.
- Focus on: correctness, constraints, and clean explanation.

Day 4: System design baseline

- Design a small service (URL shortener / rate limiter / notifications).
- Write requirements and then draw the simplest viable design.

Day 5: Behavioral baseline

- Draft 6 stories: conflict, failure, leadership, ambiguity, deep dive, impact.
- Convert each into: context → actions → results → learnings.

Day 6: Iterate + tighten

- Re-do one coding problem you failed _without looking at the answer_.
- Re-do the same system design prompt with a stronger structure.

Day 7: Mock loop

- 45 min coding + 45 min design + 15 min behavioral.
- Write a post-mortem: top 3 gaps + top 3 strengths.

## Common failure modes (and fixes)

- **Failure:** “I know the topic” but can’t solve under time.
  - **Fix:** timeboxed reps + post-mortems + spaced repetition.

- **Failure:** jumping to architecture without requirements.
  - **Fix:** enforce a template: requirements → constraints → SLOs → design.

- **Failure:** over-indexing on fancy tools.
  - **Fix:** choose boring defaults first; add complexity only for a reason.

- **Failure:** behavioral answers feel generic.
  - **Fix:** use specific numbers, tradeoffs, and your decision criteria.