Interviews &&

I had initially planned for September graduation but then in mid of March, I had to move my graduation day to May due to some personal reasons. Due to these changes, I was very very late to apply for jobs. Seniors say that they had started applying right from the year back and I had just 3 months in my hand. Most say you need the reference to get the call so I almost spend a day or two on linked in "to build contacts!". I didn't ask anyone for the reference though few were contacting me about the open positions. But I was not ready for interviews! SO I just replied that I would contact them later. Fast track I started applying..before that I started working on resume got it reviewed by CRC office who helped me to constrict it within 1 page. In spring break I almost spend a day for just applying to companies but calls were very few. So after reading requirements I almost everytime used to refine my resume.

I am agreeing with my sister we can't change ourselves! I tried to be sincere & all. But it doesn't suit me I would only succeed if I work hard at last moment. I ignored my ffs, wattpad who are my breath..my motivator. We need to study hard, work hard but also need to enjoy else we are never going to succeed because it fills my mind with the saddest thought and I would become like others ..depressed! Best decision was I didn't resign from my job they are my fresh breath in all curriculum and competition mess...

I know I will get job because I am worthy of it and have the skills just need to polish my skills after a break of a year. But want to keep track of interviews so thought to pen it down.

1. Fidessa: Online coding challenge which has same problems - flight scheduling and string operation

Though all the test cases were passed still got the reject. I think they check the time of execution

2. PayPal - Gave an interview a month back no update. Technical phone interview - Resume, Mostly focussed on docker, OS concepts - semaphore, mutex, context switching, docker - the difference between CMD and entrypoint

3. Intel - 2 calls for different roles, HR team told that they would pass the resume to hiring team which may take few weeks but no update.

4. Apple- The interview was scheduled for just half hour. So thought would be resume based, but it had technical questions - why ssds? whats the use? More on the part of my resume where I had worked on ssd.. Coding - Reverse double linked list (Did with one extra pointer). Was asked to modify to inplace traversal.

5. Google - Contacted through staffing google team was given 2 weeks to study for the phone interview. But I screwed it up. I practiced lot almost solved 80 question from leetcode in 2weeks that's only the positive point. The question was very simple - array based. Given the two lists return the two lists of the element removing the common. I was able to come up with the solution quickly but screwed up because I assumed the list to be sorted and missed the corner case of having duplicate elements. Though I was able to come up with the optimal solution....but consumed 45 min for just one question which was not worth.

6. HPE Nimble Storage: It was my first phone interview didn't think that I would have to write the code. Assumed that it was resume + technical questions based on the glassdoor. But last day I had google interview so was prepared but not so well but still, I had gone through few questions from leetcode which helped. Basically, the interview went for 1.15 hrs 15 mins extra :( For asking them question about predictive in storage! At exact 2 I got call from interviewer who asked me about important projects which went till 2.20. Then he mailed me codeedit link and gave simple question to find the intersection of two linked list. I knew I had solved this problem but was confused and got panic on the interview time..But anyway I was able to give the solution which was fastest one. Leetcode and google prep saved me...Hope I receive call for next round. I think I will because he told that the hiring manager will call me. But worried that the team is looking for filesystems role which I despise. I like storage but not filesystems!


7. IBM - From morning I was so pissed of because of my friend who didn't do her part of work and others had to do the work in the midnight. And I had picked one shift because I love Pistachios and more than anything I would miss it sure. So 10.30 to 2 work then at 5.30 I had interview for that I had planned to sleep early and study in morning. But due to Predictive project I didn't get time to study. So only I hate doing group projects because I don't like completing assignment or project last moment. I like to work quickly and efficiently I hate lot of group meetings and shitty work... Had skipped breakfast and lunch so was feeling so tired and drowsy due to lack of sleep. Today I had planned to go to buffet in my meal coupon but had to skip and survive on sandwich and on top of that I thought I lost my locket so had to again go back to home & come to library to revise the concepts. Had my venti hot chocolate to activate my brain cells which off course helped me and answer wisely (I think they were wise but don't know if interviewer thought it was)  I had interview with the hiring manager. He was friendly, firstly shared the details of the product - IAAS architecture. Then the expectations from the roles. They were looking for someone who could write plugins for container orchestration. Interview was different because it was purely behavioral and I had to think quickly of any damn example because I need to relate it to always the practical example.  Anyway for me my dream company is Cohesity.. that reminds me to contact Abhilash to know about interview procedure..


This Friday is important ..finally who will win me or sister. She says we need some closure hope I would get some closure. Hope my wish to click the pic in C3 gets fulfilled. I lost my friend due to my foolishness..I lost the trust..I shouldn't have shared with other..what to do I can't keep things with me & that I couldn't share earlier with my sister even..but anyway she is right hope I should have shared earlier....Tomorrow I am planning to have nightout in the library..it is in my one of the wishlist before I graduate..Tomorrow is full of so many  things --so many wishes..so much uncertainity..so much that I can't express in words. One of my another wish is to have this last friday as that friday where we talked for almost 6 hours. At the end of day hope I will get my friend back or just be in my good memories. 

Addn: I did spend my night in capen library.  But I was lucky enough because I got free food (pan cakes) and goodies plus games as it was friday night before exams so too much happening in student union. So till 12 in the night I visited lots of booth like t-shirt painting, gaming, etc then till 2 I studied in Capen. After 2 I was feeling sleepy then another task was to find the place to sleep in library. So found one place in Capen which was very messy with snacks spread around. Had to clean up the area to make a space to sleep. Had a really good sleep till 6 in the morning..Then at 7 pm catched the bus to Merrimac whroommatesoomates were still sleeping....


8. Amazon: 2 months back I had sent my resume to Sandy. Actually he only had asked if I was looking for any development roles and I just forwarded my resume. So two days back got msg from sandy about progress. And I told that I didn't got any response from them yet.Instantly I got the mail from Projesh for the info call. The role was about writing microservices  in aws env, java programming language is used. But still my dream company remains the same COHESITY! Hope Abhilash gives me some tips to crack cohesity interview... I have the gut feeling I would get thr like it was for UB where I wanted to be..

My friends are planning to go to club (grad eve) but I want to go to buffalo zoo next day and I have very less time so can't be both..So choice remains club or zoo? Fareen would kill me if I don't go to club but I think I would have nightout in capen library with leetcode :P.  Club is not my cup of tea, I don't smoke or drink and offcourse don't like to dance like drunken person. Back in goa I had gone once that too at closing time & I despised the environment and vouched never to be in club...What will happen in club people will dance and drink & I would be left out and possible I would have to carry my roommates.  

New college, New work and New friends

Writing this post after almost at semester end. I had planned to write long back but from the time I reached Buffalo I was so busy that I couldn't get time to write. Forgot writing I didn't get time to read FFs which was one of my basic necessity apart from books. Sometimes after studying I just used to roam around fifth floor looking at books wondering if I would get time to read all of them. 

FFs and gym were my stress buster long back in India. But here due to hectic schedule and also due to location of gym which was very far I was reluctant to go. Initially I did used to go just on fridays to gym but later due to process class it was stopped. But I don't regret because I used to go to CDS .my workplace..my stress buster.. Initially I had planned not to work, but due to Devika and Amey I had reluctantly applied to CDS with sole purpose of SSN. I had planned to somewhat work for a month to get SSN and then the resign. First day of work was so weird, I was asked to make Panini's.. every dish used to look to me same and their pronunciation was again different..it was so funny what I used to ask both Bef (union member) and customers were not able to understand and what they used to say I had to do guess work. On Sundays I had prep work which as again new for me..it was 6hrs shift ...was hoping to find good company so that I don't get bored. I was so bored that Sunday because I did not got time to interact with anyone it was hell busy schedule - following recipes ..we almost made 100+ panini that day..ohh gosh i was so tired that i was regretting my decision of working..I was motivating myself just 3 more weeks then I could quit... Next week at breadbox I was assigned to make a sandwich..here there were so many types of cheese, dressing, bread, veges it was too much on my brain to grasp all the alternate names...that day was tiring,.....I just knew wheat and white bread..but from Pistachios (as devika's fav word my dukan in Student Union) there were many pieces of bread such as gluten free, 9-grain, rye, etc. Six types of cheese I never knew  so many type existed to me all look to be same...Veges are also called different actually its simple for child bcse most are called pepper and its prefix is the color ...

I have a bad memory atleast in case of remembering directions, so with difficulty reached Ellicot to have food on 2nd Sunday. There I met Febin and Anish (Whom I Used to work with Sunday Prep) who at first didn't recognize me. In CDS even I feel I used to hide behind my cap, but it kind of gives me the freedom to talk to people freely. Because they are not going to judge me on my stupid questions. So anyway who meets me after CDS hardly recognize me. Febin and Anish became my good friends. Anish though he stopped coming to Sunday later, but whenever he used to come.. used to bring chocolates from freezer hiding from our manager James :P  Poor him he had to work with Anita(Chini cum American) and Ardina whose point of discussion was makeup and his head used to burst .. I think Anita had crush on Anish. Anita is another big discussion, whom all guys used to hate her. Febin, undergrad finance student, he is Indian by roots but born and brought up in NY. He was work freak but was one of the genuine people I met in CDS. On the last day, he even gave me meal coupon which he got a prize, I didn't use it though kept it as memory :) Anita and Febin always had cold war but both were undergrad, management, native is NY and most importantly were egoist so I have secret wish to see them together.. because they would be perfect for each other. And it would fun to watch them ..they are two opposite poles. One who almost has OCD and other is shortcut freak.

On the third Sunday, I met Maulik, he was different. He was not Sunday member but had came that Sunday. Initially on that day I didn't even notice him because I was engrossed to make the Paninis right. I don't know how we started talking at first place. I mean I don't usually socialize fast, it takes time for me to build conversation. We talked so much that day like some long lost friends. He was vegetarian so I was happy to have someone help me select vegetarian food among the available meal coupon. That time I had chaat like Mexican food which was my all time meal coupon order food for next semester. I loved mangoes, cilantro and lime combo on Mexican rice bowl. Later even Febin used to ask me to build one more rice bowl as it used to look yummy rice dish. Maulik was doing Masters in mechanical engineering but also doing 20 hours work in week. Sometimes even combining with TA work. I don't know how he used to manage it all. Though he was younger than me he used to treat me like a kid. I remember him always saying "Samay to sab ke pass hota hai bas nikalna padta hai". In my first semester I took seminar in health class. I used to crib a lot to him about presentation assignment. Because in every class, research paper or business case was given to us and we had to make presentation on case study and I used to hate that subject a lot. One day at lunch I cribbed about the same. His reply was "I know that you don't like the subject now. But now you have taken it..so give ur best shot".  I don't know why my CDS friends used to hate him, some even told me to stay away from him. Of all the people, my sister is big fan of him though she haven't met him yet. Though I tell her he is most weird people I have met.

Overall I met lot of people, learned lot of things and hold plethora of memories.

15. Git Commands

My friend wants to learn python, so I had suggested to go through online learning than going through books or videos. Initially I had solved plenty of questions from Hackerrank but later had stopped when I had plenty much on my plate. So in my notice period thought to again cultivate the habit of going through the online learning  to increase my knowledge.

1. Learn GitHub (2 hours coursework):




    Managing Git Hub Basic Commands:

    git commit -m "Complete the message in present tense"


    git show HEAD : more recently made commit

    git add file1 file2: add files to staging

    git checkout HEAD filename: to download original files before the changes

    git reset filename: to unstage that file from the commit

    git reset SHA:  Git enables you to rewind to the part before you made the wrong turn and create a new destiny for the project. This command works by using the first 7 characters of the SHA of a previous commit.

    git branch: to check the current branch 

    git branch <newbranch>: To create the new branch 

    git checkout <newbranch>: Switch to new branch.All the changes made in the master would be copied to the new branch. Use "git logs" to view the changes of the master in "new branch".

    git merge branch_name: Include all the changes made to the new_branch on the master branch. We can accomplish this by merging the branch into the master

             i)  git checkout master: To switch to the master branch
             ii) git merger <newbrch>: All the files from new_branch would be merged on master branch

 git branch -d <new_branch>: delete the branch

Imagine that you're a science teacher, developing some quizzes with Sally, another teacher in the school. You are using Git to manage the project.

In order to collaborate, you and Sally need:

• A complete replica of the project on your own computers
• A way to keep track of and review each other's work
• Access to a definitive project version

You can accomplish all of this by using remotes. A remote is a shared Git repository that allows multiple collaborators to work on the same Git project from different locations. Collaborators work on the project independently, and merge changes together when they are ready to do so.

Sally has created the remote repository, science-quizzes in the directory curriculum, which teachers on the school's shared network have access to. In order to get your own replica of science-quizzes, you'll need to clone it with:

 git clone remote_location clone_name

You can see a list of a Git project's remotes with the command: git remote -v

After you cloned science-quizzes, you had to run off to teach a class. Now that you're back at your computer, there's a problem: what if, while you were teaching, Sally changed the science-quizzes Git project in some way. If so, your clone will no longer be up-to-date.

An easy way to see if changes have been made to the remote and bring the changes down to your local copy is with:

 git fetch

Even though Sally's new commits have been fetched to your local copy of the Git project, those commits are on the origin/masterbranch. Your local master branch has not been updated yet, so you can't view or make changes to any of the work she has added.

In Lesson III, Git Branching we learned how to merge braches. Now we'll use the git merge command to integrate origin/master into your local masterbranch. The command:

git merge origin master 

git pull :  does a git fetch followed by a git merge.

git push origin <branch_name>: To push the work to the remote server

   
  

  



   
   

XIII) Cash and Forex Cards

After Visa approval and booking flight ticket now one need to look for US currency. One need to convert rupees to dollars before going to the US. Though there is the facility at the airport to convert rupees but its costly. So its better that if we convert the rupees beforehand.

Multiple ways are there to convert rupees to dollars. There are several banks and third party agents which convert the rupees to the dollars. And also there are multiple ways in which one can convert currencies - Notes, Traveller's cheque , Card (Preloaded Card)

Things to Note:
1. When to apply: Max 60 days before the date of travel
2. Max Documents Needed: Passport (1st & last page), VISA, Pan Card, i20/admission letter, Travel ticket
3. Min Documents Needed: Passport (1st & last page), VISA, travel ticket

How to select the best among all the forex:

1. Currency and traveller's cheque: Go for off course the cheapest one. Found that third party offers much cheaper rates than the bank due to the bidding.

2. Forex prepaid card: There are multiple factors to consider here. Arranged important ones in descending order.

• Online reload
• Free ATM withdraw/ ATM withdraw cost
• Forex rate
• Reload cost
• Initial deposit
• Customer Service
• Validity

Banks preferred:

1. HDFC Forex:
Pros: For the folks who took loan from credilla, good customer service
Cons:

2. ICICI Forex:
Pros:
Cons:

3. SBI Forex:
Pros: For the folks who took loan from SBI, cheaper than other banks but not from third party.
Cons:

4. Axis bank: Have heard less but positive reviews, but not sure about authenticity of reviews.

Third Party:


1. Thomas Cook:
Pros: Online reload
Cons:

2. bookmyforex:
Pros: Online reload, has tie ups with axis bank
Cons:

3. doorstep forex:
Pros: Online reload, Free ATM withdraw (3 times)
Cons:

4. centrumforex
Pros: Online reload, Free ATM unlimited
Cons:

I did opt for centrumforex and SBI. But SBI was faster to reload.

V) UB Health Form

To register for the classes one needs to fill and submit the UB health form along with proofs.

• Health form can be downloaded from the website or u will get the copy along with the i20. In health form, one needs to fill details about the vaccine. Along with details, one also needs the sign and stamp from the health officer (can be a family doctor) with proofs of the vaccines

• Proof of vaccines: Can get is written by the family doctor that you have taken that particular vaccine on so and so date

• Mandatory vaccines for UB: 2 MMR vaccines

• For Indian folks tuberculosis test is mandatory. Basically under tuberculosis: blood test, x-ray, saliva and ppt test are carried out. But the important one is ppt or tuberculosis skin test.

• MMR vaccine: If you are not sure or don't have records, it is good to have one dose before traveling. It hardly cost around Rs.120-140.

• PPT/Skin Test: In this test, some liquid is injected on the hand whose results are verified after 24hrs