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General Discussion

Qasim Hafeez
Qasim Hafeez
12,731 Points
Posted by Qasim Hafeez
Qasim Hafeez
12,731 Points

Hackerrank?

Has anyone heard of Hackerrank? I stumbled upon a recruiting agency called Launch Code that places people in paid apprenticeships. They use a test made by "Hackerrank". I'm more than halfway through the Front-End course and I could not answer any of the questions. There was one about joining two arrays. I used the .concat and .sort() methods and it kept saying I wasn't doing anything. It was really disheartening. Anyone have experience with this?

2 Answers

Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points
Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points

I found Launch Code as well, took the tests from Hackerrank and failed. I'll admit, it was disheartening for sure. I'm so glad I failed their test though. Not 3 days later I ended up landing my first job as a mid level developer at a local software company. They were seeking someone with 3-5years of experience and I aced the interview questions as well as the code challenge they gave me. My advice? Keep on going and don't worry about it, the code tests I took on Hackerrank had literally nothing to do with real world application. Good luck!

Qasim Hafeez
Qasim Hafeez
12,731 Points
Qasim Hafeez
Qasim Hafeez
12,731 Points

That's great! Hopefully I have the same luck as you did. How long were you on Treehouse before you got hired? Do you have a tech-related degree? What kind of position was it (front, back, etc.)?

Also, what kind of work did you show them? Did you build a website, app, etc.?

Sorry for all the questions.

Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points
Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points

I started actively learning and working on small freelance projects for a little over a year before I landed my current job. I don't have a tech related degree, just a regular old A.A. (2 year) degree from a community college. I planned on getting my bachelors in computer science, got hired before I could enroll. I'm currently a front end developer but working my way to a fullstack position. I use html, scss/css and javascript + jquery every day. Our back end is mostly C# on the .net framework.

I created a github account and started adding small projects to it (small dev tools, a dynamic scss flexbox grid system I created, some small web apps using firebase). I also had an online portfolio with a list of skills, links to various websites I created and my contact information.

If you are looking to get started as a front end developer, here is a small check list of things you will probably need to know; html, css, a css preprocessor(I recommend Sass/scss), learn a frontend framework(foundation/bootstrap), javascript basics, know how to manipulate the DOM with jquery and understand ajax requests. If you can create bug free, cross browser compatible(IE9+) and repsonsive websites with a layer of interactivity you will be employable. Practice and learn something new everyday, this will really help drill concepts into your brain.

Questions are always good, the world of programming can be pretty scary when you are first starting out. I've been writing code for about 2 years now and learn new things every day that blow my mind lol. Anyways, hope some of this helps you get to where you want to be. Good luck in your endeavors!