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Married guys, how do you prepare for FANG?

Cavium pjbagk75Fq
Feb 10 62 Comments

I have a FANG interview coming up shortly(1 month). I have never gone deep in LC stuffs yet. So, I am spending much hours to prepare daily. 2-3 hours weekdays and 6-7 hours on weekends.

This makes my wife upset and sulky. Because, I cannot spend time with family on weekends on going out etc.

I have read blogs and posts where people state that they put similar hours preparing. I am wondering how they are able to cull out the time from their married lives.

How do you manage to spend so much time while married? How does your spouse react to it? Maybe preparing for FANG is not a thing for married folks?

Edit: i have an one year old kid. I wake up morning 5 am to study so that I can spend time with wife and kid on after-work hours. My wife is a homemaker. She is of kind that values family and friends than anything else. Job/career is nothing but a sustained means to generate money which can be useful for life as per her views. Also, we are south indian family. So, our values are of typical south indian family.

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TOP 62 Comments
  • Salesforce heroku
    Wait till u have kids and it’s just impossible. With spouse you should be able to do it make her understand what it means to both of you and how it will help u both financially in future. Once you have kids forget about LC
    Feb 108
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      We have a kid(1 year old). In weekdays i wake at 5 AM and prepare so that I can spend after-work hours with family
      Feb 10
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      Thanks for the reply
      Feb 10
    • Salesforce heroku
      Why are u planning to switch now then ? Even after u switch initial 6 -12 months will be hectic as you have to prove yourself. I would hold back till kid is 3 at least ( these are the golden days and you won’t get back ) . Also I would side with ur spouse then. Again this is personal opinion you know you situation the best. All the best in what ever u choose
      Feb 10
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      @heroku thanks for ur insights. I am perfectly welcome ur opinions. That's why I made this post.
      Feb 10
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      G in FANG was my dream company while I was in high school. I read a book about history of G and quite fascinated. When I got a interview invite from G, I thought let's try with it.
      Feb 10
    • Salesforce heroku
      Fair enough if u have spent months on this give it a try by studying for another month. Even G has been my dream but with family things change and so do dreams not trying to discourage here. Also once kids start going to school u could have more time for LC and make it to G. Though u will lose financially by not switching now. It’s a compromise which only you can decide what works for u
      Feb 10
    • Google rubbishing
      Just to let you know: G that you read in the book is not the G anymore.
      Feb 10
    • New DNWELL
      care to tell us why?
      Feb 10
  • Groupon random-hi
    I am on the same boat. I am targeting FANG in 4 more months. I am married, and we have a kid who is less than 1 year old. I study *every* day for 3 hours. No excuses. I do this during the night (9.30 - 0.30). Mon to Sun. I am lucky that my wife understands the benefits of me succeeding on changing companies. I still have time to spend with my kiddo and also do some chores at home. It’s hard. I’m exhausted. But, nobody said it will be easy. Keep up Bro! You can do it :-)
    Feb 105
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      Thanks. How many hours do you sleep? Aren't you already exhausted from work by the time you start preparing ?
      Feb 10
    • Groupon random-hi
      I sleep 7 hours and a half. I take a small nap (usually with the baby on my chest) of 1 ~ 1.30 hours this is around 7pm. I make sure I have a healthy diet, no processed foods, and also I do 30 minutes of work out everyday.
      Feb 10
    • Groupon random-hi
      DM. If you want to chat more
      Feb 10
    • Amadeus Trick2g
      Random-hi, do you mind if I dm you too? I am in a similar situation in life right now but without a kid in the equation. I too am looking to change jobs and get myself to a better place.
      Feb 24
    • Groupon random-hi
      Happy to chat @Trick2g
      Feb 24
  • Dell 8<
    Tell her about the TC you might get and how it will benefit the family.
    Feb 100
  • Atom Tickets ddm
    Both my wife and I share a goal of potentially retiring earlier than 60s. We came to a shared conclusion that at the moment (when I had a non-FANG job) the most productive strategy to get closer to that goal would be for me to get into FANG. We gave it a time limit of about 6 months, and I began studying and interviewing. 4.5 months later I got into N. Been rejected from G and F. My wife’s support helped me to stick to the plan and finish “the race”. My advice would be: figure out what’s important for your family and how FANG fits into it. Then build a plan: what companies in what order you will go after. Set boundaries for your study time, go to the library if you have to. Prioritize sleep. Be ready to fail. Good luck.
    Feb 111
  • New DNWELL
    my wife is usually my biggest fan when I’m working towards a career goal. never had a problem when needed to prepare for interviews
    Feb 102
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      For my wife, job/career is nothing but a sustained means to generate money
      Feb 10
    • New DNWELL
      just tell her that you need the support and you do it for the family; is the effort you put in now that will very possibly pay off quite soon
      Feb 10
  • New / Engsparked
    Everyone’s situation is different, but once you get married you become a unit and you need to make decisions as a family. Up front you need to have the discussion regarding whether or not FANG is right for you and if yes then you need to make your SO understand the upfront commitment involved and respect that.

    It’s your responsibility to lay everything out on the table

    Together you need to decide on a course of action

    And then you both need to commit to executing on that course of action, maybe reevaluating if it become clear that expectations were not properly managed
    Feb 102
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      Thanks
      Feb 10
    • New DNWELL
      in theory yes two became one and blah blah ... in practice is way different. even in a family there are different angles and points of view when it comes about almost anything beyond basics.
      Feb 10
  • Expedia sup!
    Heh. Maybe some news site should take up on this thread too - how ridiculous testing requirements to pass a tech interview, which are rarely connected to the actual job functions, are essentially alienating anyone who has family responsibilities.
    Feb 101
    • New DNWELL
      in the news will be just the TC, not the struggle to get there
      Feb 10
  • Cisco Jetskii
    There is no need to disturb harmony in the home. You seem to have aggressive hours. Dont burn yourself out. Maybe u cud spend less time each day and postpone interview by 1-2 months.
    Feb 101
  • LabCorp / IT
    [🗿]

    LabCorpIT

    PRE
    Amazon
    [🗿]more
    It takes more practice, I would say having interview lined up and preparing will make it tough with family.

    Just keep trying in your free time and spend time with your family. Practice makes perfect. You will get there..

    Then get ready to take interview. That's much more solid plan in my humble opinion.
    Feb 100
  • Microsoft Desitechie
    Personally I like a lot of personal time for my interests.
    Just curious, doesn't your spouse have her (I'm pretty sure it's her) person interests to be occupied while you work your LC?
    And as a former googler, fewer hours over a longer term is a better strategy.
    Feb 100
  • Akamai Technologies badass1
    Wondering if any females on the same boat. Married and a kid. G the dream.
    Feb 114
    • Expedia sup!
      Plenty
      Feb 11
    • Akamai Technologies meh12
      Any suggestions on how to make it happen? Preparing and taking care of husband and a kid?
      Feb 11
    • Expedia sup!
      Recently some of my friends with families and children have had more success negotiating take home projects rather than leets. It’s still a lot of work but the total time to complete a project is still shorter than months of leetcoding.
      Feb 11
    • Akamai Technologies meh12
      Does FAANG do take home projects? Don't know that
      Feb 13
  • My wife is after my life to prepare for FANG and get my ass in one of those. She doesnt make any weekend plans assuming I will sit and study 😂 Does all the cooking and chores herself so that I can continue to work. But I start to feel guilty and end up helping out.
    Feb 122
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      Man, this is opposite of my case. This deserves another thread. :)
      Feb 12
    • Cerner ? ? ?
      OP, you need to Thank your wife and you need to get into FAANG not for you but for her (so she can spend those $$$).

      Good luck 👍🏿 and you are lucky to find such supportive partner.
      Feb 12
  • PayPal hot4heels
    Why do you need to prepare? I don’t get it.
    Feb 111
  • Damn. My girlfriend does that sometimes. She is usually supportive, but with me spending most of the weekends preparing, she gets annoyed. I can only imagine how married people with kids has to struggle.
    Feb 100
  • Broadcom Ltd. Hsrq43
    It will only gets busier over time. You can hire help at home now. The older to get, harder it is to switch. You should have a conversation and hope she will appreciate the effort you are making
    Feb 100
  • Cirrus gANt26
    I recently got an offer from one of the FAANGs in Bay Area. I had put in 1-1.5hr weekday and 3-4hr weekend for 4 months. I will strongly recommend Elements of Programming Interview written by authors from Google/Apple etc. I did 0 leetcode infact I did not knew what was it before joining blind. The book I said has loads of dynamic/greedy/graphs etc type of problems. Infact my wife was happy when I was preparing she said she got her own time (she is quite busy with her office load on weekdays) and she is happier now as I have practically doubled my TC.
    Feb 117
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      Thanks for the suggestion. Which one in FANG you got the offer from?
      Feb 11
    • Intel lovelisasu
      Who are the authors of that book: "Elements of Programming Interviews"?
      Feb 11
    • Cirrus gANt26
      Feb 11
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      @cirrus, can you let me know which one in FANG you got the offer from, if you don't mind?
      Feb 11
    • Cirrus gANt26
      Apple
      Feb 11
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      @cirrus btw, Apple is not FANG. General opinion is that Apple interviews are relatively easy. But, anyways thanks for your book suggestion. I ordered it from Amazon today morning.
      Feb 11
    • Cirrus gANt26
      Good luck with FAANG sorry FANG :)
      Feb 11
  • Salesforce tensorchic
    I have a suggestion. Why don't both of you to to get into FAANG? You can allot time for prepare and support each other? And both of you can double your salary. Make it a team thing.
    Yes you might have a kid but take turns and deal with it.
    Feb 112
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      My wife is a homemaker
      Feb 12
    • Salesforce tensorchic
      Ah no wonder. You have your job, your career, and lots of things in your life.
      Her life on the other hand comprises of the baby and you. Maybe if she fills her life with other stuff as well, she won't need so much of your time.
      Why don't you first focus on helping her find an outlet for self actualizing herself? It doesn't have to be a corporate job, so many things- outreach, volunteering, community building, art, etc.
      Once she has a full and busy life she'll be able to be more supportive of you as well.
      Taking care of a baby is a full time job I get it but it's also monotonous and hard if that's all your focused on all day.
      Feb 12
  • Cirrus gANt26
    Hold on you said your wife is a housewife. So it should be damn easy for you as compared to us whose wife is working. I would suggest you stop posting and commenting on blind and get on with the job :) Wasting time here won't get you into FANG and nor into FAANG so get started man. Do you even have any interviews lined up or it's all castles in the air at the moment and you are trying to proactively prepare ?? If you don't mind what's your domain of work ? Also would suggest don't consider Amazon as they are shit with their pay and culture as I here from my friends there ..
    Feb 111
    • Cavium pjbagk75Fq
      OP
      I have Google interview lined up. Regardless, I prepare proactively for other FANG companies. My domain of work is networking - from protocol development to embedded forwarding plane development
      Feb 12
  • Salesforce heroku
    I think op should update that he also have a 1 year old kid ( that changes a lot ). People have been unfairly judging his wife.
    Feb 111
  • Gusto gsto
    Your wife should have her own life
    Feb 110
  • Facebook wcat
    A supporting spouse helps a lot. Last time I switched, there were no weekend for months.
    Feb 110
  • Salesforce tensorchic
    If your wife did the same would you be ok with it? It would involve you spending more time doing house work and less time interview prepping. Have you considered that she maybe just feels that she's putting in a higher load into the relationship?
    Feb 110
  • Snapchat AmitG
    Tc?
    Feb 110
  • Apple JobsAtApp
    Won’t your wife be happy when you come home with bigger TC?
    Feb 100

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