What do hiring managers want to see from AR/VR SWE job applicants?

Argo AI
sdfjlk923

Go to company page Argo AI

sdfjlk923
Nov 7, 2021 9 Comments

Title of this post is my question.

My career so far has been in cloud infra and distributed system (5+ years). It's a good skill set to have in general in the modern tech industry, but I don't want this to become my long-term focus. However, transitioning into AR or VR seems to be kind of tricky, since most people target me desirable for my cloud skills.

Any advice on how to push myself further to be more desirable to AR or VR-focused teams? I've played around a bit with OpenGL. I might try to get some experience in general mobile development for the AR side.

#facebook #meta #apple #google #nvidia

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TOP 9 Comments
  • Roblox
    hd2jx

    Go to company page Roblox

    hd2jx
    As someone who has done both, AR/VR is more chill and fun.

    It depends if you want to work on engine or “application”. The latter, just read a few 3D geometry books.

    The leetcode bar is so absurdly low.
    Nov 7, 2021 3
    • Roblox
      hd2jx

      Go to company page Roblox

      hd2jx
      If you worked at Argo sell yourself as someone who knows about perception, tracking, and localization.

      If you’re smart, it take like 2 weeks to get good enough at those.

      You do need to be good at linear algebra though.
      Nov 7, 2021
    • Argo AI
      sdfjlk923

      Go to company page Argo AI

      sdfjlk923
      OP
      Thanks Roblox! Any books or websites you'd recommend to get going?

      Also, what do you define as an "application"? I know there's a difference between, say, creating a game engine like Unity vs actually using Unity. How are things divided in your current work?
      Nov 7, 2021
  • Nutanix
    LHjT40

    Go to company page Nutanix

    LHjT40
    How did it go @sdfjlk923 - I have a distributed systems background like you .. considering switching to AR/VR..but unable to understand how to prepare for such interviews. If you are in Apple would it be ok to DM you for more guidance ?
    Jan 26 1
    • Argo AI
      sdfjlk923

      Go to company page Argo AI

      sdfjlk923
      OP
      Hi @LHjT40. I'm still looking around, but I can share some interview experiences that stand out.

      AMD: Phone Screen. Not really an AR/VR position - it was more of a lower-level graphics driver role. They asked me about a personal project, and it sounded like they wanted to steer that into an in-depth discussion of rasterization and maybe ray tracing. There was also a Leetcode problem.

      Facebook Reality Labs (FRL): Made it to on-site (phone screen was just Leetcode). Most of it was a standard FB on-site, but they added a domain-specific round to evaluate my graphics knowledge. I remember being asked to design a particle system or a game engine. I also remember someone quickly testing if I could recognize a transformation matrix (one of the translation, rotation, or scaling matrices).

      Overall, make sure you know graphics concepts really well. But also be ready for standard Leetcode and system design rounds.
      Jan 26
  • Argo AI
    X Æ A-13

    Go to company page Argo AI

    X Æ A-13
    Why are you leaving us? 😥
    Nov 7, 2021 2
    • Argo AI
      sdfjlk923

      Go to company page Argo AI

      sdfjlk923
      OP
      Just can't handle the startup grind anymore :(

      I've had past experience in mid and large size companies and realized I don't have the tolerance for the pressure here. Actually, I'm cautious about FB for the same reason... I only tagged them to get advice from hiring managers.
      Nov 7, 2021
    • Argo AI
      X Æ A-13

      Go to company page Argo AI

      X Æ A-13
      Haha fair enough, personally my WLB has gotten way better in the last year- I have learned to say no, and am senior enough that it actually is effective. Fwiw, my friends at FRL don’t seem to work as hard as we do, so it’s definitely a step down in intensity there.
      Nov 7, 2021