Md Al Nasirullah Siddiki

A few days ago, I came to a realization: I am not just building side projects; I am creating a portfolio of software products aligned with my interests and skills. Over the past year, I have developed: ✨ MapleStack: A job board for tech jobs in Canada ✨ SpellCheckMySite: A tool to check spelling mistakes on websites ✨ FindChildCare.ca: A directory of child care providers in Canada And now, I'm working on something new - this one a bit more involved than the others (announcement coming soon!). It has made me realize that each project isn't just a standalone creation, but a step in my journey as a builder and problem-solver. It's exciting to see how each project informs and inspires the next. This isn't just a collection of work - it's an evolving body of ideas and solutions.

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🎓🎓 Attention for New Grads in Canada 🎓🎓 Amazon has just released their SDE position for New Grads in Canada !! If you graduate between October 2023 and September 2024, or even within the last 12 months, PLEASE APPLY!! As a 2023 New Grad who joins Amazon through this program, I couldn't relate more to the doors and opportunities this position offers! As an International New Grad, navigating the job market can be challenging due to immigration constraints, which is why this opportunity specifically for jobs in Canada is so valuable! Check out my previous post on the timeline and interview process when I applied: https://lnkd.in/gdxzJWf3 Keep in mind that the process might vary from year to year, so make sure to do your homework on this year’s interview process before applying! SDE - 2024 (Canada): https://lnkd.in/g736VsBa #Amazon #NewGrad #2024Graduates #TechCareers #SoftwareDevelopment #SDE #Amazon #Hiring #CareerOpportunity #JobOpening #ApplyNow

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Hey, anyone who employs or works with software engineers *WAVES WITH VIGOUR*, yes YOU! Did you know that 1 in 5 engineers have or believe they have some form of neurodivergence? *stares around in I-think-that-number-seems-suspiciously-low-but-I'll-let-it-slide* (Quick recap, but neurodivergence includes (but is not limited to) Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, CPTSD, etc etc. Basically, anything that causes your brain chemistry to diverge from expected ways of functioning.) Just to put the 1-in-5 number in context, studies suggest that neurodivergence in the general population is somewhere between 1-in-7 and 1-in-10 people. In news that will shock no one, especially those who work in software, we're much more likely to be on some kind of spectrum somewhere (maybe a ZX...? No? I'll get my coat). So, you want to make sure you get the best out of your employees? Here's a three quick wins which help EVERYBODY not just your ND staff: 1. Want a meeting? Instead of an ominous "have you got five minutes? [insert Zoom link]" or "I need to talk to you later", please add a little context. 9 times out of 10 these meetings are simply innocent catch-ups, but when we say they instill in us a level of anxiety akin to being chased by a rabid demogorgon, we aren't kidding. This kind of anxiety can derail us from being able to work and take us longer to recover from. A quick note to say what it's about, or at the very least, whether or not it's bad goes a long way. Do not ambush your staff. 2. Scheduled meetings? Send an agenda. It doesn't need to be on company headed paper with a cursive font. We just need to know the general topics, how long it's intended to last, who's planning on attending - put it in the calendar invite. Many neurodivergent people struggle with processing disorders, meaning we need preparation to answer certain questions. Surprise topics can fluster people, even if we actually know the answer. Sometimes, on the spot, our minds lag like an Amstrad CPC 464 that needs a good, hard defragging. 3. Heading out for lunch? Organising a work social? Do everyone a solid and send the link to the place we'll be going. Double points for sending a map. Triple for sending a menu that we can review first. Is it becoming clear that, juuuust maybe, the kind of standard surprises that your average person can tolerate just fine can knock a neurodivergent person sideways? A lot of ND folk require preparation for scheduled changes, and can experience anxiety around food that isn't within a "safe" remit. These are such small ways to be inclusive in your workplace, and while most people might not acknowledge them, I promise you there's a few of us who are secretly remembering that you considered us and we'll help you fix your printer issues at the drop of a hat even though we aren't tech support. Kindness is free, sugarlips 😘

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Recently, Sahil Gogna invited me to his YouTube channel to discuss the Software engineering industry in Canada. We covered various topics, including job search advice, AI, and current market trends. Here’s a small summary of what we covered: ♦ Is Software Engineering Dead in Canada in 2024? -It’s pretty competitive out there right now. The economy is changing, and more people are fighting for fewer jobs. -Even though it’s tough, there are still opportunities. But freshers and experienced folks must step up their game to stand out. ♦ Specialization vs. General Roles - Companies expect you to have a thorough understanding of whether you’re going for a full-stack developer job or a broader software engineering role. Full-stack roles might focus on specific tools like React or Node.js, while software engineering roles often involve problem-solving with DSA and system design.    ♦ How to Stand Out in the Job Market -Building and putting projects out there for others to see can boost your profile. Employers love to see what you can do, not just what’s on your resume. - For me, it worked quite well. Having a live app impressed my interviewers so much that it sometimes skipped the usual technical grilling. ♦ AI in Software Engineering - Right now, AI is more of a tool to help with repetitive tasks rather than something that will take your job. But it’s good to know how to use AI to make your work easier. - Learn how to integrate AI into your workflow to stay ahead in the game. ♦ Getting Ready for Job Interviews - If you’re just starting out, build real skills through projects. Don’t rely only on what you learned in school. - While knowing AI is cool, don’t let it overshadow your core software engineering skills. ♦ Networking and Finding Jobs - Building a strong network can boost your chances of landing interviews and job offers. - While applying online is fine, getting a referral through your network often works better. ♦ Keep Learning - No matter where you are in your career, keep learning. The industry is always changing, so you need to stay updated. -- P.S: I’ve just launched my guide to help engineers crack technical interviews and get their first offer. → What’s included in the guide? - 4 detailed PDFs, combined 300+ pages - A full curriculum and all the resources you will ever need - 1000+ questions for your practice and coding interviews - Guidance on DSA, system design, technical interviews, full stack development - In-depth coverage of resume building, internships, networking, and building in public I am offering a 20% discount for the first 100 people. The links to the guide are below. Consultation Call And Guide: https://lnkd.in/gGwFEzsb The Guide Alone: https://lnkd.in/gMtVz-qT If you have any doubts or queries, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.

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Learning resources for software engineers looking for their next job: 1. Follow Alex Xu and Sahn Lam on LinkedIn. They have lots of great infographics for fundamental concepts and systems design. Scroll through their recent posts and dive deeper in anything you don't understand. 2. Follow Neo Kim on LinkedIn as well for more systems design content. Neo's content seems great for mid-level and senior engineers. For example, here's a post where he lists a bunch of systems engineering case studies: https://lnkd.in/g2R2Pqai 3. Follow John Crickett for content about building your personal brand, improving your coding skills, and developing soft skills as a software engineer. He and I have chatted a few times in comments and he also seems like a really genuine guy. 4. Follow Steve Huynh for advice on managing your career. In the last few days, he's written about soft skills, navigating job offers, and dealing with complexity as a SWE. Lots of really good advice to be found here. 5. For Leetcode preparation, check out Navdeep Singh. He created neetcode.io, which is a fantastic resource for organizing Leetcode studying. It has a free roadmap that you can use to find which data structures and algorithms to study first (as well as which problems to practice). --- Hi! I'm Jonathan, a software engineer based in Ann Arbor, MI. For the month of November, I'm trying to help laid off software engineers land on their feet and find a new job. If that's you, send me a connection request and let's chat.

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In my 7 years as a Software Engineer, I faced challenges as a new engineer, including: • minimal guidance • lengthy onboarding • outdated documentation • and productivity issues. Here are 4 reasons software engineer teams need an onboarding doc: 1. Knowledge Preservation • People may leave the company or switch teams • With an onboarding doc, it preserves important information preventing it from being lost 2. Time Efficiency • System setups (new laptops, environment configurations) become faster and simpler • Reduces the amount of time on repetitive onboarding sessions and allows team members to focus on other work 3. Self-Guided Learning • New people will join your team and need guidance on onboarding. This can take away much of your time if you need to meet with them often  • Enables new team members to be productive through self-learning • Creates a balance between independence and team support 4. Team Collaboration • Serve as a document the team can enhance • This can strengthen the team's collaboration by adding team member's experience and insights Thanks for reading! Repost if you found this helpful Follow me for more personal and career growth tips Want to create your own onboarding doc?  Check out my detailed guide: https://lnkd.in/gZfBAx9m

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Fail often, fail fast and fail better

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Amazon-to-Google-to-Amazon #a2g2a thought of the day: You can take a person out of Amazon but you can't take Amazon out of a person 🤣 Two weeks ago, I came back to Amazon after 4 years at Google. I have gotten about 40 private messages from ex-Amazonians who wanted to know more about "coming home" after reading about my experience - leading to a number of very interesting conversations. People who leave Amazon never truly leave Amazon. Back at Google, we had an "ex-amzn" chat group that was quite active... a little pocket of amazonianess in a sea of googliness. Expats talking about the old country. Sometimes the comments were along the lines of "I love not working NN-hr weeks and getting free food is awesome" but more often than not, the comments were "OMG I miss X or Y or Z so much." Before Amazon, I spent 11 years at Microsoft. I enjoyed my time there, and in 2020 I interviewed to come back (and had an offer that I seriously considered). I really like what Satya has done to the culture. I would have been happy to come back to Microsoft, but I did not a strong longing to do so like I did to come back to Amazon. Too soon to say whether I'd come back to Google; I'd say "Definite No" for as long as Sundar is the CEO, but a different leader could change Google the way Satya changed Microsoft after Steve Ballmer's Lost Decade. There's amazingly smart people at Google, and I'm keeping every single share that was granted to me over the course of my last four years. Amazon is an intense place, and perhaps it isn't a great fit for everyone. But I do believe that whoever spends a few years here is forever changed. For me, it was the imprinting of the Leadership Principles, then finding myself in a foreign land where people didn't speak that language. Amazon was formative to who I am. And, if you're reading this message as an ex-amazonian, chances are that, in the right circumstances were to align, you too would Come Home.

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Usually people generate code with LLMs in two ways. 1. Providing detailed instructions which are hard to mess up. 2. Taking high level concepts and turning them into code. Proficient coders do very well with the first type of interaction. “Write this function, call this, store that.” You are basically writing the code and the llm is typing. Lazier people and less proficient coders are more abstract. “Write a webpage that...… and do that…”. #LLM #GenAI

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Basics are sufficient!

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Coding is often the EASIEST part of my work as a software engineer. I mostly learn complex systems and identify small changes with wide-reaching impact. These small changes need to be communicated in simple terms within context of the larger system to people who are unfamiliar. At that point, the code has basically written itself. #softwareengineer #bigtech #coding

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"𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿," my manager said, "𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻." ❌ It hit me hard. I got this feedback in my 2016 performance review. When I first got promoted to Mid-Senior Engineer in my career, I felt like I was in power. Instead of acknowledging others' opinions, I imposed my own. Upon receiving this feedback, I couldn’t sleep that night — replaying conversations in my head — realizing how often I shut down differing opinions and pushed my agenda. 😔 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦? I am sharing a 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 "𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹" 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, and also how I addressed those. Sharing our vulnerabilities isn’t easy. I thought long and hard about whether to write this article, but I decided to give it a shot. If even one person reading this can benefit from my experiences, it will be worth it. 🙌 Stay tuned and subscribe now to not miss it. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

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⏳ Sometime back I interviewed ✍ a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) for my team, and the difference between a good SRE and a great one became evident through a simple question about curl and how it works. While a typical answer would cover the basics of how curl operates, the response I received showcased the depth of expertise a great SRE possesses. - Resolving the URL using internal system calls like getaddrinfo(). - Establishing a connection with the server by creating a network socket with socket() and initiating a TCP connection using connect(). - Sending an HTTP request through the socket via send(). - Receiving and displaying the server's response by receiving data with recv(), utilizing poll()/select() for non-blocking I/O, configuring socket options with setsockopt(), and closing the socket connection with close(). This level of detail and understanding of the internal workings of tools like curl truly sets exceptional SREs apart. It's this kind of knowledge and expertise that makes a significant difference in ensuring the reliability and performance of systems. #SRE #Curl #SystemCalls #Expertise

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Good advice

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I'm thrilled to see Amazon Q generally available. Amazon Q has revolutionized my work with Amazon Connect (contact center technology), empowering me to effortlessly build a sophisticated agent assistant and seamlessly integrate it with the Bedrock database, enabling powerful Retreive-Augment-Generate (RAG) Generative AI use cases. This powerful tool has not only simplified complex integrations but also enhanced efficiency. Additionally, I use Amazon Q as a personal assistant during my whiteboarding sessions, providing instant answers and insights about AWS Cloud services. The ease of use and robust capabilities of Amazon Q exemplify the pinnacle of modern technology, driving innovation and optimizing customer experiences. #TechInnovation #AWS

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