Reply to: State of the Market

[malvolio]

really? - why do all the banks and fin co's use it then?

Because the modern coders who use structured client/server languages don't understand batch processing and the management layer think mainframes are old hat, while simultaneously insisting on a cloud-based architecture that behaves just like a mainframe...?

Or is it the old adage of "it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Pioneer seems to be doing quite well after 50-odd years a 3bn miles running on Fortran after all.

I was once offered a role, not all that long ago, by an ex-colleague because I could remember ANSI74 COBOL under VME/B (world's best ever OS). Perhaps I should have taken it!

[sadkingbilly]

Well lucky old you. The major benefit of working on niche, outdated technology I suppose... But sadly it doesn't make you special, or representative.

really? - why do all the banks and fin co's use it then?

[sadkingbilly]

Well lucky old you. The major benefit of working on niche, outdated technology I suppose... But sadly it doesn't make you special, or representative.

you're confusing me with someone who GAFF what you think.

[malvolio]

I'm turning work down, regularly.

Well lucky old you. The major benefit of working on niche, outdated technology I suppose... But sadly it doesn't make you special, or representative.

[sadkingbilly]

I'm turning work down, regularly.

[TheDude]

I can't say the new year has seen any uptick in the number of contract/perm roles being advertised or the rates/salaries on offer.

[TheDude]

Don't take it too hard.
Unreasonable to ask interviewees to solve LeetCode 'hard' problems without reference material IMO.
I think they are testing the wrong skills.

I worked with Reuters for many years, I don't recall anyone being required to code a topological sort from memory.
The work was about getting regression-tested features into production as quickly as possible by whatever means.

I was at Reuters for ten years - Market data and then FX trading.

The interview was with Bloomberg.

[TheDude]

Come on, top sort is easy peasy!

The difficult part was spotting the need to build a graph and do a topological sort. If it was easy it wouldn't be a Leetcode hard.

[willendure]

Didn't go well. After an hour they hit me with a Leetode Hard algorithm that required a topological sort.

These sort of coding challenges are so arbitrary. If I am unfamiliar with an algorithm you expect me to derive it in an interview quicker than the person it was named after?

Come on, top sort is easy peasy!

[ResistanceFighter]

IMO quite the opposite.

Safe to say I wasn't expecting that!

[coolhandluke]

Didn't go well. After an hour they hit me with a Leetode Hard algorithm that required a topological sort.

These sort of coding challenges are so arbitrary. If I am unfamiliar with an algorithm you expect me to derive it in an interview quicker than the person it was named after?

These type of questions say more about the interviewer than the interviewee. When I get something like this I see it as a lucky escape as invariably the place is staffed by morons.

[Dorkeaux]

Didn't go well. After an hour they hit me with a Leetode Hard algorithm that required a topological sort.

These sort of coding challenges are so arbitrary. If I am unfamiliar with an algorithm you expect me to derive it in an interview quicker than the person it was named after?

Don't take it too hard.
Unreasonable to ask interviewees to solve LeetCode 'hard' problems without reference material IMO.
I think they are testing the wrong skills.

I worked with Reuters for many years, I don't recall anyone being required to code a topological sort from memory.
The work was about getting regression-tested features into production as quickly as possible by whatever means.

[TheDude]

Final set of interviews tomorrow at a US financial information company.

Let's see what happens.

Didn't go well. After an hour they hit me with a Leetode Hard algorithm that required a topological sort.

These sort of coding challenges are so arbitrary. If I am unfamiliar with an algorithm you expect me to derive it in an interview quicker than the person it was named after?

[ladymuck]

depends on your skillset.

And your network!

[sadkingbilly]

Contract just ended abruptly, internal politics nothing to do with the product team, back looking again - guessing things haven't improved in the last 6 months?

depends on your skillset.