Forem: Saloni Goyal

Name an every day object/scenario that serves as an example of a popular data structure

Saloni Goyal — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 17:32:58 +0000

The Secret Ingredient

Saloni Goyal — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 04:50:47 +0000

I remember when I was in college (guess I’m old now), I used to enjoy learning so much. And still do.

I always wanted to score well in exams and get a good job, but never really actively worried about this stuff until the day of an exam or an interview. This may sound strange to most, but that’s how it’s been for me.

Most days, there was just this joy in learning. Each subject had its own charm. I enjoyed learning about database management and also learning about Economics and Finance. There was always something to learn from the course, the instructor, my peers, seniors, and juniors too.

And I learnt something everyday, not just about Computer Science but about myself, people and life in general.

Students often ask me now how I prepared for interviews, where did I study from, and how long does it take to prepare for an interview (or as pop-culture suggests, ‘crack an interview’). I honestly don't have a clear answer.

If I tell you to actively learn whatever you find interesting and also take interests in things that are considered important for achieving your goal and simply enjoy the process, can you accept this answer?

Computer Science is not all about Data Structures— that is just one tiny part of that degree. Is it important? Yes. But you shouldn’t restrict yourself to just learning Data Structures because you think it will help you get a job. Or because there is so much popular culture focusing on the ‘it’ thing.

I see a lot of fear in students today, and this fear leads to all sorts of unconstructive activities— cheating in contests to get better ratings, envying those doing better than you, developing a scarcity mindset (thinking if someone else got a good job, your chances somehow diminish). But that is really not the case.

Having an abundance mindset really helps in life. I did my entire bachelors studying with a friend way smarter than me, and we both helped each other learn; it helped us both in the end.

Enjoy learning. Approach any subject with a natural curiosity, and then feed that quest with answers on how things work. There is so much joy in learning and growth when you do it for the right reasons; reasons not stemming from fear. And help each other along the way. The relationships you make in your journey to success will any day be more important than whatever your final destination looks like.

Why I Write And Why I Think You Should Too

Saloni Goyal — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 13:41:13 +0000

I have been trying to write on and off for some time now. One of the reasons for this is because I have always been a reader and this just seemed like something I should give a go to given all the random stuff floating in my brain because of all the reading.

Another reason is that I am the type of person who likes to share anything funny or interesting I find with people I like, to the point that it can be considered annoying (maybe).

But while these are reasons I started to write and share stuff, the reason that I plan to continue writing is not one entirely related to me.

And I am writing this article today because there are people in my life who have told me that they want to start writing too but haven't done it for some reason or the other.

One reason why I think most of us hesitate to put ourselves out there - be it via a post, a blog, a YouTube video, or any of the myriad ways possible today - is that we worry about what other people will think of us or our content. Another is that we don't think we are good enough in something or there are many people better than us already on a platform, so no point in us sharing something that will not add value to anyone or something that has already been said by someone far better than us.

All of these are of course very valid reasons. Another reason which I have heard is the lack of time, which I personally don't buy because if something is important to us, we can mostly find the time and means to do it.

Coming to why I want you to start writing; I want you to write because I think you are a good person. You may not be an expert in anything and you may be saying the same stuff so many before you have come and said but you will write something that means something to you and maybe ten years down the line a teenager will click on it and comment that this is all they needed to hear that day.

The thing is there are a lot of negative news headlines, articles, videos and posts being shared today and for good reason. As people, we tend to dwell more on the negative stuff and this is what a lot of media outlets like to feed on.

I haven't looked it up but I am sure if I do I can find plenty of content promoting bigotry and adding to mental health stigma and racism and gender inequality. Basically there is quite a lot of content spreading hate and fear.

And I think that for every piece of media spreading hate and fear we need at least 10 spreading love and inclusion, again because we tend to dwell more on the negative, so we need the positive to outnumber the negative by a good margin.

So that ten years down the line, when a teenager uses the internet to look up stuff and they find one article on body shaming they should be able to find ten articles promoting body positivity. If she sees one video telling her that she is a loser because she did not secure a rank in one exam on one day, there will be ten telling her to not let society determine her self-worth.

It is important because we now consume all of our information from the internet. Sure I read books too, but I choose which books to read mostly from the internet when someone shares it on their Goodreads page or I read a quote from a book somewhere and then look it up.

All this negativity generally doesn't get to me. But that is because I am now at an age where I don't let these things affect me and my thoughts that much. But I daily see people younger than me - my own siblings, my juniors - suffer from the same self-doubts that I went through all because I didn't share my own journey when I was going through it.

So to anyone who thinks that they have something to say and they think that they don't have the skills or the audience for it - I believe these things don't matter as much. Do not write for your peers. Write for the 5 year old you. Write stuff that you hope kids today will get to read more of. Write stuff that promotes diversity and inclusion, stuff that spreads love and positivity and not hate and fear.

It is going to be a terrible tragedy for us if decades down the line, students are still messaging their connections on LinkedIn asking if them being from a tier-3 college ruins their chances of getting into a good company.

Do not let society define your self-worth and write to make sure the next generation can create new problems of their own to suffer from and not continue to suffer from the very same things that trouble us today.

Software Developer Job Description (remote work edition)

Saloni Goyal — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 10:36:49 +0000

In no particular order -
 

Write Code
Write test cases
Automate tests/ manual tasks (Jenkins)
Wait for PR checks to finish
Read and write e-mails
Move tasks from TO DO --> IN PROGRESS --> DONE (Jira)
Do code reviews
Scrum/ standup meeting
Write documentation
Ask for promotion/pay raise
Ask people to review your PR (Git pull request)
Play bug hockey with testing team
Write peer reviews
Get peer reviewed
Ask for feedback
Give constructive feedback
Learn new things and share them with your team/the world
Ask people in your team to teach you something new they have learned.
Set clear time when you will be available and when you should only be reached if urgent.
Know that no task is small or beneath you.
Be grateful
Beat imposter syndrome
Mentor new people.
Ask for help when needed
Come up with good reasons to take PTO (paid time-off)
Talk about the share price of the company
Attend parties, farewells

Please add anything I missed.

How did you fall in love with programming?

Saloni Goyal — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 06:15:54 +0000

Daily Reminder

Saloni Goyal — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 06:23:38 +0000

Is there a website/course/book where data structures are solely explained in layman terms?

Saloni Goyal — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:24:13 +0000

"Debunking data structures and algorithms for everyone"

Like explaining linked lists using train compartments, stacks using cafeteria plates and queues using queues.

How can you make money in tech besides a job?

Saloni Goyal — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:03:09 +0000

What is your favourite data structure?

Saloni Goyal — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 16:26:31 +0000

[Year End] What was the best book you read this year?

Saloni Goyal — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:10:05 +0000

Has anyone tried writing a letter to Money?

Saloni Goyal — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:23:46 +0000

Dear Money,

time to talk..

For context -

In the book, You are a Badass at Making Money, by Jen Sincero one of her suggestions is to write a letter to money to get a better feel for what our relationship with it is like and how to change the negative beliefs, thoughts, and feelings we have toward it.

Wrote My First One Today

Also posted on medium.

Eliminating Obesity One Netflix Binge at a Time

Saloni Goyal — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 08:45:02 +0000

Ronan Byrne, an electrical engineering student in Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed watching Netflix, but he also knew that he should exercise more often than he did.

Putting his engineering skills to use, Byrne hacked his stationary bike and connected it to his laptop and television.

Then he wrote a computer program that would allow Netflix to run only if he was cycling at a certain speed. If he slowed down for too long, whatever show he was watching would pause until he started peddling again.

He was, in the words of one fan, “eliminating obesity one Netflix binge at a time.”

Source: Atomic Habits by James Clear.