maheshs

A challenge I'd love the community's input on. Coming from a background of successfully delivering web applications over the last 15 years (mostly small to medium scale), I'm now preparing for interviews where system design plays a crucial role.

While I've mastered building efficient small to medium-scale systems, I find myself in uncharted territory when discussing highly distributed architectures.

I've been studying comprehensive resources (Alex Xu's books, DDIA), but there's still a gap between theory and interview performance.

My main hurdles:

- Converting theoretical knowledge into practical system design proposals

- Steering technical discussions effectively

- Making and defending architectural decisions with solid reasoning

For those who've made this transition:

- What techniques helped you apply book knowledge in interview scenarios?

- How did you develop practical system design skills?

- What helped you discuss large-scale systems convincingly despite limited hands-on experience?

Particularly interested in concrete methods and resources that led to interview success.

Anyone who's crossed this bridge, I'd value your insights!"

"I'm a software engineer/engineering manager with experience building web applications from the last 15 years for small to medium-scale systems (100-100K users).

While I've successfully managed these projects, they haven't required complex scalability solutions.

I'm currently preparing for interviews and finding system design questions challenging. Despite studying resources like Alex Xu's System Design Interview books and 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', I struggle with:

1. Confidently recommending distributed system solutions

2. Asking the right questions during discussions

3. Articulating trade-offs between different approaches

I'm looking for advice from engineers who've been in similar situations:

1. How did you bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical discussions?

2. What strategies helped you practice and improve your system design skills?

3. How did you build confidence in discussing large-scale architectures without direct experience?

Would especially appreciate hearing about specific approaches or resources that helped you succeed in system design interviews."

What you are planning (or continue) to learn?

why and how do you think this will impact your career?

Layoff is difficult. I want to know from people who gone through it.

- How they deal with it on daily basis and keep their motivation up?

- What actions they have taken? What works and what didn't?

- Any suggestions?

There are always few things in every field which never changed. What are the top things according to you which not going to change or didn't change in the field of software development?

I have come across several advice posts targeted towards younger individuals, and sometimes I find myself thinking, "I wish I had known these things earlier in my life."

However, there are certain pieces of advice that are applicable to people of all ages, such as maintaining clean eating habits, engaging in regular exercise, fostering healthy relationships, and building a strong network of friends and acquaintances.

Considering this, what kind of advice can individuals in their 60s offer to those in their 40s?

I have build many small size web apps.

I lack experience in designing medium to large application. I tried to read system design content but not able to gain confidence.

How can I do the hands-on practice of system design concepts. Please your tips, resources, plan etc.

I am looking for a way to get my hands dirty on all those theories of system design.

There are lots content to read but I find it hard to gain confidence until I do some hands-on.

Please suggest any tips, resources for doing so.

I build many small to medium web applications.