Everyone learns differently, so find the way you learn best. If you learn best by doing, you should do side projects, and they don't need to be novel ideas. There are tons of lists of project ideas (e.g. https://austinhenley.com/blog/challengingprojects.html).
Also, improvement can come at an accelerated rate if you have a short feedback loop e.g. a mentor or another person to work on a project with you, as opposed to going solo. It also helps with motivation.
First, whatever you may feel about your tech lead -- don't let it get out to prospective teams. Complaining about people in a previous team will look bad on you. (Even if it's not your fault, that's how interviewers may perceive you.)
Second, you have my sympathy. I was in a team where I was doing a lot of the technical work and leadership. The TL didn't come up with designs, didn't mentor anyone, and talked behind other engineer's backs. I have no problem with the fact that he didn't write much code, but it was very frustrating that he couldn't explain to me why he disagreed with my designs. In one instance, I had met with the TL multiple times to make sure he and I were on the same page, held several team-wide design reviews in the previous month where the TL attended, and got approval from all the other engineers on the team to begin my work. My manager's feedback to me was, 1) it was my responsibility to make the TL understand and 2) I needed to work on "buying consensus" with the team. To say the least, I started looking for a job with better career opportunities.
I wasn't the only person who felt the way I did; the person who took my place after I left the team felt the same way. I later found out that the TL got promoted (for what, I have no idea, but it's probably because he played the politics well).
This stuff happens.
You can't do much about fixing your team situation, but you can certainly look to move to another team where there are better opportunities to grow and be noticed. Also, take some time to observe how he plays politics. Some of it you might agree with (and it may be useful to you in the future), and some of it you might not agree with. My TL was very good at praising people he perceived as higher ranking than him, and he would somehow talk to them in such a way that they would basically spell out designs for him, so he was "never wrong" about how he did things. You'll find that the higher you go up, it's not just about your technical abilities anymore, but how you convince people about the right decisions to make.
Don't know if you can say Google as a whole does 20% time. But there are many Googlers who do 20% time. I've done several 20% projects in the last 2 years.
* Buy "Cracking the Coding Interview" and go through as many problems in it. It also gives a good rundown of Algos, DS, Space & Time complexity.
* If you've never done a Google (or other big company) interview before, you could also consider looking on YouTube to see some example interviews (e.g. how people approach a problem, how they talk it out with the interviewer, etc.)
If you don't end up nailing the interview, it's really ok. You can try again in a year. :) There are people who've done 2 or 3 tries at interviews before they get in.
Did the recruiter give you a list of materials to review? You need to practice whiteboard coding in a timed setting as well. Leetcode is a good place to practice online, but a whiteboard is even better. If you need interview practice, you can also try mock interviews (they tend to cost money).
The best feedback I received was from a hiring manager who said I was not senior enough for the position (they only hire senior engineers at that company). After my onsite interviews, we had a series of phone calls that pushed me out of my comfort zone, onto a path to discover my career.
1. He said he and his team were sitting on the fence about whether to take me on or not. The interviews went well, but he couldn't make a decision yet, so we agreed to talk in the morning.
2. He called the next morning and told me I didn't get the position. He gave his reasons (further down) and told me to keep in touch. I asked if I could call him again to ask some questions and he said that was fine.
3. Played phone tag a little, but he eventually called back and took the time to answer my questions about growing as an engineer.
This hiring manager was looking for senior engineers. I had no idea where I stood in my career, having been at the same company for most of my career (8 years), but I decided to give the interview a try. Hiring manager said I was not senior enough (a fair assessment) for the position. I asked him what it would take for me to be considered "senior enough" and he gave me some pointers on how to gain depth and breadth, as well as developing soft skills.
That 3rd phone call was really, really valuable. I started reading books (both technical and non technical) and really pushing myself to code more. But more importantly, I've pushed myself to seek help and guidance from people who are way more experienced. I suppose when you get specific directions, you get just a little bit closer to your destination... even if it's a moving target. :)
It's pretty rare to get this kind of feedback and I can definitely see why recruiters and hiring managers don't give this level of detail. They're really not obligated, and it can get them in trouble.
+1 to this. I was in the same situation as OP (company laid off most employees due to funding) and I always told my interviewers, "Honestly, I really didn't want to leave :)" None of the interviewers really raised an eyebrow about it.
This is exactly how I am. It takes a little practice to balance out the silence with speaking but when you find your comfort level, you'll be ok. :) I've told interviewers something to the effect of, "Sorry, give me one second to think -- it's hard to interleave my thoughts and talking aloud" and they were really ok with it.
I found that mock interviews helped me to some degree with this. It's hard for me to talk and write code simultaneously, so practicing in front of someone who is an experienced interviewer helped me gain some confidence in whiteboard coding.
This is anecdotal -- but it seems like companies are more or less pretty understanding if your reason is justifiable. I had a string of jobs (fulltime, then laid off, then consulting for 3 separate clients). I interviewed with over 20 companies this year and no one had a problem with the gaps in my resume. They were more interested (concerned?) about why I had worked with so many companies.
I've worked with 2 graduates from Dev Bootcamp who contributed a lot on the team. (~5-7 developers total) One of them came on as an intern (originally we weren't going to take him on, but we re-interviewed him. The second time around, he really prepared for the interview) and we converted him to fulltime. Another of our team members went to Dev Bootcamp later and recently landed a position as a backend dev.
Also worked with a HackReactor grad who did some good work on web and embedded stuff (which he learned on the job). One of the common traits of these bootcamp grads is that they were willing to build stuff and took time to learn (ask a lot of questions).
I think DBC also has hiring coaches and a good community for career help. Also, I think DBC alums often go back and mentor new developers in the program, which is nice.
Hey there. I didn't take Algorithms in college and am also not so good at it. Don't fret -- you'll get it. Grab a couple interview study books, the Algorithms Design Manual, etc. and study. It'll be hard and you might not feel like you're making progress -- it's ok. Keep practicing and don't lose hope. I interviewed at over 15 companies over the span of 3-4 months (I also did mock interviews, but my algs skills were so not good that the practice didn't really help) and was rejected by most of them (like, 12 of them), but finally I received an offer for a position I didn't think I'd get.
Keep your hopes up, look forward to beefing up your theory, and most of all, landing a position. :) Good luck!
Trying to drink from the firehose without taking a break to breathe every so often. I usually don't think about it till the body starts freaking out and refuses to let me keep going.
This year I started 4 new jobs. 1 at a startup after an 8 year long position that I basically grew up in. There were some layoffs and so I picked up 3 contract positions to try to learn new things and pay bills and junk. I also went from a 10 minute commute to almost 1.5-2hrs... which is a big jump for me. The 3 contract thing worked for awhile until the holidays rolled around, and then everything became too much. I was able to exit one contract gig somewhat gracefully and told the others that I wouldn't be working much during the holidays. Just in time for anxiety to kick in. :P On top of that, currently studying for interviews, which I haven't done, ever.
I think I know how to pace myself better, but we'll see...
Also, improvement can come at an accelerated rate if you have a short feedback loop e.g. a mentor or another person to work on a project with you, as opposed to going solo. It also helps with motivation.