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Since you don’t have a CS background, you’ll want to focus on Data Structures & Algorithms. Cracking the Coding Interview is a good book that goes over both. There are also plenty of free online resources that cover both (YouTube, Coursera, etc). I would recommend starting with those two topics. You can also practice coding problems on websites like LeetCode/HackerRank to test/improve your skills. You’ll find similar problem that you may have a solution for but the accepted answers must be optimized. Beyond the technical skills, you’ll also want to brush up on some interview basics. I’d recommend following the STAR format. Also, for Amazon specifically, the Leadership Principles are huge. You really do want to nail them down and have anecdotes for each one. Good luck!
These are not problems you should memorize, but rather you should identify what is the pattern and strategy used to solve this problem. This is were knowledge of data structures comes in. Pick up udemy course, algoexpert, or many other books of choice to get started. FAANG is a long grind, there are people that have prepped 3+ month for this
If you haven’t heard of it, I found that interview cake is a great website to learn from. It’s worth the money, but if you don’t have money then you can sign up for the newsletter and they will send you one free question a week.
Don't be discouraged, if a position at Faang is what you really want. It's not a dealbreakers to not come from a cs background. Just keep practicing and rounding out your skills. The better you get, the higher the likelihood you'll see the answer they want in a coding test and be able to nail it.
I would take some courses on General Assembly or Udemy to get your skills stronger and then think about other companies you might be able to get into more easily first. Just will need to be playing a bit of a longer game.
It absolutely feels different. it's tougher and more competitive and takes a while to get comfortable when you get there. They also have pretty robust performance requirements and reviews, so you want to really be ready! They aren't afraid to fire.
I would work on getting some form of certification, if you don't already. It shouldn't be difficult to do if you already have the skills.
Sometimes you need to wait for the right job that more matches your experience. Find a job there that requires an less rigorous coding, like a scripting language. Requirements will be easier. You'll get your foot in the door and the pay is usually comparable. Good luck 👍
Got it. I will just get down to preparing then.