Embarking on a career transition can often present unexpected challenges, even for seasoned professionals like Shrikant S.

The challenge—with 16+ years of experience in Java, Scala, and related technologies, Shrikant had primarily worked with monolithic applications, with limited exposure to microservices.

He felt it was time to transition to distributed environments and microservices, and started interviewing for relevant roles. Despite his expertise in programming languages, cracking DSA and System Design interviews proved challenging in his job search, and he couldn’t convert interviews.

1. Strong Foundational Learning: The first step was to start learning right from the fundamentals, paving the way for a deeper understanding of advanced concepts.
   “Omkar's foundational videos at IK are a great way to start a topic. All the concepts are explained from the basics in a detailed manner. This, in turn, helped me understand advanced topics and algorithms, and the MCQs ensure that a learner understands the concepts correctly,” Shrikant says.
2. Live Classes & Problem-Solving Patterns: Live classes that are programming language-agnostic have their merits. You learn problem-solving templates that are applicable across various platforms, which enhances problem-solving skills.
   Shrikant adds, “The thing that really helps is instead of solving many problems, Interview Kickstart teaches a template with which the majority of problems can be solved. The language agnostics make sure that it's not specific to any particular language or platform.”
3. Practice Diverse Problem Sets: Shrikant engaged in class practice problem sets offering a range of challenges and solutions for comparison, ensuring comprehension and improvement. The problem-solving templates that he learnt early on came in handy during these sessions.
4. Technical Coaching: Shrikant found it valuable to engage in 1-1 technical coaching sessions—it helped him clarify doubts and get a deeper understanding of specific concepts with industry experts, with timely and effective support from the team.
5. Mock Interviews: Shrikant believes these interviews are game-changers. He participated in mock interviews conducted by FAANG professionals, gaining real interview experience and receiving detailed feedback for improvement.

1. Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Shrikant tackled his lack of exposure to microservices architecture by immersing himself in IK's comprehensive course content, which covered fundamentals, system design, and scaling strategies, including:
   1. How to ask questions to come up with requirements.
   2. How to come up with microservices and architecture diagrams.
   3. Deep dive into each microservice.
   4. How to scale microservices.
   5. Depth-Oriented Problem vs Breadth-Oriented Problem.
2. Mastering Algorithms & Problem-Solving: From randomly solving LeetCode problems to a structured approach that leveraged patterns and templates, Shrikant gained a deeper understanding of algorithms and enhanced problem-solving strategies.
3. Refined Behavioural Interview Strategy: He received crucial insights during mock interviews on identifying and addressing behavioral interview red flags, and was able to constantly refine his interview strategy.