How an 8‑Month Self‑Study Plan Landed a $100k+ Amazon Role – The Ultimate Interview Blueprint
This article recounts how John Washam, a non‑CS graduate, self‑studied for eight months, created a popular GitHub interview guide with over 130 k stars, and leveraged flashcards, language selection, algorithm fundamentals, and interview tips to secure a six‑figure software engineering position at Amazon.
John Washam, a non‑CS graduate, spent eight months self‑studying programming by reading books, writing code, and watching CS lectures, ultimately becoming an AWS technical expert with a six‑figure salary.
He compiled his learning journey into a GitHub repository called coding‑interview‑university , which has attracted more than 130 k stars.
Key Topics Covered
Choosing a programming language (C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, etc.)
Fundamentals of computer hardware
Algorithm analysis (Big‑O, complexity, data structures, trees, sorting, graphs)
Advanced concepts such as recursion, dynamic programming, combinatorics, NP‑complete problems, caching, threads, processes, system design, scalability, and data processing
Using flashcards for spaced‑repetition learning
Reading seminal research papers and recommended books on algorithms and C++ programming
Interview Preparation Tips
Craft a strong résumé (following Steve Yegge’s ten tips), prepare multiple answers for common interview questions, tell stories rather than just listing achievements, and ask insightful questions to interviewers.
Additional study areas include Unix command‑line tools, cryptography, and efficiency‑boosting editors like Emacs and Vim.
Even without a Google offer, the tutorial can greatly enrich your skills.
The article provides links to the GitHub repositories for the interview guide and the flashcard project, encouraging readers to follow Washam’s disciplined approach.
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
This article has been distilled and summarized from source material, then republished for learning and reference. If you believe it infringes your rights, please contactand we will review it promptly.
Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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