Interview experience requesting specific advice

  • Date : September 27, 2024
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# Interview Experience: Seeking Specific Advice for C++ Multithreading Challenges

As a fresh graduate, I recently completed an interview process that, while rigorous and educational, ultimately culminated in a disappointing conclusion: I did not pass the final technical round. The initial stages of the interview were fairly standard, consisting of theoretical questions on C++, low-level programming concepts, assembly language, multithreading, latency optimizations, operating system functionalities, and discussions about my project experiences. I also tackled several medium-level LeetCode problems, which helped me demonstrate my coding skills.

However, the final round took a turn that I wasn't fully prepared for. I was tasked with implementing a C++ thread pool executor capable of handling a variety of functions, including those with no parameters, functions with parameters, and functions that return values. Despite my background in multithreading and experience with locks and variadic templates, I found myself struggling with some of the more advanced components of the C++ standard library, such as `std::packaged_task` and `std::future`.

### The Challenge

The interviewer provided a specific requirement for the thread pool: I needed to utilize `std::packaged_task` to manage tasks that could return results later. For instance, the implementation involved:

```cpp
std::shared_ptr<std::packaged_task<ReturnType()>> task = std::make_shared<std::packaged_task<ReturnType()>>(
  std::bind(std::forward<Func>(func), std::forward<Args>(args)...)
);

std::future<ReturnType> result = task->get_future();  // Get the future to return to the caller

{
  std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(queueMutex);
  tasks.emplace([task]() { (*task)(); });  // Add the task to the queue
}

condition.notify_one();  // Notify one worker thread
return result;

This snippet highlighted my lack of familiarity with returning data types through futures. I struggled to comprehend how to properly define a function that could return a future:

template<typename Func, typename... Args>
std::future<std::invoke_result_t<Func, Args...>> myFunction(Func&& func, Args&&... args)

Lessons Learned

This experience prompted me to reflect on my knowledge and skills in C++. While I had theoretical knowledge and some practical experience through personal projects, I realized I needed to deepen my understanding of advanced C++ concepts, particularly in multithreading.

Seeking Improvement

In light of this experience, I’m seeking specific advice on areas where I can improve. Here are some ideas I’ve considered:

  1. Implement a C++ Thread Pool Executor: This is a classic problem that can help solidify my understanding of task management and multithreading.

  2. 2D Texture Spritesheet Allocator: Creating a texture allocator can deepen my understanding of memory management, which is critical in graphics programming.

  3. Custom Memory Pool Allocator: This project would enhance my grasp of memory allocation strategies and performance optimizations in C++.

  4. Explore Advanced C++ Features: Familiarize myself with more complex standard library components, such as std::variant, std::optional, and the newer std::execution policies in C++17 and beyond.

  5. Contribute to Open Source Projects: Engaging with open-source projects, especially those that involve C++ and multithreading, can provide real-world experience and expose me to best practices.

  6. Practice Problem-Solving with LeetCode: While I tackled some medium-level problems, I should aim for more challenging problems, particularly those involving concurrency and resource management.

Conclusion

Reflecting on my interview experience has been invaluable. While it was disappointing not to succeed in the final round, it served as a catalyst for growth. I am determined to enhance my C++ skills, particularly in multithreading, by working on relevant projects and studying advanced features of the language.

I welcome any suggestions or resources that could aid in my learning journey. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to your advice!

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