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Caitlin Talks to a Code Jam Finalist
April 23, 2010
Hi guys! It’s Caitlin again. With this year’s Code Jam competition right around the corner, I thought you might like a bit of insider info from someone who knows the ropes. Meet Dmytro Dzhulgakov, a 2009 Code Jam Finalist and soon-to-be Google Zurich intern!
(Code Jam 2010 is open for registration--visit
http://code.google.com/codejam
to sign up now!)
Caitlin:
Hi Dmytro! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Dmytro:
I live in Kharkiv, one of the main educational and scientific centres in Ukraine. I was obsessed with Lego as a child...I think that’s probably how I became interested in engineering and computers. I wrote my first program in Assembler at the age of 8 for the Intel 8080 chip :) Then I switched to Pascal and Delphi and began exploring the beautiful world of algorithms. I started picking up C++ when I was 16.
Now, I’m a forth year student of National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", where I study Applied Mathematics. This degree offers a great mix of maths, algorithms theory and practical programming--so it suits me perfectly.
As for hobbies, I really enjoy photography. So, I'd like to thank Code Jam for the great opportunity to
photograph Zurich and San Francisco
!
C:
When did you first become involved in coding competitions?
D:
My first serious programming contest was the ‘National Olympiad in Informatics’ for secondary school students. I got involved in 2002 and, after four years, I finally managed to win! This led to my first overseas trip to the International Olympiad in Merida, Mexico. I entered university and joined TopCoder and ACM ICPC that same year.
Recently, I managed to hit the TopCoder 3000 mark and become a "target". As for ACM, this year my university team qualified for the World Finals that were held in Harbin, China. We shared 14th place with teams from famous universities like Stanford and MIT.
But, my most unforgettable and exciting experience so far was Google Code Jam. I’ve participated twice now, in 2008 and 2009. It was unbelievably great to visit Zurich for the Semi-finals in 2008 and San Francisco for the Finals in 2008 and 2009 and to get acquainted with these wonderful cities.
C:
What attracted you to Code Jam? What did you enjoy the most?
D:
I like that Code Jam is open to everyone of any age and from any country. It means that you can compete with talented students, famous coaches and legendary coders from all over the world in the same contest. The competition format allows you to use whatever tools you want.
It's always very exciting to visit different countries and it's especially great to go as part of a competition. Thanks to Code Jam, I've been to San Francisco for two times and really loved this beautiful city. Last time, I took more than 2600 photos! Apart from the amazing architecture of the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and many other sights, it was really impressive to visit Stanford and to feel the spirit of the Silicon Valley.
But, the most interesting part was visiting the heart of Google – the headquarters in Mountain View. It was a great chance to talk to Googlers, see where they work and how the cutting-edge products are created. Everything is designed for comfort and creative mood - from delicious food to the famous pink flamingos attacking T-Rex!
C:
Are you excited about your upcoming internship?
D:
Yes! Google’s recruiting team asked me and the other finalists if we’d be interested in jobs or internships (if we’re still students). The actual interview is a challenging process--you have to solve problems (some of which can appear easy) but also explain your thought processes and logic, sequentially improving your solution and making it more efficient. It's great that you are interviewed by real Google engineers because, after your interview, you can ask them about their projects! So, I really enjoyed the recruiting process and now I'm looking forward to joining Google Switzerland!
C:
Any advice for your fellow students about Code Jam or applying for internships?
D:
Participating in Code Jam gives you valuable experience and great opportunity to challenge yourself! To succeed you should practice a lot, but the main part of success is to really enjoy the things you do!
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