

Ask HN: What's the most challenging thing you've worked on? - blergh123

I&#x27;ve been getting this question a lot lately in interviews, and am having trouble coming up with something. Either it&#x27;s imposter syndrome and I think that nothing I&#x27;ve worked on was challenging, or I really haven&#x27;t.<p>I&#x27;m wondering what other people would answer for this question, and how much detail would you give?<p>I&#x27;m specifically asking this question in a Software Engineering&#x2F;Programmer context, not that interested in manager type challenges.
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LarryMade2
My most challenging thing was doing the last rewrite of the child care subsidy
management system at our agency. It combined all the bits and pieces I had
developed in the last decade, added several new layers of detail (was able to
complete all forms and reports) and added depth (historical data tracking).
Went from single user app (FoxBase - actually the old version used a
distributed-data method so it was multi-user) to Web Based (LAMP) one. Well
integrated...

There's just a lot to write about it, lots of different challenges and
successes. and I could tell stories on those older systems too there are
successes and challenges all the time.

I think a lot of this is demonstrating experience, interest and problem
solving skills, might also touch on communication skills and able to relate
technical aspects understandably.

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parvatzar
As developers , we grapple with challenges everyday. This is the reason I
chose this as a direction in life rather than just a profession. What one
thinks (as a developer in my opinion) was the most challenging problem today
would certainly be overshadowed by something even more formidable tomorrow. As
far as details are concerned , that really depends. I say quote the challenge
you could rate as the highest, and elaborate on how you went about dealing
with it and coming out with a solution and making that particular module or
feature work. Not all challenges get dealt with elegantly, most are just last
minute bug-fixes (from my experience) to ship the code / feature to production
and does lead to code that might not make us feel too proud about later on. So
think it through choose the challenge to narrate about wisely and prioritize
those with elegant solutions.Quick-fixes are not always bad if they serve the
purpose to fix bad / buggy code. As for the main points on how to begin or
what to highlight: 1\. What was the challenge (a brief description)? 2\. What
were your foreseeable possible solutions (There are always multiple approaches
to attack any code problem)? 3\. Was there any collaborative brainstorming
(sharing your challenges / problems within your team and seeking advice from
those who might be able to give you a direction is the way to go) ? 4\. What
was the solution and how did you implement in the code ( the real "under the
hood" details come here)? 5\. What did you learn from this challenge ( Bonus
Points for this) ?

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markmassie
You need to reframe the question. The interviewer isn't interested in the
challenge, they are interested in the how you solved it and _why it matters_.

What is the most _meaningful_ contribution you've made?

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pagantomato
This is an easier question to answer if you've ever worked on some open-ended
research or problems where the path to the solution is just not known. Those
sorts of problems seep into your dreams even when the last thing on your mind
is work.

However, even if you aren't doing research, good answers are probably found in
those scenarios where you are pushing the limits of some particular software
framework. Anywhere you have to bend the rules or invent new rules just to
accomplish something makes for a good interview story. How detailed you go in
your answer depends on how entertained the guy on the other side of the table
is.

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csmdev
The interviewer is not actually interested in challenges you faced. He is
interested in how to handled them. So simply prepare a good story about how
you overcame adversity and solved a huge problem with an extremely intelligent
solution. Interviewers love that kind of stuff.

~~~
JSeymourATL
* Solid advice from csmdev-- Managers want to know how you think. Might add in describing your results, include how your solution impacted the bottom line by helping to save the company money or increase revenue. It shows you understand the big picture and care about the larger business needs.

