Sprint Challenge - Web Unit 3 Sprint 12

Sprint Challenge Overview

The Sprint Challenge is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts covered in this sprint. You'll need to complete both technical and career readiness components to showcase your skills and preparation for the job market.

Challenge Components

1. Technical Assessment

Complete the official GCA test to demonstrate your technical skills in:

Object manipulation and letter counting
Caching strategies
Object references and linked lists
Class implementation

Preparation Tips:

Instead of using CodeSignal Arcade which is no longer available, prepare with these LeetCode resources:

LeetCode: Contains Duplicate - Practice with objects/hash tables LeetCode: Valid Anagram - Letter counting application LeetCode: Climbing Stairs - Caching/memoization implementation LeetCode: Reverse Linked List - Linked list manipulation LeetCode: Implement Stack using Queues - Class implementation practice

Key Assessment Areas:

Problem Analysis: Breaking down complex problems into solvable components
Algorithm Design: Creating efficient solutions with appropriate data structures
Code Implementation: Writing clean, functional code that solves the problem
Performance Optimization: Improving time and space complexity
Edge Case Handling: Accounting for special cases and unexpected inputs

Practice Strategy:

// When practicing, follow this structured approach for each problem:

1. UNDERSTAND:
   - Identify inputs, outputs, and constraints
   - Work through simple examples manually
   - Consider edge cases (empty inputs, large inputs, etc.)

2. PLAN:
   - Choose appropriate data structures (arrays, objects, linked lists)
   - Outline your algorithm in pseudocode
   - Consider time and space complexity

3. EXECUTE:
   - Implement your solution in code
   - Break down complex operations into helper functions
   - Comment your code for clarity

4. REVIEW:
   - Test your solution with various inputs
   - Optimize if needed (can you reduce time/space complexity?)
   - Refactor for readability and maintainability

2. Career Readiness Component

Complete these career readiness activities to enhance your job search preparation:

Submit your updated technical resume incorporating feedback from Module 4
Complete and document results from two additional informational interviews
Create a targeted cover letter template for your next application

Resume Tips:

Highlight technical skills relevant to the positions you're targeting
Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Reduced load time by 30%")
Include relevant projects with brief descriptions of technologies used
List technologies and programming languages in a prominent skills section
Ensure your resume is ATS-friendly with appropriate keywords

Submission Requirements

Submit the following items by the deadline:

GCA test results screenshot showing completion and score
Updated technical resume (PDF format)
Informational interview documentation (name, company, position, 3 key takeaways)
Cover letter template (PDF format)

Submit all materials through the Sprint Challenge submission form in your student dashboard.

If you encounter any issues with the submission process, contact your instructor immediately.