applied internally to a role thatd be a nice pay pump. its a data role with a strong emphasis on python and sql skills. i studied my ass off on data concepts anticipating questions like “how would you start solving xyz problem” or “how would you find business insights on zyx” and the first question is “whats the difference between a dict and a list in python?” or hell, even a leetcode-like question. i like to think im decent at USING python and sql, but not having used them in a current role in ~2 years, these google-search-esque questions threw me off guard. i fumbled making up answers for a few but some i straight up had to say i have no fkn clue. so todays been a bit of a demeaning experience! has anyone else ever had an interview where they asked questions like that?
the difference between list and dict is basically ordered list vs key value pair. the advantage of dict is that key value pair, finding or changing something (using its key) is big O of (1). its generally important for accessing data in a large pool of data quickly (as O(1) < O(n)
its one of things where its a fundamental concept question check that one would usually learn in school