1/29/2010
Written by
John Carrino:
I was introduced to programming by Jeff while in High School. Soon, Jeff and I began working with Steve on a programming team to compete in ACSL (American Computer Science League). After 2 successful seasons with Jeff and Steve, I matriculated to the University of Illinois to study Computer Science which is where I discovered ACM. I devoted many days and nights to ACM, working on projects for SigGraph and SigOps and served as Chair of SigOps as well as Secretary during my Junior year. ACM is an amazing organization because of the experience you will get from working on various projects and for the people you will meet and work with. The people you will work with will pass along knowledge that cannot be taught in a classroom. In addition, many of the people you will meet and work with at ACM will become excellent resources as you begin and further your career as many of them will provide connections and interviews with awesome places to work.
My experience with ICPC was irreplaceable. I was fortunate to be reunited with Jeff and Steve, my programming team from High School. Prior to my entrance into ICPC, Steve and Jeff had already completed one season and had traveled to Prague. In 2005 when Jeff and Steve invited me to join their team I jumped at the idea. We were about to compete in regionals when Jeff fell extremely ill. He was our star but spent most of the competition rolling around on the floor, wrapped in a blanket. We still placed 2nd which solidified our spot in worlds, in Shanghai.
Our coach Marsha, her husband, Steve, Ari and I decided to extend our trip to Shanghai from 1 week to 3 weeks, traveling around China the two weeks prior to worlds. Our adventure through China was fabulous. After our two weeks of traveling, we met Jeff in Shanghai where we had tailored suits made and prepared for the competition. Fortunately, Jeff was in better health so we were confident going in. Our performance was stellar thanks to Jeff. We answered 5 questions, which was more than any other U.S. team and while we placed 17th in Shanghai, we were #1 in the States. It was an amazing ending to an amazing trip and experience.
Even though after graduation we all went our separate ways, 2 years later we all ended up in the Silicon Valley, and then 4 years later, at Palantir. Since we've put the team back together, we have been tackling a lot of the hard problems Palantir has to deal with every day and loving it!
Steve Downing:
I’ve been drawn to programming for as long as I can remember, but growing up with Jeff definitely accelerated my interest and learning. As a kid, I felt like programming was the most productive thing I could do. My enthusiasm for programming continued to grow in high school where there was a critical mass of people drawn to the same thing. There was always a sense of competitive motivation, we challenged each other, but helped and learned from each other at the same time.
When it came time for college, UIUC was a natural choice, and Jeff recruited me to join ACM in 2003. I loved the rush we got from solving a problem under pressure of the time limits, the idea that you could always get just one more problem solved. In 2004 we had the opportunity to travel to Prague to compete, and we met finalists from all over the world. We placed second in the Java Challenge, and were able to go home with some bragging rights. We were also lucky enough to travel in Eastern Europe, overall it was an amazing opportunity.
In fall 2004, we convinced John to join our team, and we rocked regionals. Despite a software glitch, we made it into the top 2, and went on to place as the top US team at the world finals in Shanghai that year. Another amazing year in ACM, and another amazing travel experience.
Being a part of ACM and ICPC was my ticket to a great job after college. I was not exactly a stellar student, but all of my programming competition experience was my foot in the door, the thing on my resume that made people read a little more, and call me for that initial interview. It led me to Google after graduation, and ultimately John recruited me to Palantir, where I will happily remain for a long time. Palantir has been an awesome opportunity; a place where I am not given tasks to complete, but problems to solve, and it feels great to be given the freedom to push the limits and be an active part of an amazing company and product.
Jeff Tamer:
I can't remember an age when I wasn't interested in coding. My dad was (and still is) a programmer, so it was a natural path for me to take growing up. I met Steve in third grade, and he quickly became interested in computers and programming as well. When we went to high school and met John, it didn't take long before he was learning to code with us too. The three of us remained good friends throughout high school, college, and beyond.
In the fall of 2003, Steve and I learned about the ACM-ICPC competition, and in 2004 we went to the world finals in Prague. It was my first time in Europe, and it was a great experience getting to meet brilliant CS students from all over the world. We struggled a bit during the main competition, but we finished second place in the supplemental Java AI challenge that year. Steve and I managed to recruit John onto our team the following year, and the three of us made it to the world finals yet again (but just barely, due to a bug in the judging code at regionals). In Shanghai we were thrilled to be able to complete 5 out of 10 questions, finishing first place in the US. The three of us made a really fantastic team due to good communication and being able to play off each other’s strengths.
Not only did the ACM offer me the opportunity to see the world, but also it turned out to be a great way for me to get noticed by employers. Having that experience on my resume made me stand out, and helped compensate for my abysmal GPA :). Google offered me a job straight out of college, and after four years as a Googler, Steve and John convinced me to leave and join them at Palantir. I'm glad I took their advice, because Palantir is a really great company to be a part of -- the engineering work is challenging, the culture and work environment are welcoming and rewarding, and it's great to know that the product you're building is actually saving people's lives.