I’ve been in the industry for some time and unfortunately the reality is because I haven’t worked for companies with millions/billions of active users, I don’t have hands on experience designing those systems. I can pass system design interviews usually that are related to that but I believe that’s only because the lack of time takes away priority from an actual, practical, real, scaling plan.
I’d like to be more confident in my system design not just for interviews but because I’d like to actually be prepared to design a system to serve millions of active users. I’d like to have the experience to say with assurance what services I would use, what common challenges are, etc. I really want hands on experience versus purely theoretical.
My first thought goes to designing a system and using simulations/stress testers but I feel that could get really pricey.
Are there services or resources out there to help? What is your advice for me? Are there internships working on these sorts of systems for engineers who have been in the game for a while? Also would love any book/reading resources to expand my knowledge.
