One Roadmap Followed Me From McKinsey to Samsung to Goldman Sachs

Hi, I’m Gaurav Poosarla, a Computer Science graduate from VIT Vellore. I currently work as an Analyst in the Securities Lending Technology team at Goldman Sachs. Before this, I worked as an SDE at Samsung and secured an internship and full time offer from McKinsey through campus placements.

The Resource I Kept Coming Back To

TUF has been part of almost every major milestone in my career.

I first used it during campus placements to prepare for McKinsey. When my joining was deferred, I returned to TUF while preparing for off campus opportunities and eventually landed an SDE role at Samsung.

Later, when I prepared for my switch to Goldman Sachs, I once again relied on TUF to revise DSA patterns and important concepts.

I Prepared by Patterns, Not Problem Counts

My approach was simple:

• Strengthen DSA fundamentals

• Solve problems pattern by pattern

• Make notes of key observations and mistakes

• Revise different approaches regularly

• Strengthen CS fundamentals

• Practise explaining my thought process

The structured sheets and topic wise organisation meant I always knew what to prepare next instead of randomly solving problems.

From McKinsey to Samsung to Goldman Sachs

My career journey didn't follow one straight path.

• McKinsey → Samsung → Goldman Sachs

Each transition came with a new round of preparation.

And each time, TUF became a familiar resource I could return to for structured revision and interview preparation.

Learn to Solve What You Haven’t Seen

Don't measure your preparation by how many problems you solve. Measure it by how much better you understand problems.

Learn patterns deeply, analyse your mistakes, strengthen your fundamentals, and practise communicating your thought process.

And remember: one rejection doesn't define your ability. It can simply show you what to improve before the next opportunity.

A Roadmap That Stayed With Me

From my first campus placement to multiple career transitions, TUF remained a consistent part of my preparation.

The biggest advantage wasn't having more resources. It was having one structured resource I could return to whenever I needed to prepare again.