That's something I have to talk with this new customer, I'll try to start with a reduced amount of dedication and then increase it if needed as the project evolves.
Leetcode questions were never brought up in the interviews I've had for the time being. There were the kind of questions I've mentioned in the OP and some code exercises.
Yes, I'm not really thinking about doing freelancing hands on work. The only possibility would be to help them come up with a high level solution, as I had built a very similar product in the past.
Update: I've (politely) declined the offer and told them to 2x the number if they wanted to bring me in. They've asked me if I can work some hours for the rest of the year in order to help the engineering team launch the first iteration of the product and then revisit the proposal in January.
Thanks for all the comments, you're all being very helpful.
I really appreciate your (and everyone) help. I've always knew I was behind some things but this real world experience slapped me in the face and now I'm trying to readjust.
My manager has already been aware of my lack of knowledge but I'll talk to him to know if they still want me there. If I keep my job I for sure will be asking for more help at the start of a new project.
A different situation brought me to a similar experience.
I have a good professional network but it's mostly local (Argentina). I've been planning to live here all my life but it's not a good place to live anymore. I'm planning to relocate to Europe so I had to start with the interview process again and being a "generalist problem solver with software" is getting difficult to get good job offers.
Thanks, I already knew about graphiq and it's a great inspiration, my idea, if the consulting/freelancing works out, would be trying to pivot into a business model similar to graphiq.
What can you tell us about your experience working for them? Do you know how it got started?
Very nice feedback, thanks!. I know Tufte (here in HN there was a topic about his opinion on pie charts) but I've never read something from Stephen Few. I'll definitely check it out.
Regarding the building of some examples, yes, I've already made some of them for the news media job I have, but I'm doing a contract job for a real estate aggregator company (like trulia but from Argentina) and I'm interested in all things regarding public transport. So I think I'll explore these topics and see what sticks.
Thanks for your opinion. I was thinking about giving all modules a priority based on alternative income sources the module could provide(the app for appointments for example) and also considering how relevant is the module in the system.
This way I could change the "refactor this system in 1 year and then we might see the benefits" to "pick several modules, refactor them and add some features/apps taking advantage of it".