The Challenge: A Race Against Time

As part of a rigorous job interview process, I embarked on an ambitious task: implementing the Chum Pederson Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) for authentication in Rust. With a tight deadline of one week, I set out to complete the project, delivering it in just 2.5 days.

Rust’s Unique Challenge: Object Ownership

The primary hurdle in this project was Rust’s unique approach to object ownership and memory management. Coming from a background predominantly focused on smart contracts, this presented a new complexity level. My solution, under the time pressure, involved an extensive use of locks to manage object ownership – a practical but suboptimal approach.

Focus on Comprehensive Development

Aware of the constraints and priorities, I chose to allocate my time effectively. While the locking mechanism was a quick-fix, I invested significant effort into other aspects of the project, such as thorough documentation, rigorous testing, and Dockerization. This holistic approach ensured the project was well-rounded and ready for practical deployment.

Feedback and Learning

The project culminated in an in-depth discussion with the interviewers about the locking issue I encountered. This feedback session was as much a learning opportunity as it was an evaluation, highlighting the importance of balancing quick solutions with optimal practices, especially under time constraints.

Conclusion

This experience was more than just a technical challenge; it was a testament to adaptive learning and strategic prioritization under pressure. It underscored the importance of understanding and navigating a language’s unique features, like Rust’s object ownership model, and the value of comprehensive development, even when racing against the clock.

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