Facebook: epilogue

Ok, so I didn't get the job at Facebook, and they sent me off with some thank-you schwag.  I interviewed at Amazon before and wasn't able to pass their interview either.
This whole interview process did give me time to reflect on my motivations before and after this whole process.

The vast majority of people are not interested in changing jobs.   There are various reasons for this, including an aversion to the interview process, being happy with their present job, or not being able to find a worthwhile job opportunity.  In particular, the interview process is essentially one extended sales pitch, where you have to sell yourself to the person sitting across the table facing you.   That's the downside risk with interviews, when you don't pass the interview, ie. you're unable to sell your skills well enough, then it is bad for the psyche, and confidence.  Most people, whether they admit it or not, are not good salespeople, hence they tend to avoid interviews.
As for me, I have gone through so many over the years that I have grown a somewhat thick skin to the whole process.  Yeah, I didn't pass the interview at Facebook, but it didn't bother me too much (unlike my younger days, when I took things more personally).  It may have to do with several factors, including being mentally prepared for a negative outcome, and lowering my expectations going in.

In all honesty, I would die for a chance to work at Facebook. They are what I consider the elite, upper echelon of software engineering companies.  These elite, top tier software companies include Apple, Google, Amazon, Twitter.  They are built from the ground up to make software engineered products.  This is distinctly different from the software divisions at companies like Qualcomm, or Intel, where their subservient software divisions exist only to help the hardware teams sell more hardware products.
What makes these software companies elite is their culture.  The programming tests that they give you in the interview tend to be theoretical and complex, and the knowledge required to pass such tests is not going to be used in your day to day job.  However, that is irrelevant, because they are looking for a certain personality profile.  At the end of the day, I unfortunately have to admit that I do not match the profile of a person who can do well in such theoretical software tests, and as such, tend not to do well in such interviews.  I've learned to accept who I am over the years, and learning more about my strengths and how I contribute value to a company in ways that a programming test cannot identify nor uncover.

But still, I would give anything for a chance to work at one of these top tier software companies.