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A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

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Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#51

Post by biztos »

non-entity wrote: post #35
digianarchist wrote: post #21

It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…

I really wish I could leave the field altogether, but the alternatives are things I hate even more or incredibly steep paycuts.

Have you looked into being a software person in a non-software (or only "software-enabled") company?

You'd probably get a pay-cut vs. FAANG or whatever, but it wouldn't exactly send you tumbling into the working class.

I really enjoyed working on software in biotech, for example, where I started my career... and sometimes think about returning with all my software-company chops to see if it's still as fun!

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#52

Post by bcrosby95 »

tourist_on_road wrote: post #34
pcestrada wrote: post #20

Can you imagine having to learn all this just to make a connection to a database, process some data, and then persist it somewhere?

But it might come handy when implementing - route optimization problems - Building database query optimization engine You can argue that not everyone is implementing these from scratch every day. But it could be argued that given an opportunity, an engineer should have the skills and ability to build these systems.

> But it could be argued that given an opportunity, an engineer should have the skills and ability to build these systems.

Having the skills and ability to build these systems doesn't mean you can regurgitate all the algorithms required to build them on a whiteboard in 30-60 minutes. It means you have to ability to search for algorithms and apply them to your problem at hand over the course of several days, weeks, or even months.

Do you really think anyone building these systems spent only 60 minutes both deciding upon, and coding ANY of their algorithms and called it a day because they obviously chose the best one?

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#53

Post by thewarrior »

logicslave12 wrote: post #48
sukilot wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think it's unlikely for you to learn those skills quickly? People who have all those skills earn over $300K at those companies.

It’s been really stressful. I know python, but not really any other languages. I’m able to get work done. But I’m really nearly the same as a fresh grad. But really, I was just bumming around, then studied for four months and destroyed their algorithms questions, so much so that expectations for me are really high. But all I know is leetcode, literally nothing else...

Take the same energy and apply it to learning to build testable and understandable code. If you can go from nothing to smoking an algo interview in months you’re a fast learner. You’ll be fine.

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#54

Post by sieabahlpark »

logicslave12 wrote: post #48
sukilot wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think it's unlikely for you to learn those skills quickly? People who have all those skills earn over $300K at those companies.

It’s been really stressful. I know python, but not really any other languages. I’m able to get work done. But I’m really nearly the same as a fresh grad. But really, I was just bumming around, then studied for four months and destroyed their algorithms questions, so much so that expectations for me are really high. But all I know is leetcode, literally nothing else...

You think you're alone?

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#55

Post by biztos »

digianarchist wrote: post #21

It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…

I am trying to resist cynicism, but I too am thinking that after my upcoming sabbatical if I want to get top dollar I should just invest in power-grinding at the leetcode gym.

Still hoping to find a friendly startup though, since some of the MegaCorps are lifestyle-incompatible and I'm already used to making a lot less than Googlebucks.

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#56

Post by TeeMassive »

digianarchist wrote: post #21

It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…

I'm glad that I am not alone. I've done mostly non-UI C++/C#/Java/Python stuff, mostly business level rules and devops and evangelizing good practices such as CI and clean code and git (you would be surprised how many people don't even know how what it is or how to squash and rebase). Having studied computer engineering we did not really focus on algorithm but more on lower level stuff and signal processing.

I do not really fit any of the "standard" interviews. I've done the TripleByte interview and other top 100 corporation interviews and they all seem to assume a computer science formation or if not than assume you are a web dev. So yeah, I know how to implement most algorithms efficiently, I just can't remember how to describe exactly Dijkstra's from memory or how to balance a tree on a whiteboard under stress. I've seen them, I learned them, but 7 years after not using them I forgot (and frankly don't care).

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#57

Post by non-entity »

biztos wrote: post #51
non-entity wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish I could leave the field altogether, but the alternatives are things I hate even more or incredibly steep paycuts.

Have you looked into being a software person in a non-software (or only "software-enabled") company? You'd probably get a pay-cut vs. FAANG or whatever, but it wouldn't exactly send you tumbling into the working class. I really enjoyed working on software in biotech, for example, where I started my career... and sometimes think about returning with all my software-company chops to see if it's still as fun!

I suppose it might depend on the domain / industry. Biotech sounds like it has the potential to be interesting, but I currently work for a large non-tech company and have worked in government and don't like the being considered the cost center or having to deal with the seemingly unending layers of bureaucracy.

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#58

Post by wtracy »

digianarchist wrote: post #21

It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…

FWIW, I've found that companies outside the valley, particularly those that don't see software as their primary product, are more interested in work samples than puzzle solutions.

Try broadening your search to things like aerospace and medical technology companies.

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#59

Post by biztos »

jkachmar wrote: post #43
tourist_on_road wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it might come handy when implementing - route optimization problems - Building database query optimization engine You can argue that not everyone is implementing these from scratch every day. But it could be argued that given an opportunity, an engineer should have the skills and ability to build these systems.

Bullshit. It has been my personal experience, and the experience of many people I’ve spoken with, that this kind of trivia is learned in order to get a job and then forgotten immediately afterwards because it’s useless. Anecdotal example: a former colleague is an incredibly talented systems programmer and has had to study leetcode garbage for the last few months in order to feel qualified to interview for a position…

I don't think the knowledge is useless as much as it's properly abstracted away into core libraries for 99.999% of the real-world use-cases.

Maybe the questions started as "IQ tests" (or a proxy for "fresh out of a Stanford-like CS Program?") but my impression is that now it's a mild (or not) proxy for hazing.

"I suffered through this crap and by God you are going to suffer through it to, or you can't join my little club, and by the way I just make a hundred dollars telling you that."

Edit: clarity & speling

Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode

#60

Post by non-entity »

wtracy wrote: post #58
digianarchist wrote: post #21

It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…

FWIW, I've found that companies outside the valley, particularly those that don't see software as their primary product, are more interested in work samples than puzzle solutions. Try broadening your search to things like aerospace and medical technology companies.

> Try broadening your search to things like aerospace and medical technology companies.

Not sure what the correct name is, but most job listings I've seen for these industries strongly prefer people with prior experience in them because they have to follow strict frameworks / processes for safety reasons.

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