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Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
11–20 of 98 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#12> Leetcode grinding is important in case you need to find a new job.
This is sad.
Sad, but, sadly, true.
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#13Like others have said, finding small chunks of time here and there is best. To make the best use of short chunks of time, come up with a project plan ahead of time of for tasks you need to accomplish to move towards your goal.
Trivial example for framework X:
1. Setup environment (database, install frameworks, etc)
2. Generate boilerplate hello world application
3. Connect app to db
4. ...
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#1450-60 hours plus two small children, no way you can have side projects and live to tell your children the story in 10 years.
That is, start looking at your mental & physical health, start cutting hours, then you can evaluate investing time in learning something you want.
As for Leetcode, I’m no fan, unless you’re looking to get a job in a FAANG-like entity, invest your time in something else.
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#15I must have had very different experiences from everyone as I can't imagine how grinding leetcode is a worthwhile activity. Do you want to do leetcode because you find it helpful or because the hive mind of the internet says you should?
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#16By not having a job!
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#17Don't do leetcode prep if you're trying to do side projects, Leetcode in itself can be a massive undertaking.
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#18Grinding leetcode is inefficient. What you should be doing is familiarizing yourself with the common patterns you might expect to see in an interview. Look at the blind 75 and https://seanprashad.com/leetcode-patterns/.
Initially, you don’t need to solve any of the problems from scratch. Look up the problem on YouTube and someone will walk you through it. This will build your intuition of when to reach for a heap or for a DP array or when to do BFS, etc. If you don’t know these, then watch another video explaining the concepts. These videos are often 10-15 minutes so with a 30 minute time commitment a day you potentially can get through 3 a day, getting you through the complete blind 75 (more than enough) in less than a month or 1 of each of SP’s 22 patterns in a couple of weeks.
The great thing is you don’t need dedicated time for this approach, you can often start a video while tackling laundry or doing some dishes.
Then, start putting these into practice but spend no more than 10-15 minutes on the problem. If you can’t solve it, go watch the video again. There are so many times where you can have the right approach but make a stupid mistake that will cause you to flounder and you can pick up a better way of doing it. Eventually you will be solving these in 10-15 minutes and the time commitment will have remained at a minimum.
After this, find a new job that is only 40 hours a week and voila you’ve just opened up 10-20 hours for personal projects.
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#19Also approx. 15 years experience, have a newborn (my first). Probably different circumstances, but I'm in Australia - our hiring system doesn't value Leetcode at all (and even when I've gone to work for US businesses, we've done without needing to do it). So IMO Leetcode is a complete waste of time.
I've been told by a great many fathers before me that the child becomes the hobby. I don't 100% believe this myself; I've always had interests far exceeding my capacity to fully explore them, but I hope that when my kid is old enough, I can explore them with him. In the meantime, I tinker on my 3D printer on the weekends.
And as 95% of other comments have already effectively said - you're working way too much! I've only ever worked a 50+hr job for 2 years, straight out of high school. Now with a kid, I'm basically trying to figure out how to do less work, not more! Get your hours down to 37.5 or 40, and/or work 4 days a week.
Negotiate for extra pay for after-hours support. Time-and-a-half (or double-time if you can swing it!) whenever you get a call and have to work; ideally get a 10% retainer for the inconvenience of having to work.
Or, you know, get a different job without the after-hours support contract. Your time is important, particularly with two kids.
Re: Ask HN: How do you make time for side projects and Leetcode grinding
#20> I’d like to do some projects both because they’re fun and they are also helpful to highlight your skills. Additionally, Leetcode grinding is important in case you need to find a new job.
You need to be more clear about your intentions. Are you looking to find a new job soon?