Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#1

Post by AdityaSanthosh » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 5:22 PM UTC

SDE of 2+YoE here. The question says it all. I have been interviewing couple of months only to be rejected in the coding round because of these leetcode questions. (I am based in India where the coding rounds are brutal). I have solved some 200 problems but when it comes to interview setting, I am failing because I generally take long time to solve problems. That time constraint pressure is the reason why I am not getting any offers. I am stuck in a really terrible role. So I am quite desperate now. But my PoV is that even if I am able to grind Leetcode now, I cannot keep doing that until 10 years down the line. I love to build OSS projects, build architectures, do side projects instead of grinding trick problems.

Has any one ever made the switch from SDE to DE for the same reason?

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#2

Post by itg » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 5:24 PM UTC

Are there companies in India that don't focus on leetcode style problems during the interview process? Maybe you can target those if they exist.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#3

Post by AdityaSanthosh » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 5:39 PM UTC

itg wrote: post #2

Are there companies in India that don't focus on leetcode style problems during the interview process? Maybe you can target those if they exist.

The intersection of no of companies that do not ask leetcode, which pay reasonably good is very low and it is really hard to find them

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#4

Post by qd011 » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 6:14 PM UTC

Seems like a very bad reason to switch. Data engineering is different (and much worse than SWE in my opinion), and it's not like you're certain that you can avoid LC interviews if you try to switch.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#5

Post by philomath_mn » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 6:28 PM UTC

Some DE jobs have leetcode interviews, some SDE jobs don't have leetcode interviews. So don't switch tracks for that reason.

But if comes down to no job or a DE job then I'd take the DE job.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#6

Post by AdityaSanthosh » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 6:39 PM UTC

philomath_mn wrote: post #5

Some DE jobs have leetcode interviews, some SDE jobs don't have leetcode interviews. So don't switch tracks for that reason. But if comes down to no job or a DE job then I'd take the DE job.

In my observation, DE interviews even if they are leet code based have relatively easy compared to that of SDE roles. And it is not like I hate DE, i like it too.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#7

Post by altdataseller » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 7:16 PM UTC

qd011 wrote: post #4

Seems like a very bad reason to switch. Data engineering is different (and much worse than SWE in my opinion), and it's not like you're certain that you can avoid LC interviews if you try to switch.

How is it much worse?

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#8

Post by solardev » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 9:16 PM UTC

I don't know what it's like in India, but here in the US I've never been asked a leetcode question a single time in any interview over 10+ years of web dev experience.

Maybe it's just the role (web) or the industry (small/med businesses and nonprofits) or the specialization (frontend), but it's been possible for me to get employment without ever touching leetcode.

I've worked with several Indian colleagues too, and as far a I know they didn't have to grind either. It's for an American company though.

Can you consider other types of businesses like that in India? Or does everyone, even the non tech businesses, do this?

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#9

Post by cushpush » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 9:50 PM UTC

solardev wrote: post #8

I don't know what it's like in India, but here in the US I've never been asked a leetcode question a single time in any interview over 10+ years of web dev experience. Maybe it's just the role (web) or the industry (small/med businesses and nonprofits) or the specialization (frontend), but it's been possible for me to get employment without ever touching leetcode. I've worked with several Indian colleagues too, and a…

ask them

Re: Ask HN: Switching from Software Engineer to Data Engineer Because of Leetcode

#10

Post by solardev » Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 11:19 PM UTC

cushpush wrote: post #9

solardev wrote: post #8

I don't know what it's like in India, but here in the US I've never been asked a leetcode question a single time in any interview over 10+ years of web dev experience. Maybe it's just the role (web) or the industry (small/med businesses and nonprofits) or the specialization (frontend), but it's been possible for me to get employment without ever touching leetcode. I've worked with several Indian colleagues too, and a…

ask them

Ask who, sorry?