It still seems silly that a working software engineer would need to take time out to practice stuff they don't generally use in their actual work (which they wi

It still seems silly that a working software engineer would need to take time out to practice stuff they don't generally use in their actual work (which they will probably continue doing when hired). Knowledge of algorithms and datastructures is useful, perhaps essential in some fields but definitely not all - or even most. Even then just understanding the tradeoffs is probably enough. Unless I'm interviewing someone for something like a database product I am not going to drill them on LSM trees/B+ trees/Fractal trees. I'm not going to bust a dudes balls over not knowing what a priority heap is if after I explain it he can have a decent conversation about where it might be useful. These sorts of interviews are dumb and I have never accepted a job where I have been subjected to them and probably never will.