> If you can't do a depth-first search on a tree after being given the definition and time to think about it then you may lack the mental flexibility to do arbi

> If you can't do a depth-first search on a tree after being given the definition and time to think about it then you may lack the mental flexibility to do arbitrary algorithms in any domain. It's this condescending attitude that ensures that companies only hire recent grads instead of people with actual software development experience. I will write you a depth-first search (assuming that, god forbid, my libraries don't have that functionality for some reason) if it's not a contrived example in an interview. But I have to say, so far, 99% of my pure algorithms code have been contrived interview questions. If you can't do depth-first search in a stressful interview situation that you sneaked away from your actual job for, you might just be a human being. But either way, if your interview process is only interested in testing my knowledge of trivia, instead of my actual development skills (like how I manage complexity or design systems) then I think I'd rather work for more competent people.