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I am a full-stack dev, I write enterprise applications. Using SQL, DB2, .Net MVC5/Core. Reversing a string is trivial but honestly I have not used linked list i

by avgDev 6y ago

I am a full-stack dev, I write enterprise applications. Using SQL, DB2, .Net MVC5/Core. Reversing a string is trivial but honestly I have not used linked list in a while, and I probably would have a hard time answering that question. I can do the job, I can quickly debug and find errors. This is what sucks about software, you can have many years of experience and fail a question about a linked list, if you have not utilized it in a while. I solve business problems, read documentation that is my age to work with legacy systems, etc. I keep up to date with the web dev area I'm working in but this is much different than college data structure and algo knowledge.

amf12 6y ago
> I have not used linked list in a while, I think the point of these questions for entry level devs is that they should be able to figure out how to remove an element from a linked list even if they have never used one. It's pretty trivial if you think about it and have some basic understanding of objects and references. Also these types of questions are not usually asked for experienced devs.
salamander014 6y ago
The solution to removing an element from a linked list is so simple I Googled it because I thought I was missing something. Anyone who cannot remove an element from a linked list simply does not understand what a linked list is. And that's OK, but in order for companies to make progress, they use questions like these to make sure they are hiring people that are knowledgeable and capable of solving certain kinds of problems. The other thing is, people that can answer these simpler kinds of programming problems correct are more likely to write clean code, make better decisions, and be an asset to a team. It is just an easy way to weed out bad candidates. That doesn't mean all candidates who can't answer the question are bad, but likely that all bad candidates cannot answer the question; there's a big distinction there. Unfortunately a lot of people with good experience get left behind. But the other problem is just because somebody has good experience doesn't mean they are the right fit for the position. And that's just life.

by avgDev 6y ago

amf12 6y ago

> I have not used linked list in a while, I think the point of these questions for entry level devs is that they should be able to figure out how to remove an element from a linked list even if they have never used one. It's pretty trivial if you think about it and have some basic understanding of objects and references. Also these types of questions are not usually asked for experienced devs.

salamander014 6y ago

The solution to removing an element from a linked list is so simple I Googled it because I thought I was missing something. Anyone who cannot remove an element from a linked list simply does not understand what a linked list is. And that's OK, but in order for companies to make progress, they use questions like these to make sure they are hiring people that are knowledgeable and capable of solving certain kinds of problems. The other thing is, people that can answer these simpler kinds of programming problems correct are more likely to write clean code, make better decisions, and be an asset to a team. It is just an easy way to weed out bad candidates. That doesn't mean all candidates who can't answer the question are bad, but likely that all bad candidates cannot answer the question; there's a big distinction there. Unfortunately a lot of people with good experience get left behind. But the other problem is just because somebody has good experience doesn't mean they are the right fit for the position. And that's just life.