8 ms·

What are you trying to do, and why do you think leetcode is a way to get there? Do you come from a credentialist culture/upbringing? There are many programming

What are you trying to do, and why do you think leetcode is a way to get there? Do you come from a credentialist culture/upbringing? There are many programming jobs out there where people don't care about your school, your GPA, etc. Also, don't believe some random person's post about what they do or don't do. People often lie or exaggerate. E.g. "oh man, I barely studied but I still got an A". You seem to be suffering, so I don't want to pile on, but it seems kind of crazy to me to spend 5 years on a particular approach to getting a job. Is there something else that's limiting you? Hard-to-understand accent? Language Skills? Social skills? Resume typos/grammar? Contact list? Trying for jobs that are out of reach, when other satisfactory jobs could be in reach?

JabavuAdams 6y ago
EDIT> I've never done leetcode. I've looked at Project Euler, but I have my own interesting side-projects to do instead of jumping through hoops for someone else. Why do you want to program? What do you want to program? Programming is a tool and a craft, like literacy and creative writing. But it is in service of some goal or just the pleasure of doing it. lol, EDITFAIL
- QuitProgramming 6y ago
  I want to make money to pursue other pursuits with financial security. I also like it decently and thought it was my best shot I had to make money.
  - Balgair 6y ago
    Why not just go pursue those other pursuits then? I'm not connecting the dots here on how working at bigco helps the long term goals instead of just delaying them.
    - QuitProgramming 6y ago
      They cost money rather than generate money.
      - Balgair 6y ago
        So the goal is to generate money? Why not try for the big stock trading/investing firms then, those people tend to make more than the tech people.
WhompingWindows 6y ago
Yeah, this practice about people posting ridiculous things, "I did all of leetcode in a month with only a case of red bull and a palette of ramen". Give me a break. These types of sensational headlines are OUTLIERS, they are not useful to average people or beginners, in fact they engender imposter syndrome. The fact is, anyone who is on leetcode for 5 years and got a CS degree and worked for 18 months as a coder, is going to be decent with computers and could at LEAST do IT or support, if not work as an entry-level coder at a variety of firms.
- giantg2 6y ago
  He got fired for performance issues. I think the last part of your last sentence is the key here - he needs to get any entry level job he can to fill the gap and show that he can perform in a job for a few years.
QuitProgramming 6y ago
I am trying to get a FAANG level job. People have always said if I keep trying it's within reach. I have no credentialist upbringing. There are other things that are limiting me. I have no network and bad social skills.
- tubularhells 6y ago
  Have you ever built a product yourself? I will be honest with you, I just use the python standard library for algorithms. I don't even remember what kind of sorts there are. They don't matter much in the grand scheme of things. What matters is whether you can build and ship something. This is how Valve evaluates applying engineers too, by the way. Finished project list first.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  I'm not sure. Programming is more within reach than FAANG is. Don't look at "getting into FAANG" as equivalent to "able to program". They are not at all the same. I don't make FAANG money, but I make really good money. It's not enough to retire at 40, but it's enough to have a pretty nice life.
  - QuitProgramming 6y ago
    I'm only interested in FAANG money and being able to retire early. Those are my goals.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - ojhughes 6y ago
      Sounds like you have the wrong motivations for a career in software engineering. No offence but I wouldn’t want to work with someone who is purely in it for the money and people can easily suss out that kind of attitude. If you don’t have passion for the job it’s going to be hard to succeed in your goals

JabavuAdams 6y ago

EDIT> I've never done leetcode. I've looked at Project Euler, but I have my own interesting side-projects to do instead of jumping through hoops for someone else. Why do you want to program? What do you want to program? Programming is a tool and a craft, like literacy and creative writing. But it is in service of some goal or just the pleasure of doing it. lol, EDITFAIL

QuitProgramming 6y ago
I want to make money to pursue other pursuits with financial security. I also like it decently and thought it was my best shot I had to make money.
- Balgair 6y ago
  Why not just go pursue those other pursuits then? I'm not connecting the dots here on how working at bigco helps the long term goals instead of just delaying them.
  - QuitProgramming 6y ago
    They cost money rather than generate money.
    - Balgair 6y ago
      So the goal is to generate money? Why not try for the big stock trading/investing firms then, those people tend to make more than the tech people.

WhompingWindows 6y ago

Yeah, this practice about people posting ridiculous things, "I did all of leetcode in a month with only a case of red bull and a palette of ramen". Give me a break. These types of sensational headlines are OUTLIERS, they are not useful to average people or beginners, in fact they engender imposter syndrome. The fact is, anyone who is on leetcode for 5 years and got a CS degree and worked for 18 months as a coder, is going to be decent with computers and could at LEAST do IT or support, if not work as an entry-level coder at a variety of firms.

giantg2 6y ago
He got fired for performance issues. I think the last part of your last sentence is the key here - he needs to get any entry level job he can to fill the gap and show that he can perform in a job for a few years.

QuitProgramming 6y ago

I am trying to get a FAANG level job. People have always said if I keep trying it's within reach. I have no credentialist upbringing. There are other things that are limiting me. I have no network and bad social skills.

tubularhells 6y ago
Have you ever built a product yourself? I will be honest with you, I just use the python standard library for algorithms. I don't even remember what kind of sorts there are. They don't matter much in the grand scheme of things. What matters is whether you can build and ship something. This is how Valve evaluates applying engineers too, by the way. Finished project list first.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
I'm not sure. Programming is more within reach than FAANG is. Don't look at "getting into FAANG" as equivalent to "able to program". They are not at all the same. I don't make FAANG money, but I make really good money. It's not enough to retire at 40, but it's enough to have a pretty nice life.
- QuitProgramming 6y ago
  I'm only interested in FAANG money and being able to retire early. Those are my goals.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - ojhughes 6y ago
    Sounds like you have the wrong motivations for a career in software engineering. No offence but I wouldn’t want to work with someone who is purely in it for the money and people can easily suss out that kind of attitude. If you don’t have passion for the job it’s going to be hard to succeed in your goals