> Not only were these programming word problems ridiculous, but it seemed like everyone I interviewed with was a caricature of narcissism and delusions of grand

> Not only were these programming word problems ridiculous, but it seemed like everyone I interviewed with was a caricature of narcissism and delusions of grandeur. Everyone? Really? That's a red flag. I would believe "a lot," and I would accept "half" as hyperbole, but if it feels like every single one, then you either have an uncanny knack for picking bad places to interview, or you're taking the process way too personally. Sometimes a job isn't a good fit because of a skill it requires that you don't have. Maybe they need someone who can sling complex SQL from day one. Maybe the ridiculous word problems are real problems they've had to solve, which they have to frame in silly-sounding ways because the real-world context would reveal sensitive information or take an hour to explain. Sure, there are interviewers who waste everybody's time by asking questions that don't select for good candidates, but even if you write off all those interviews, that just adds a certain percentage of overhead to the process.