Assuming you're from India and know well about the job market here, My comment tries to highlight a very specific issue that using progressively harder leetcod

Assuming you're from India and know well about the job market here, My comment tries to highlight a very specific issue that using progressively harder leetcode problems selects for people who do leetcode all day, and me trying to focus on CS fundamentals and actual programming was a mistake. It has nothing to do with me wanting to work in FAANGM or not, or any of the philosophy you wrote. You wrote that FANGM salaried person will be miserable. You know who will be more miserable? The software engineer who had to settle for a less paying company or startup. The engineer who came from a humble rural background and wanted to leave a mark on the world, but lost to the measure-oriented competition which rewards the cargo cult mentality. Looking around me, the cargo cult leetcoding kids are more happier, that's probably because they are already from a better background than I am. Doesn't change the fact that if I grinded what it required to game the job market, I would've been at a place better than them. Doesn't matter you are one of the most gifted athlete, if you're playing the game that doesn't have any prizes.