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This is a great post, and it's good to hear from someone who is doing great things so early. I know HN is often down in self taught or bootcamp programmers, but

This is a great post, and it's good to hear from someone who is doing great things so early. I know HN is often down in self taught or bootcamp programmers, but I'm happy to see people who willed themselves through. On this point regarding the lack of leet code at Apple versus other big tech: > Is it a coincidence that Apple was the only Big Tech company that didn’t do layoffs? Yeah, I do think it's probably a coincidence. On the whole, a higher focus on leet code in hiring is probably a negative thing, but I doubt it has such big effects as to cause layoffs.

jpgvm 3y ago
I do think there is a large gap between truly self taught and bootcamp programmers. Most self taught programmers have bounced through several languages, frameworks and different attempts to "crack" programming. Bootcampers in my experience have a very narrow slice of knowledge and crucially almost no understanding. This is a generalisation and I'm sure there are counter examples but by and large this has been my experience. I actually prefer hiring and working with self taught programmers especially when it comes to juniors vs CS grads. They have less bad habits usually and a stronger appetite to work things out for themselves. Though this could be just my own bias having not graduated in a CS degree, anecdata and all that.
boppo1 3y ago
>I do think it's probably a coincidence I dunno, I don't think the size of their cash-on-hand account is luck.
- dustincoates 3y ago
  I was speaking about the connection between leet code in hiring and layoffs. Unless you mean that there's a connection between leet code and cash on hand is due to not using leet code in interviews, in which case I'd love to hear that theory!
Cthulhu_ 3y ago
It depens on what they did before, because a lot of the big tech companies had a hiring spree in the years preceding the mini-crash.
johnnyanmac 3y ago
I don't think it's a coincidence. To my knoledge, Apple also wasn't trying to hire like crazy over the pandemic. So it's no surprise that when that "hot streak" ended they weren't affected as strongly. And as others have said, Apple does rely much more strongly on contracting than the rest of the Big Tech.

jpgvm 3y ago

I do think there is a large gap between truly self taught and bootcamp programmers. Most self taught programmers have bounced through several languages, frameworks and different attempts to "crack" programming. Bootcampers in my experience have a very narrow slice of knowledge and crucially almost no understanding. This is a generalisation and I'm sure there are counter examples but by and large this has been my experience. I actually prefer hiring and working with self taught programmers especially when it comes to juniors vs CS grads. They have less bad habits usually and a stronger appetite to work things out for themselves. Though this could be just my own bias having not graduated in a CS degree, anecdata and all that.

boppo1 3y ago

>I do think it's probably a coincidence I dunno, I don't think the size of their cash-on-hand account is luck.

dustincoates 3y ago
I was speaking about the connection between leet code in hiring and layoffs. Unless you mean that there's a connection between leet code and cash on hand is due to not using leet code in interviews, in which case I'd love to hear that theory!

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

It depens on what they did before, because a lot of the big tech companies had a hiring spree in the years preceding the mini-crash.

johnnyanmac 3y ago

I don't think it's a coincidence. To my knoledge, Apple also wasn't trying to hire like crazy over the pandemic. So it's no surprise that when that "hot streak" ended they weren't affected as strongly. And as others have said, Apple does rely much more strongly on contracting than the rest of the Big Tech.