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If you want to be a good developer, learn to program. If you want to be a well-paid developer, learn leetcode.

by stackedinserter 6mo ago

teaearlgraycold 6mo ago
I’ve felt what I learned in my CS degree has been sufficient to allow me to perform well in leetcode interviews.
- AmblingAvocado 6mo ago
  yea dawg maybe if you graduated in the last 4 years lmao
  - recursivecaveat 6mo ago
    Applicants definitely peak in their leet code ability at graduation. Probably doesn't help that they're have lots of free time and motivation to grind for their first job. It's a mistake to hold more senior people to same standard.
- wavemode 6mo ago
  The harder leetcode interviews I've had, I definitely was not prepared for simply from college material. Some companies really throw the kitchen sink at you. The more reasonable coding interviews I've had, on the other hand, I could have solved before even going to college. Those companies were (rightfully) just trying to get a sense for whether you can write and debug code in the real world, not memorize algorithms.
kakwa_ 6mo ago
Honest question, is leetcode tests an actual failure from the recruiting company perspective? Sure, it means that from time to time you will reject people like the Homebrew creator. And it also means the recruiting process now sucks for the applicant. But in a context where it's extremely tricky to evaluate an applicant during the short span of an interview, it seems honestly like the least "arbitrary/trusting your vibes" recruiting method we have now which could be deployed at a large scale. At least, you are getting people you know had the ability to remember this stuff, and also were willing to put in the effort to learn it.
- noprocrasted 6mo ago
  Leetcode is fine for large companies where software engineering is essentially a factory worker position - you take ticket in, produce code out. Engineers have very little say in the product or business. In this situation, things like soft skills, thinking outside the box, etc are actually a downside. Rejecting the Homebrew creator is a desirable outcome in that case - because said creator is unlikely put up with "ticket factory" work. If you legitimately need a "ticket to code" machine, Leetcode is the right approach. Just that most non-FAANG businesses need more than just "ticket to code", and then Leetcode becomes the wrong answer.
  - stackedinserter 5mo ago
    Totally agree.
- stackedinserter 5mo ago
  We evaluate candidates without leetcode, but we're not large scale. E.g. for frontend we ask them to replicate a page based on video or png, with this json data, at home. Then, on interview we ask them to improve/add functionality, on their laptops if they want. That works better than stupid tasks like finding 3 items in array that sum to 100.
intrinsicallee 6mo ago
Good point, developing oneself and acquiring skills is often at odds with maximizing one's income. So much of what is debated on HN is people talking past each other from these opposing perspectives.

If you want to be a good developer, learn to program. If you want to be a well-paid developer, learn leetcode.

teaearlgraycold 6mo ago

I’ve felt what I learned in my CS degree has been sufficient to allow me to perform well in leetcode interviews.

AmblingAvocado 6mo ago
yea dawg maybe if you graduated in the last 4 years lmao
- recursivecaveat 6mo ago
  Applicants definitely peak in their leet code ability at graduation. Probably doesn't help that they're have lots of free time and motivation to grind for their first job. It's a mistake to hold more senior people to same standard.
wavemode 6mo ago
The harder leetcode interviews I've had, I definitely was not prepared for simply from college material. Some companies really throw the kitchen sink at you. The more reasonable coding interviews I've had, on the other hand, I could have solved before even going to college. Those companies were (rightfully) just trying to get a sense for whether you can write and debug code in the real world, not memorize algorithms.

kakwa_ 6mo ago

Honest question, is leetcode tests an actual failure from the recruiting company perspective? Sure, it means that from time to time you will reject people like the Homebrew creator. And it also means the recruiting process now sucks for the applicant. But in a context where it's extremely tricky to evaluate an applicant during the short span of an interview, it seems honestly like the least "arbitrary/trusting your vibes" recruiting method we have now which could be deployed at a large scale. At least, you are getting people you know had the ability to remember this stuff, and also were willing to put in the effort to learn it.

noprocrasted 6mo ago
Leetcode is fine for large companies where software engineering is essentially a factory worker position - you take ticket in, produce code out. Engineers have very little say in the product or business. In this situation, things like soft skills, thinking outside the box, etc are actually a downside. Rejecting the Homebrew creator is a desirable outcome in that case - because said creator is unlikely put up with "ticket factory" work. If you legitimately need a "ticket to code" machine, Leetcode is the right approach. Just that most non-FAANG businesses need more than just "ticket to code", and then Leetcode becomes the wrong answer.
- stackedinserter 5mo ago
  Totally agree.
stackedinserter 5mo ago
We evaluate candidates without leetcode, but we're not large scale. E.g. for frontend we ask them to replicate a page based on video or png, with this json data, at home. Then, on interview we ask them to improve/add functionality, on their laptops if they want. That works better than stupid tasks like finding 3 items in array that sum to 100.

intrinsicallee 6mo ago

Good point, developing oneself and acquiring skills is often at odds with maximizing one's income. So much of what is debated on HN is people talking past each other from these opposing perspectives.