I just want to feed my family... I’ll worry about enlightenment later.
Hacking the hiring process has a good effort vs reward ratio, but it's also high risk. The risk is that obvious gaps in the candidate's background surface after starting the position. Which usually doesn't turn out well: best case career stagnates and worst case the candidate ends up on the bottom of a stack rank when things get lean.
It's a risk that can be taken in a calculated way. Sometimes things turn out well. Sometimes not.
It is possible to learn this on the job. But with hindsight, my advice would be to just take the easy way out and learn it beforehand.
I understand your concern about not gaining implicit knowledge while surrounded by peers, but I’ve gained “the ability to think” through my other course of study, and your concerns don’t seem to be attached to a solution. Rather, it seems like a desperate attempt to gatekeep over an increasingly egalitarian field. And sorry, but there isn’t much communication to be learned among CS undergrads.
The knowledge I lack on the job will be taught as I’m exposed to my shortcomings, as is the case with most jobs.
In addition, my school’s CS department was lacking, so most of it was poorly taught, and I relied on self-teaching regardless. Once I get through hiring season, I’ll worry about covering the remaining material before I begin work.
"Once I get through hiring season, I’ll worry about covering the remaining material before I begin work."
Someone who has spent the time wading through this stuff might consider that somewhat insulting. Your future co-workers, say.
ok? If I have an entry-level offer in-hand 6 months from now and I’m behind a few textbooks, I think I can manage. Sorry to break it to you, but a lot can be done if you’re healthy and avoid distractions.
I remember a similar conversation with a CTO of some cheap company that wanted to offer me 100K and arguing that he knew many risk takers who took on high paying jobs in bigger firms and failed. That was many years ago. Now my comp is approaching 1M, my job is super risky and demanding, but I don't care as in the worst case I quit with enough money to not work anymore. I know many vps and execs in smaller firms and their attitude is the same: they don't give a flying f..k so long as the pay/risk ratio is appropriate.