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Comment by wikibob | Hacker News Reader

Strong disagree on the leetcode bar.

Any FAANG will still give you algorithm questions in interviews, even at a Staff level.

Two things:

1. Why do you assume people want to work for FAANG? Those are the last places I want to work. I know many people like me.

2. Algorithm questions - you can't forget your algorithms. At this point that would be like forgetting how to ride a bike. There's stuff I learned decades ago in unrelated fields that I work in that I still remember. Even so, it's not lost on anyone that extensive knowledge of algorithms is rarely important in actual day-to-day development work, and the things that are important interviewers rarely dig into.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Knowing algorithms and being able to do LC aren’t the same. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable about how a car works. It’s another to be a trained mechanic who regularly works on a specific brand of car. LC indexes heavily on the latter. You need to be very much up to speed. Solving 2x mediums in <40 minutes is the basic standard (1 hard in 35). You’re unlikely to be that proficient without a ton of practice and studying. They’re looking for someone who can swap the engine in a few hours - not the guy who can figure it out over a couple weekends.

I remember plenty of algorithms and the general ways they work but coding them up on the fly without any errors is another thing when out of practice.

Like I said, like riding a bike. If you actually know it then you won't forget it. Sure, you're going to need to practice to get your speed up - but so does everybody.

It’s not really like riding a bike though. There’s so much more effort involved.

It’s more like training for a race. Yes, you can pedal and get there eventually but compared to your competition - you’re coming in last.

Yes - and if you've raced before and were successful then with training you can get back to top shape and be competitive. It's going to be a much easier time for you than for someone who's never raced at all.

I think you’re making it sound easier than it is. I’ve done this many times and to be successful - people have to spend nights & weekends for 6+ months. I don’t think it’s like training for two weeks and you’re good to go.

Again - done this a lot and have worked with a lot of others. Spending half a year is very very common. Those who never stop practicing tend to only need a couple months - but they like that shit so that’s why they do it to begin with.

The article is about doing it again after not having done it for a while. If you've successfully done it before then you can do it again, especially if you don't let those skills atrophy. You don't need to be developing on a day-to-day basis to keep your skills sharp. A couple months practice sounds about right.

This is my experience -- your foot gets in the door to get an interview easier though.

There are many type of Staff eng , some of them are solver who solve toughest problem in the team. They need very high standard of coding knowledge.

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