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Comment by kache_ | Hacker News Reader

Yep. Engineering talent increase due to exposure is a sigmoid curve that tops out after 1-2 years. There are social paper cuts that make you _wiser_, but not a more effective engineer in terms of "things shipped" and "problems fixed"

EDIT: inb4 downvotes roll in to your post because it's an uncomfortable truth

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It's not that its an uncomfortable truth, of course your growth in technical ability in a new field slows down quickly but that's not where your value is derived from. It's not what your company is looking for from you. It's not how you level up. If you continue in this vane you will plateau in your career very quickly and you will wonder why.

You are describing technical contributor - but that's not really your job. The sooner you realize that and develop the skills that matter, the more quickly you'll make the mid/high 6-figure bucks. Maybe 7 with equity appreciation.

People hate to hear it. Its also the reality of why leetcode interviews are done and work, your experience just isnt that valuable.

There are plenty of sub-fields where you do want someone with experience. I wouldn't put an iOS developer into a position where they have to write kernel code.

Where would you put the highly trained leetcode programmer: the iOS developer role or the kernel developer role?

yep. The sooner you come across it, the sooner you start building skills that actually help you become more effective for your effort, like learning how to build teams and managing the social graph of an engineering organization.

We've raised the floor so much in FANG tier companies, that the differential of programming skill isn't what makes you more effective. I mean, save for the top 1% freaks ;P

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