How I'm Staying Motivated With Leetcode
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- Опубликовано: 19 фев 2024
- A little bit of a different video from me. Talking about my progress with studying for software jobs, how I'm staying motivated, and what i'm doing to maximize retention of problems. Hope this helps you :)
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Keep it up man! You’re doing the work and you’ll get past the struggles. I’ve been coding professionally for 15 years and this is totally normal. Brushing up is part of the game.
Love this video series. It feels much more realistic than what is posted everywhere else on RUclips, and it isn’t all doom and gloom either like on Reddit. Please make more of these: I’m sure a lot of other software job seekers appreciate watching and going back to these videos during their grind, including myself.
For sure. Belittling the difficulties or grind doesn’t help anyone. I like his approach
Keep it up, you can do it! Ive failed a bunch of interviews and went on the same journey as you. Took a slow and steady approach doing 1-2 leet code problems a week for a year to really absorb the material. Ended up getting several faang offers by the end.
Thank you so much for these videos! Back in summer your old videos helped me to stay motivated while searching for a job and eventually I found it. Now you are keeping me motivated for leveling up my skills!
the whole reason these leetcode interviews exist is to try and keep employees from leaving, because you have to relearn it every time.
love this video man! literally going through this right now as im trying to transition careers
Thanks for the updates KC!! Totally relatable
I feel your pain. I took a break after grinding leetcode for a year. Despite putting in a lot of work and having a master's in CS, I didn't make it past Meta and Google's phone screen. The questions pick felt like pure luck. I also did a shit ton of hackarrank and codesignal for companies like IBM, Roblox, etc. I'm burnt out and demoralized. I need about 2 months break, minimum, to reset! I'm back to making music for the time being.
You know you don't have to work for all these big name companies, right? I make the equivalent of a $170,000/yr salary in the Bay Area, but I don't have to deal with
- The craziness of commuting in the Bay Area
- The insane work culture of the Bay Area
- Insanely expensive cost of living
To be fair, I never wanted to work at large tech companies because I knew I would hate it, which brings me to my next question: why do you want to work at these companies? What do you want? The glamor of working for companies that many Americans hate? The love of the soul-crushing grind that is interviewing for companies that have their pick of software devs from around the globe? You want to write protobufs at Google while not being able to afford rent in an expensive and somehow poorly-funded city? What do you want?
I'll tell you what I wanted: I'm a musician. I just knew it wouldn't pay the bills. What my software dev life gives me is the ability to afford a comfortable lifestyle where I can afford instruments and rent (even if rent is getting expensive where I live) and food, etc. I just wanted to not struggle to pay rent ever again.
What do you want? Do you *need* to work at these big companies or did someone else tell you to want that? Getting into software is not easy, but I promise you it's much easier when you stop wasting your time interviewing for companies that are both laying people off and also can pick their future employees from around the globe. You'll still be sending out hundreds of resumes (I almost reached 300 sent out when I got my job) and all the horribleness that comes with that, but at least you're not just churning your wheels.
Just my 2 cents, I hope things get better for you
@@musicdev Thank you so much for your kind words! I don't necessarily have to work in big tech, but having applied to a plethora of jobs, I did apply to a number of big tech companies! My aim is to secure a remote job with a six-figure salary, regardless of whether it is with Google or any other company. However, the post-pandemic layoffs have made it exceedingly difficult to find well-paying positions, so there's that.
I applied to companies including IBM and Google, which had openings in my city, so I wouldn't have to move to California or Washington. I’m also a musician, and just like you, I came to realize a few years ago that pursuing music wouldn't allow me to live life on my own terms given my age, prompting my shift to Computer Science. I mentioned companies like Google, Meta, IBM, and Roblox to illustrate how close I came to achieving my goal. Honestly, had the interview questions been different, the outcome might have been in my favor. For instance, I aced both the questions and follow-ups in Google's mock interview before the actual phone screening (easy 1 to N questions). However, in the real interview, I got some dude from Asia with significant language barriers and a condescending demeanor, or so it felt. The first question was of moderate difficulty, requiring about 20 minutes to cover all edge cases. The second question, a hard one about file directories, would require implementing a trie and using BFS to traverse files for a specific output-an excessive ask for just a phone screen, in my opinion. That's why I feel that there's a bit of luck involved in the process!
Currently, I have a CJO for $100k, pending a background check, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Though it's not remote and requires relocation, it's a win in the current job market, so I'll take it!
To sum up, big tech isn't my sole focus. My main criteria were a six-figure salary and the flexibility of remote work, and I believe I'm on the right path to achieving that. I genuinely appreciate your response!
5:48 definitely hit me in the feels; with the question being in the stack section
Btw that first shot looks so cinematic! Love the new look! Did you change cameras? Which one are you using?
You are absolutely great. I am sure that you will do wonderful.
Im proud of you handsome keep it up you inspire a lot of you trust me.
More of this kind of material please 🙏
keep it up! I'm inspired by your story. what camera gear are you using? it looks so high quality!
It's been 1 month since layoffs. Had a decent set of interviews/interview prep. A bit discouraging when doing relatively well but still company doesn't respond after whole week.
I'm trying to do with Github what you're doing on Leetcode. The key with Github is that your new repo has to be original work.
The most important factor in securing a job is networking. Despite having two years of experience, I have not yet tackled any LeetCode questions, but I can get the job done. Interviews often seem illogical.
So your main goal career wise is to study leetcode to become a cubicle drone farm animal.... You give people advice why again?
Charizard in the background, COOL!!
Do you think you could make a video one day about tips to negotiate your offer?
Stopped trying to get a software job and went into a different field. So much happier
@@plumbingphasewhat field are you in nowadays?
@@clar331 probably plumbing based on the username. Trades pay well and a lot less competition than CS.
Same here
"did the impossible doc.. now i have to destroy it 🥶"
When I do leetcode, I feel like I made a huge mistake by choosing a career in SWE, a constant disappointment since 2010
You do enough of those problems you eventually notice there is a pattern. Memorization is impossible but if you form a tree structure decision tree when you see a problem, If you get good at Identifying similar characteristics of a problem and you make the right choices, you can solve any problem. I'd suggest starting with the most hardest questions and looking at the final solutions and ask why, not how.
The job market is dead so competition is high. Solving the hardest question might get you a job, but it knowledge and experience with the framework SDK that will let you keep it.
You said you had left software. Why are you back? Money?
Are system design questions common for entry level positions?
Yes. Every interview I had prior to getting my job had system design as round 2
Wait I thought I saw a video about you leaving software!
what language are you doing your leetcode in?
As software engineer for past 5 years, I don't quite understand why are you studying leetcode questions. Last time I did that I was at uni, currently also looking for a job offer since and I get like 70% offers. What I do is, I study theory (I know its different than real work you are ganna do in your work) currently have 6 pages of word document with definitions of things, and main questions that been asked in interviews.
For instants, why wouldn't you index the entire database, if it promotes faster lookup?
Somehow, it helps me understand concept and what I am going to do given this task, rather than "reverse a binary tree". Nobody ever, EVER asked me that on interview.
bro no hate but it really seems like you don't like coding/software. maybe looking into something different when you're still young might be useful. just my opinion tho best of luck for the interview prep!
Just want to point out it’s possible to really enjoy coding and have very little joy for the whole process of finding a job. It is awful draining stuff, and you’d have to be insane to enjoy it (disclaimer: insanity may or may not be a competitive advantage in todays job market).
This is the irony of working as SWE: you quit because of the inevitable burnout, but the brutal interview process would make you even more burnt out. Do you regret quitting without something lined up?
just use a hashmap 😆
What are you going to do when you're 40? Still leetcoding? Career in SWE is a joke.
You ain't doing any of that sht come on be honest. You're fully banking on the youtube channel becoming a fulltime alternative option to coding. This kind of self help content will be among the first categories to get overwhelmed by AI youtube avatars though so keep that in mind.
why do all of this work just to compete with PHDs? There is a huge shortage in accounting right now, you can literally get a job for 75k to 90k starting in US easily in public accounting. Do a few years and you make over 150k+ easily with great work life balance. You can make a million a year in 12-15 years as a partner. No one but PHDs are getting job interviews right now and it will only get worse with Gen AI and how hyper competitive tech is and will be.
where did you get the idea that "there is a huge shortage in accounting right now"? Artificial intelligence can replace that field soon.
Have you tried googling your question? A simple google search could've answered your question. Your are watching this youtube channel because you want to be a SWE, but dont know how to google? @@justStardust940
you are still doing this 👉 1:36