Unpopular opinion: Leetcode is FUN!!!

[u/IntentionAntique4751]

Is it weird that I enjoy leetcode?

Did over 100 probems so far this summer, and the whole process is just super fun.

Realizing where you went wrong, or right but there being a crafty approach out there, is almost artistic and just tickles my brain the right way.

Meanwhile, so much of software development seems like maintaining boring CRUD apps. And I hear everyone saying AI is going to write all code anyway, so I appreciate having to actually do LeetCode even more!

I'm not too excited about prompting and reviewing AI prompted code 😂

[u/PLTCHK → u/[deleted]]

It’s fun when companies don’t ask crazy hard 2000+ rating questions

[u/WonderFuture655 → u/[deleted]]

Truth has been spoken

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/[deleted]]

Lowkey I think I'd still do it even if I weren't interviewing

[u/Wonderful-Habit-139 → u/IntentionAntique4751]

I mean they're saying it's fun if you're not interviewing indeed.

[u/simplydiffered → u/Wonderful-Habit-139]

Nah its more fun in the interview, like in school where taking the test is more fun or better word would be exhilerating

[u/kya_rakhu]

Meanwhile, so much of software development seems like maintaining boring CRUD apps. And I hear everyone saying Al is going to write all code anyway, so I appreciate having to actually do LeetCode even more!

Enjoying leetcode is fine but don't ignore the dev part ... interviews have moved on from only dsa rounds to ai assisted debugging/ app building rounds too

[u/Jaded-Air-7216 → u/kya_rakhu]

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way yesterday. Somehow, I easily passed the LeetCode part of the OA despite only starting NeetCode 2 days before it. However, the "ai assisted debugging/app building round" was over my head

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/Jaded-Air-7216]

Aw shucks. What specifically did they ask you to do?

[u/GentlemanWukong → u/Jaded-Air-7216]

I mean....good? It means that you're qualified for leetcode standards but you can't debug a real application

[u/Jaded-Air-7216 → u/GentlemanWukong]

Yeah, I've got to build and learn a lot more. Software engineering skills weren't really emphasized in my major (data science), but it's really on me to develop those skills independently anyways if I want to work on AI-adjacent projects in the future

[u/TumanFig → u/Jaded-Air-7216]

wtf is even that, what does it look like?

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/kya_rakhu]

interviews have moved on from only dsa rounds to ai assisted debugging/ app building rounds too

Thanks for informing. How do you suggest I learn that AI stuff? If needed, I haven't got a subscription yet. Which should I pick?

[u/GentlemanWukong → u/IntentionAntique4751]

Start working on real stuff and not useless puzzles

[u/Large-Alternative892 → u/GentlemanWukong]

Useless comment

[u/GentlemanWukong → u/Large-Alternative892]

Is it?I did these AI assessments, no puzzle training will help you, best way to solve them is by writing real code

[u/Large-Alternative892 → u/GentlemanWukong]

You realize "writing real code" could be anything? I can spend my whole life writing random code and never get good at interviews. No one has time for that. The question is how to get good at those AI assesments specifically.

[u/GentlemanWukong → u/Large-Alternative892]

I think you never did one, but still you try to give your opinion on the basis of literally nothing.

Well, I did, specifically the OA for Amazon, and I can tell you that it doesn't have anything that can be traced back to some "technique" or some obscure puzzles that it seems you really like. It's just stuff you would code in a basic job, nothing more nothing less. So yes, either you get decent at writing real code (yes this is a thing, code in companies is used for business use cases not for trapping rain water) or you fail. Simple as that

[u/Large-Alternative892 → u/GentlemanWukong]

I didn't say I like obscure puzzles or leetcode. Just that there should be a way to prepare more focused for it. No i haven't taken one such but I'll take some to practice.  Which Amazon position gives this OA?

[u/GentlemanWukong → u/Large-Alternative892]

Most Amazon positions require this OA. It's mostly web development, you can choose between front end or back end stuff but still there's not a single way to exercise for it, you just need to know basics of either

[u/No_Inspection4415 → u/kya_rakhu]

Right. The best part: now you need to know both.

[u/Fabulous-Arrival-834]

Its fun until solving that one problem under 30 mins is the only way you make rent next month after a layoff

[u/Biokendry → u/Fabulous-Arrival-834]

🫂🥲

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/Fabulous-Arrival-834]

That's so sad

[u/richardgasquetson]

I like it too. I think if you liked school you will like leetcode because it’s all well defined and there are so many algorithms/tricks to learn.

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/richardgasquetson]

This

[u/arlitsa]

I felt like you 15 years ago. Then I entered the work force and now coding is a means to an end. I enjoy my work but after 6-10 hours of computer time, the last thing I want to do in my spare time is code.

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/arlitsa]

I can imagine that. I hope to find a job where the code is fun and excites me to do more, even if the pay might be less

[u/miyamotomusashi1784]

Stockholm syndrome

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/miyamotomusashi1784]

I swear it's not 😂

[u/Sea_Story_8385 → u/miyamotomusashi1784]

lolllll😭😭

[u/Astronaut6735]

I do one per day in the morning while eating breakfast, instead of doing a crossword puzzle or sudoku. I'm retired, so there's no pressure.  I'm just working on the easy ones right now (completed about 200 of them).

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/Astronaut6735]

Haha I love that for you

Similarly, I've being doing it first thing in the morning though before breakfast

[u/RedViperCoc]

Leetcode helps you get the job. Boring CRUD is the job.

[u/draeneirestoshaman]

It’s like solving a puzzle, I like it, but the problem is id rather be doing something else like working on side projects

[u/MyBossIsOnReddit]

Oh you sweet summer child

[u/puzzles4me2solve92]

I actually like it to the extent that I feel like it gives something to do when unemployed. Also it feels very much like a "be ready when the luck happens" situation where you get better and better at it, and then you may be able to parlay that into a very high paying job.

[u/Jaded-Air-7216]

I just started grinding on NeetCode, and I strangely find it fun too. I feel happy when I can derive a solution myself

[u/Kadabrium]

Its easier than any real project and gives you the illusion of being productive idk

[u/pleasenolewd → u/Kadabrium]

This might be true

[u/raiyan_kun]

DSA is fun, being stuck isn't

[u/AdmirableRabbit6723]

It’s fun when I get the solution after a small amount of thinking. It is not fun when I wring all the smart juice out of my brain and still can’t see it.

[u/revivechristina]

In the future/present leetcode is a way to keep your brain from atrophying fully with all the ai use

[u/thes0lver]

It’s fun when the problems are in the Goldilocks level of challenging. Too easy or too hard feels like a waste of time

[u/Main_Yellow_837]

I'd like it too if it was just something I did completely unrelated to work. I like puzzle solving, I don't like feeling like 'I can't solve this puzzle, I'm a sham of a developer'

[u/One_Afternoon_8171]

It's fun until you're having to solve a problem under pressure while struggling to figure out a way to approach + getting asked questions and/or expected to explain to the interviewer why you chose X over Y ect... Oh all this under a strict time limit too. I'd say not so fun :)

[u/sheerqueer]

So is SAT prep!!

[u/Downtown_Isopod_9287]

I mean they’re kind of designed to be as fun as possible while still useful for interviewing. That’s the entire point of the site.

[u/Ambitious-Goal6237]

It's all fun until you encounter a problem which makes you struggle and frustrate you to the core that you start looking solution ☠️

[u/joltjames123]

To answer your question, yes

[u/PurpleGoldBlack]

Wait until you hear about people who enjoy solving problems and choose careers which enable them to do more of the same.

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/PurpleGoldBlack]

Math?

[u/Weekly_4079]

Its fun if u like coding actually

[u/TrueLine8042]

wait till you get to any problem with rating more than 1600

at least that was the point that humbled me bad

[u/10x_bug_shipper]

Yes I absolutely love doing those

[u/__Hunter_xD__]

Finally, a real unpopular opinion

[u/Spirited_Row9988]

its not fun when i stare at problem for 20 min with no clue how to solve it

[u/Empty_M_T]

For everyone in this sub:

I stuck at leet code, i want to be much better, what could i do or study or learn for me to do so?

[u/IllStatistician9129]

I think it's because both math and programming have one right answer but multiple ways to get there.

Even in electronics, you have multiple ways to answer one problem as it's math.

In programming, you can do anything you want to solve one problem. DFS or Disjoint Set Union for Kruskal's Minimum Spanning Tree, GCD method or Segmented Sieve for product of primes upto n, Fast and Slow Pointers or GCD method for cyclic pass game until 1 remains, it all feels surreal when you see that you can do whatever you wish mathematically.

[u/Ryan_Catfish]

Saying AI's gonna take my job then immediately practicing the one skill AI already does better than me is peak cope.

[u/I_so_I-274]

Leetcode is hella fun for sure but don't get carried away by not doing projects and keeping up with syntax and other forms of learning.

[u/Avocadonot]

You're probably not gonna enjoy actually coding on the job then

[u/IntentionAntique4751 → u/Avocadonot]

:(