#051 - Should you grind leetcode? feat. NeetCode

In today’s episode, we bring fellow developer and tech content creator NeetCode, to talk about his obstacles and observations on his path in becoming a FAANG engineer, where he shares his struggles and how he started both his tech career and content creation journeys. Among a variety of other topics, NeetCode shares his advice for anyone that’s open to receiving it, and explains the pros and cons of grinding LeetCode, if it is even worth doing it or not, while also dabbling into why networking is somewhat important and highlights the importance of standing out in today’s job market environment. Learn back-end development - https://boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Neetcode's Website: https://neetcode.io/ Neetcode's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/neetcode Neetcode's Twitter: https://twitter.com/neetcode1 Neetcode's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navdeep-singh-3aaa14161/ Timestamps: 00:46 Who is NeetCode and a bit of his background02:24 Why did NeetCode start a YouTube Channel?03:40 People don't talk about where they mess up at these big companies04:47 Portray yourself in the best possible light at interviews07:37 Why LeetCode?08:44 Why Grinding LeetCode is not the smartest choice11:31 Why LeetCode is still important if your goal is a FAANG-level company14:47 What would be the approach for someone with CS-degree knowledge that wants to get into Google in 2024/202517:26 How to know if you're having trouble getting or passing interviews?19:01 You can put projects on a resume, not LeetCode solutions21:47 Tutorial Hell24:47 You have to be able to prove your knowledge, just putting it on the resume isn't enough29:20 You don't have to do content creation to get a developer job30:29 Social Media works well for networking33:03 NeetCode philosophy37:57 Monetizing education content42:17 How to level up the product experience44:04 Amazon vs Google's culture46:24 As usual, managers don't know what they're doing a lot of the time49:30 Managers at these companies should be technical51:17 Difference between Engineers and other Tech Roles55:40 Where to find NeetCode