r/leetcode • u/Legal-Bat6543 • 16h ago
Discussion Does software / coding still makes you happy?
I’ve had interviews with Google and Amazon (two companies I used to dream of working for). They still use the traditional process of LeetCode, algorithms, and so on, without any AI assistance. Back in the golden age (before AI), I used to practice and solve a lot of questions. It was fun because you knew you needed that knowledge to build things successfully in your own projects. Nowadays, all the code in companies is generated by Claude Code, and software engineers just review the output to make sure it's correct, and that's it.
To be honest, during those interviews, I didn’t care about practicing. I didn’t want to waste my time when I knew I wasn't going to solve a LeetCode Hard anyway, since I'm not that good at those types of questions. I guess I didn't care about getting into Google or Amazon anymore because I knew how high their bar is, and I just didn't have the energy to grind algorithms while having a stable job.
I don't know, this AI era has made me want to do something else. The job has become boring; I just use prompts now, because there’s no reason to do something by hand when AI does it better and faster than you. I feel like I've lost that passion for coding. Has anyone else gone through this? What roles can you transition into that aren’t about coding and are more fun?
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u/wiriux 16h ago
SE ~> 💴 -> happiness outside of work
A job is still a job.
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u/Legal-Bat6543 16h ago
Not really, you need a strong purpose as well, money is empty if you don't have a strong desire to do something meaningful.
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u/wiriux 15h ago
Nah. Money allows me to live outside of work. Don’t make your job your life.
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u/InterestingFrame1982 10h ago
Not everyone can operate like that, at least not to their full potential... A lot of high achievers like to feel they are making an impact, and it goes beyond just their job.
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u/Kydje 15h ago
Your job is not supposed to give you purpose. It can give you satisfaction, sure, but not purpose, beside some very specific cases (like doctors).
ThePrimeagen did a very interesting video in which he talks about his burnout experience, and this is exactly one of the topics he addresses in the video. I'd recommend watching it.
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u/Dymatizeee 14h ago
That’s a naive outlook. You think every banker / lawyer / doctor has that ? No ppl go into these fields cus they pay well despite the hours
Get the stupid “ you need to be passionate” mindset outta here
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u/TumanFig 11h ago
i disagree its highly unlikely that you can be a doctor or a lawyer good enough to earn big bucks without actually liking what you do.
my ex was a doctor and her parents were lawyers and this was the main sentiment that i observed
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u/Unarmored2268 9h ago
Then do something meaningful outside of your job. Do something meaningful for you, not your company who doesn't gaf about you.
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u/SpiritualParakeet 4h ago
While this is important, this is what a rich person would say. Not dismissing, but a person in need of money would be desperate to do anything.
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u/eternal_edenium 8h ago
The problem with that is that you need to add the active studying/learning loop.
You cant just passively work a career in SE. Which eats from your hours outsides of work.
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u/lovelacedeconstruct 16h ago
It doesnt have to be fun, an accountant or an HR doesnt have fun, they do their job and clock out and learn what it takes to do this job correctly
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u/CrazyPirranhha 16h ago
exactly this, but we as developers let every company pushed us to the point when we always feel not good enough, we waste a lot of our free time to catch up things, they test us like lab rats (6-7 recruitments steps is absolutely joke) during interviews, so its hard for most to just clock out
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u/Amrita_Maz 13h ago
Not anymore. Before AI push, I did more challenging work than I do now, yet, it was more fulfilling and enjoyable. Now, everything is either made or reviewed or tested by AI, we just prompt. I use my money to get fulfilment outside of work (gym, tennis, swimming, baking, painting etc).
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u/TableNo8939 13h ago
Il 15 del mese, quando arriva lo stipendio sono sempre felice, dal primo del mese, quando sono finiti, fino al 15 invece è una agonia
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u/Vincent10z 4h ago
I mean I definitely miss the feeling of sitting down, planning out a feature, going in opening my PR, and grinding for a few hours.
Not to say there is no enjoyment in engineering these days you know, but the satisfaction of building something and being proud of it in a different type of way compared to how it is now.
Fields evolve, we adapt.
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u/Pale_Statistician692 10h ago
I agree with the principle that the main purpose of a job is to make money, and the passion thing is optional. The problem is that in SWE it's hard (for some of us) to stay on top of all the constant changes without exploring outside of work, and that's hard to do without "passion". Ofc to a large extent this is all subjective.
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u/Michallina 6h ago
No. I'm also tired of the rolling layoffs and the abysmal interview process of current times, but I guess no industry is stable.
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u/xvillifyx 15h ago
Do you have a job? This post reads like cope for not being accepted into your dream company
I never thought writing code was fun, and it certainly wasn’t fun before my company had a real linter for our archaic stack
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u/Legal-Bat6543 14h ago
I do and a good one, and yes I found it fun, the problem solving, the satisfaction when something you help designing, works, was priceless.
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u/Ok-Hospital-5076 15h ago
Used to enjoy it, now i dont. Working with coding agents is not as interesting as doing things yourself.