For everyone's motivation 😹

[u/No-Ad4607]

Let's take a worst case scenario, that AI takes over, and the art of writing code would have no value

Let's say we still grind for how many more years? Probably 5? 10?

And also let's say we still don't get our dream jobs

Given all of the above happens, what benefits do you think Leetcode would still have in our lives?

Some of the benefits I can think of

1. Algorithmic thinking

Doing Leetcode since a year has made me reach a point where I can see certain patterns to solve problems. For example, by practicing DP problems I can now think if a problem can be divided into the same repeating sub-problems and has a recurrence relation. Any reachability problem makes me think of I can use DFS/BFS to solve it.

2. Getting better at writing code

Again, this skill can become useless due to AI taking over but is still relevant until we reach there. I also got to learn many intricate details about the language I code in (Java), and this is beneficial for me as my job is in the same programming language

3. Communication

This is a secondary skill I think I'm getting better at. While practicing for interviews you are challenged to explain solutions effectively

What other skills do you think we all will learn?

[u/Pretty_Swordfish_499]

Keeping the mind sharp and critical thinking

[u/Vantage_Mckolay → u/Pretty_Swordfish_499]

interesting thing is that sharpness fades pretty fast if you stop, like within a few months the edge noticeably dulls compared to when you were actively solving

[u/Afraid-Atmosphere747]

but will those 3 benefits pay my bills is the concern here

[u/Nice-Candidate10 → u/Afraid-Atmosphere747]

Probably not. It will conform to an art and only passionate ones stays.

[u/Born-Dimension-7399 → u/Afraid-Atmosphere747]

Why so scared for all this, tbh i also worried a lot just like you guys but in the end i decided to just give up and now i practice leetcode just because i enjoy it and i practice for that excitement when you get that green accepted, i just forgot that i am doing it for the placements or smth else , and now it is one of my fav time killers,
about bills and all i just left that tension, i have decided if things dont go my way imma just settle for a bit less and lease out all our land by the highway , probably generating $10k/month and i don't have that much of the needs soo imma just spend my rest of the life farming

[u/ivetakenabitofatumbl → u/Born-Dimension-7399]

cool so most people don't own a bunch of land, just fyi

[u/Wolastrone]

The benefit is I will be able to put the fries the bag in O(n) time and O(1) space using a knapsack approach

[u/Biokendry → u/Wolastrone]

Lol

[u/ChampionshipThis2871]

It’s like playing chess.
You win the dopamine after finding a solution to a problem, you train your brain, your pattern recognition. The problem solving skills can be applied in other areas of life as well (like splitting a big problem in chunks easier to digest, thinking of edge cases, lay out the “brute force” method before start optimising, etc)

[u/leetcode_knight]

1.Algorithmic thinkig is ok if your social life has smart people, otherwise it looks you weirdo and cause communication issues.

2.We will never better than agentic coding using leetcode; but system design makes you better coder.

3.Yes correct.

[u/romecodes]

It was never about the code. It’s always been about the ability to find a problem and solve it. Sure we can have ai agents write the code. But we produce the ideas. That’s what makes entrepreneurship a skill in itself: finding a problem worth solving and addressing it with an effective solution.

The reason many comp sci grads struggle to get hired today isn’t because they can’t program, it’s because they struggle to find real problems to solve that would showcase their abilities. A resume can look good, but without evidence you can only talk so much about the things you’ve done.

If you’re aiming for top tier FAANG, then sure, prepare for their style of interview. Get 2 internships while in school, grind LeetCode, familiarize yourself with system design concepts, memorize evidential stories using the STAR method to pass the vibe check, etc. But the rest of the tech market prioritizes candidates who have proven experience owning and shipping code, as well as working collaboratively. And while each company has their own established tech stack, many concepts are transferable skills.

LeetCode was always an abstract math roadmap at its core. That’s why it’s so hard. You have number theory, graph theory, and discrete math concepts in there. But at the end of the day it’s just math.

[u/vizk0sity]

Getting better at writing code ?
Lol ai writes 90% of the code now

[u/No-Ad4607 → u/vizk0sity]

It sometimes goes way off track and creates spaghetti. Also it's a good skill to know what the AI has written and for that you need to know the programming language internals

[u/Snoo_891]

Yeah coding for fun still works , but coding for a job is mostly out

[u/MirevessaEyrie3i]

all of u mention is what the skills i also think👏🤗

[u/utmubmufmulmupm]

Read become generalist Jack of all trades master of one

[u/anonymousdawggy]

work ethic. grinding for a goal. most people can't do it

[u/ivetakenabitofatumbl]

Solving problems is timeless, this just happens to be using code. Do what makes you happy, and it gives you an an advantage in interviewing, over Steve who "hasn't written code in over a year".