FAANG Software Engineer pay is not that great when compared to a Surgeon (or many other good jobs) for people who have been doing other good jobs for decades.
How many Software Engineers do you who drive Ferraris? Probably not many, but for Surgeons, Sales People (at good companies) it's not a big deal.
No other industry would anyone tolerate being told to study 4-8 hours a day for months for a chance to pass an interview.
I realize I'm ranting but I've a Software Engineer with over 20 years experience and I've kind of lost interest being in an industry where the only thing that matters for an interview is how good I can cram leetcode, rather than what I've designed and built. Granted it would be hard for me to easily find something that pays more so I'm not quitting my day job (and now extra night job).
There are two ways to prep for interviews. One is to actually learn the principles. The other is to grind and memorize. 4-8 hours a day for months is the latter and is not the intended interview process, though some people go that route. “Review for a weekend” is, in my observation, what people at these companies are hoping that you’ll do.
One problem though (and I've interviewed at FAANG companies and similar process) is now they really expect you to memorize at lot because other developers are doing it as well. On one of my questions
I was supposed to quickly recreate the quick-select algorithm from memory in 10 min. Stuff like this I learned a long time ago but have no need to memorize how to code it by hand quickly.
Brushing up for the weekend is not enough if you haven't touched the stuff in 20 years. When I've spoken with recruiters they recommend studying many hours per day ever day for at least 2 months.
No doctor, lawyer, real estate agent (and many other much higher paying professions) would ever tolerate this type of interview.
Personally the interview prep is so boarding I can't wait for the day to be done with this field (not actually software development) just having to do it for work.
> No doctor, lawyer, real estate agent (and many other much higher paying professions) would ever tolerate this type of interview
Hah. The grass is always greener on the other side I guess.
- The doctor has to pass exams to get their license to practice. And additional exams to be able to practice in a specialty. It often takes YEARS before a doctor passes the requisite exams to be able to practice in their chosen specialty.
- The lawyer situation is somewhat worse. It is significantly challenging to get a job after you get a law degree (which usually is rather expensive and at any rate an additional expense after your first degree), presuming you pass the bar exam. Let's say you did better than average, you'll probably end up becoming a lawyer in a small firm with <100k salary. The big money is in New York city firms (the equivalent of "FAANG" in the legal sector) which is super competitive, and they plainly won't consider any job application from "qualified lawyers" who worked in lesser firms for a couple years.
The FAANG situation is simply a result of lack of gatekeeping in the software industry (you don't even need a CS degree) and general inclusiveness compared with the other professional industries. You don't need have a piece of paper proving you can code -- and that means sometimes candidates really literally can't code.
If the software industry operated like the medical profession, you'd have to pass a leetcode test before you are allowed to use a C++ compiler without supervision. And you'll have to take tests every 5 years to prove that you still know how to write quicksort.
If the software industry operated like the legal profession, FAANG companies would refuse to consider applications unless you had a perfect GPA from the top 20 CS programs or from another FAANG company. And then you'd have the privilege to work 60 hour weeks with them.
If the software industry operated like real estate, you'd get a low base salary and most of your money would be made on how many users your features contributed to revenue for your employer.
Nobody says you _need_ to work for FAANG. Most people don't. Given the competitive situation, obviously some people think the increased chance of getting an offer is worth the time invested in grinding leetcode problems. If you think the grass is really greener on the other side, try studying a law degree and getting a job in a New York city firm and then tell me it's really a better experience.
Disclaimer: I have a law degree (not in USA) and work for a FAANG. When I have choice over interview questions I don't ask leetcode style questions.
How many Software Engineers do you who drive Ferraris? Probably not many, but for Surgeons, Sales People (at good companies) it's not a big deal.
No other industry would anyone tolerate being told to study 4-8 hours a day for months for a chance to pass an interview.
I realize I'm ranting but I've a Software Engineer with over 20 years experience and I've kind of lost interest being in an industry where the only thing that matters for an interview is how good I can cram leetcode, rather than what I've designed and built. Granted it would be hard for me to easily find something that pays more so I'm not quitting my day job (and now extra night job).