I see this pattern repeating over and over.
You recently graduated from a 12-week bootcamp or maybe you’re a self-thought programmer.
You learned the technologies and programming languages that give you the ability to build web or mobile apps.
You know your tech stack well and you built a few simple CRUD apps and a website portfolio.
You wrote your resume and you’ve started applying to as many Junior Developer positions.
Maybe you even start a blog or network on social platforms like LinkedIn.
Most of your applications get rejected and you never hear back from them.
For the few that you get called in, they give you an online assessment where you need to solve 2-3 coding problems.
Or maybe they give you a homework assessment to build some application or part of it.
Even if you manage somehow to code your wait out of it using Stack Overflow, you still have to pass at least one Coding Interview where it’s very hard to fake it.
Here’s the thing, companies are looking for Problem Solvers. They want to see you design and build a solution from scratch.
If you’re not able to solve some simple algorithmic coding challenges, how will you be able to build complex applications that solve unique problems?
Sure, there’s Stack Overflow and Google, but you need to put things together to solve the problem.
Also, what do you do if you don’t find how to do something online?
Being able to come up with an algorithm and build solutions from scratch shows you are a good fit for the role.
Becoming a good problem solver and learning Algorithms and Data Structures can also be useful when you’re building up your portfolio projects.
You won’t just build a simple CRUD app, but you’ll be able to create a more complex project that will make you stand out in your resume.