I know this "blog" is probably hokum, but in my experience, the power of having a good network is incredible. I've been in tech for a decade, and only had a peoper whiteboard interview for my very first role, and have been able to leverage my network to get roles at some dream companies without having to go through the "invert a linkedlist"/"design a parking lot" type of interviews, with great pay raises, role hikes, and increased responsibilities.

Us engineers love complaining about the interview process, but then do NOTHING to display skill outside of a resume (and trust me, the amount of lying that happens in resumes is incredible).