I've been a developer for 8 years. I have a good job already. When I get an email from a google recruiter, I usually think this:
My free time is very limited and valuable. Google sounds interesting, but here are my options:
a) Spend my free time exploring and building small projects with new technologies and techniques. Maybe work on a mobile app that could make some money.
b) Find my old CS textbook and notes and do algorithm studying and exercises just to prepare for an interview.
Doing a) directly improves my skills and has lots of benefits. I've been able to improve projects and gain a lot of good reputation at work because of things I discovered doing a). a) could also lead to making a revenue-generating mobile app. And perhaps most important of all, a) is FUN.
Doing b) just feels like a giant waste of time. Doing b) is a direct opportunity cost of not doing a). The potential return for b) is what? Going through a day long interview with judgmental engineers trying to look smart? And it's boring. It was fun learning in college when it was the first time and I had that aha moment of understanding. Now its just boring to go over it again and again just to rote memorize things. I would rather be building or learning something new.
My free time is very limited and valuable. Google sounds interesting, but here are my options:
a) Spend my free time exploring and building small projects with new technologies and techniques. Maybe work on a mobile app that could make some money.
b) Find my old CS textbook and notes and do algorithm studying and exercises just to prepare for an interview.
Doing a) directly improves my skills and has lots of benefits. I've been able to improve projects and gain a lot of good reputation at work because of things I discovered doing a). a) could also lead to making a revenue-generating mobile app. And perhaps most important of all, a) is FUN.
Doing b) just feels like a giant waste of time. Doing b) is a direct opportunity cost of not doing a). The potential return for b) is what? Going through a day long interview with judgmental engineers trying to look smart? And it's boring. It was fun learning in college when it was the first time and I had that aha moment of understanding. Now its just boring to go over it again and again just to rote memorize things. I would rather be building or learning something new.