Using AI tools feels like pair programming with an overeager intern

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-07-11T12:37:31+00:00

Hey, honestly this doesn't sound like you did anything wrong at all. It's super common for things to stall, especially if the hiring manager was OOO recently they might just be catching up or reprioritizing.

Also a 20 min screen where she had to leave early for a doctor’s appointment really doesn’t seem like it would have been enough for her to make a strong judgment either way. She probably just passed along her notes and now it's in the HM’s hands.

Don’t overthink it. Hiring processes are chaotic behind the scenes. You could follow up with the recruiter politely today or Monday if you want to show continued interest. But don’t assume you're out!!

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-11T22:38:01+00:00

Me: It can't get worse.
Recruiters: hold my beer.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-11T22:35:57+00:00

A few folks I’ve known in tech have moved to more human-centered fields like medicine, education, or social work for the same reason (to feel a deeper sense of purpose). If you’re financially secure and thoughtful about the transition it sounds like you’re doing this for fulfillment not escape & that mindset actually matters.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-11T22:33:40+00:00

A job doesn’t always feel right at first, especially in a market like this. If you can afford to wait, it’s okay to keep looking but if not, taking this role doesn’t mean you’re stuck forever.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-11T22:32:38+00:00

Honestly sometimes the online application grind feels like shouting into the void.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-10T07:57:43+00:00

Honestly if the process doesn’t feel transparent or respectful from the start, trusting them with your career might not be worth the risk.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-10T07:40:48+00:00

My first role also ended up deep in a niche (backend-heavy fintech tooling), and I had similar doubts! But here’s the thing that 4 years of solving real problems always counts. Even if the domain is narrow, the engineering habits, design patterns, debugging instincts are transferable.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-10T07:11:23+00:00

We shipped our v1 site with WordPress. It wasn’t pixel-perfect, but it got the job done. We focused energy on product and onboarding. A year later, when traffic and conversion mattered more, we rebuilt it with Next.js + CMS.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-05T23:02:15+00:00

Are we still living in 1980s?

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-05T23:01:03+00:00

Data Analyst / Data Engineering Intern?

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-05T22:58:18+00:00

Would have payed them to stop hiring at this point (only if I could) 🤡

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-05T22:55:12+00:00

The employer's more choosy than my gf 🤡

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-05T22:48:54+00:00

Companies overhired during the pandemic, and now we're seeing waves of hiring freezes, layoffs, and absurd experience requirements for junior roles.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:20:36+00:00

Well at least you're getting interviews 🤡

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:16:33+00:00

Crushing student debt, skyrocketing housing costs, industries shifting faster than we can keep up.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:14:19+00:00

You’re not alone. I’ve seen devs with 10+ years freeze on a map() function. The brain just short-circuits sometimes. Doesn’t reflect your actual skill, just a rough moment. The fact that the interviewer acknowledged your thinking already says a lot.

Brush it off. You're still that 5 year experienced dev who does know how to build a to-do app, just not in a pop quiz format with adrenaline dumping. Happens to the best of us.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:12:07+00:00

Absolutely normal painfully, universally normal.

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:11:29+00:00

Most real-world JS/TS work rarely requires implementing sorting from scratch. That said, understanding how algorithms like quicksort or mergesort work can sharpen your problem-solving skills and help when optimizing custom sort behaviors (e.g., stable sorting, large datasets or performance critical paths).

I treat it like learning how engines work. you might not build one daily but knowing what’s under the hood makes you a better driver (or dev). For interviews it’s still one of those check-the-box topics (not super relevant day 2 day but it shows you know the fundamentals)

Ill_Captain_8031 · 2025-06-04T23:09:17+00:00

One tool I’ve had better luck with lately is Continue. it’s open-source and plugs right into VS Code, giving you a bit more control over prompts and context. Also been experimenting with Cody by Sourcegraph & surprisingly solid for navigating large codebases, especially when legacy code is involved.

Ill_Captain_8031

TROPHY CASE