What does 50,000 hours of craftsmanship mean?

A few weeks ago, I suddenly had the idea to calculate how much time I had spent on programming (including learning). This led to some reflections. The calculation formula is as follows. Average hours per day × Number of days in a year × Total number of years I started programming in the spring of 2013 and decided to fully commit to it in 2014. On average, I spend between 5 and 16 hours a day coding, non-stop, including weekends. My time is easy to calculate because, aside from specific times when I go out, I spend most of my time coding, except for eating, sleeping, and other necessities. I’ve always had trouble sleeping, which means I don’t sleep much during the day, and often don’t sleep at all. So I often end up coding for over 16 hours (the longest stretch was probably over 36 hours). 🤔 This is actually quite painful for me, but I won’t go into detail here—I just want to record how much time I’ve spent. ...

June 24, 2025 · 2 min · 298 words · Jen-Chieh Shen

Problem with LeetCode and SWE jobs

This is a rant about software engineering interviews and LeetCode. 🗯️ Preamble In 2024, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are grinding through LeetCode, aiming to break into the tech industry, drawn by the high salaries it offers. 🤔 What does LeetCode actually bring? LeetCode offers little more than these benefits: Algorithm exercises and data structure knowledge Coding under pressure (Why though? Are we in a war zone now?) Passing coding interviews However, completing LeetCode doesn’t prove you’re a good software engineer. It only shows you can code basic algorithms and solve programming puzzles. It doesn’t test essential skills like collaboration, communication, documentation, design patterns, system architecture, low-level programming, or core computer science knowledge. ...

September 7, 2024 · 2 min · 379 words · Jen-Chieh Shen

Being 10x engineer in my first job

Recently, I came across a post on LinkedIn with the eye-catching title, “I think I’ve met a 10x engineer.” But as I read through the post, I started to have doubts. The author described how one of their colleagues had managed to fix a bunch of complex bugs in a short amount of time, which left them in awe. 🤔 But is that really what defines a 10x engineer? It brought back memories of my own experience as a so-called 10x engineer during my first job! ...

September 6, 2024 · 3 min · 505 words · Jen-Chieh Shen

Why I left USYD

WIP WIP 💬 Past experience WIP 😨 Puzzled WIP ❗ Awakening WIP 💬 Future WIP

September 15, 2021 · 1 min · 15 words · Jen-Chieh Shen