Coding Interviews, a Poem
There is a vast decision tree
but that cannot persist
when all is said and done, the tree
degenerates to linked lists
hours, endless studying
the prep work that we’ve bought
reduced to one short interview
that ends it with one shot.
Nick White, McDowell, Neetcode
is there enough to show?
For living life on LeetCode
and leaving life alone?
I saw this funny comment
that put it kind of callously
some guy said he’d “LeetCode”
instead of starting family.
The long, imperfect system
Is this all your design?
Patiently, we’re waiting
we aren’t made of time.
Across the screen, your judgment
the worst judgment is mine
we’ve walked this path
we’ve made this pact
we’re actors reading lines.
But sometimes, very rarely
in iterations past
we treat each other fairly
and fair questions are asked
in spite of all the process
in spite of endless cramming
we work like two, together
two coders pair programming.
This life is short and fleeting
and time’s not on our side
if only we could measure life
in asymptotic time
such simple, sweet solutions
to solve, to beat one time
and after that solution
there’d be no need to optimize.
Why can’t we work together?
Reduce it, simplify
Work through this endless process
Rethink it, or just simply try?
We’d built it all, just watch us
we’d demonstrate proficiency
instead, we’re stuck in deadlock
a lack of our efficiency.
This code we write, it’s nothing
a not-fun form of toys
there is no boon, no market
we’re simply making noise
Why not just let us build it
that new, new thing that comes
instead we’re grinding LeetCode
with two pointers for 3Sum.
