We are truly in the Hackathon Era – Namanh Kapur interview [Podcast #180]

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On this week’s episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Namanh Kapur. He’s a senior software engineer at LinkedIn. He also creates YouTube videos to help developers with their careers.

We talk about:
– Tips for getting hired in the post-Leetcode world
– Tips for cold-DM’ing recruiters and for guessing their email addresses
– Why AI tools are going to lead to developers doing less repetitive work and more creative problem solving
– And which foundational developer skills he thinks you should prioritize learning

Support for this podcast comes from a grant from Wix Studio. Wix Studio provides developers tools to rapidly build websites with everything out-of-the-box, then extend, replace, and break boundaries with code. Learn more at https://wixstudio.com.

Support also comes from the 11,384 kind folks who support freeCodeCamp through a monthly donation. You can join these chill human beings and help our charity’s mission by going to donate.freecodecamp.org

Links we talk about during our conversation:
– Namanh’s video about two legendary Google engineers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK0I4f8Rbis
– Namanh Kapur on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/namanhkapur/?hl=en

Contents
– 0:00:00 Introduction to Namanh Kapur
– 0:00:41 The Roy Lee LeetCode Cheating Tool and Its Implications
– 0:03:38 The Frustration with LeetCode Interviews and the Shift to Problem Solving
– 0:07:25 Are All the “Hard Problems” in Software Solved?
– 0:13:46 Bridging the Gap: How to Become an Elite Developer in the Current Landscape
– 0:15:27 The Hackathon/Product Engineering Era
– 0:18:43 Distribution vs. Technology and Publicity Stunt
– 0:22:11 The Role of Relationships and Sales in Tech Careers
– 0:33:36 The Future of Coding Interviews: Avoiding Bias and Proxy-Based Hiring
– 0:27:28 The Value of University Education Beyond Technical Skills
– 0:30:28 Alternative Paths to Gaining Experience and Knowledge Without a Traditional University Education
– 0:36:14 Optimizing for Income: Discipline, Iteration, and Taking Action
– 0:43:56 Getting into Big Tech in 2025: Strategies and Market Outlook
– 0:47:19 Tactical Advice for Job Searching: Cold DMing and Building Relationships
– 0:51:31 Leveraging Events for Networking
– 0:53:07 The Evolving Job Market and Adapting to Change
– 0:58:17 Positioning for Future Success: Communication, Problem Solving, and Adaptability
– 0:59:40 The Value of Hackathons and “Vibe Coding”
– 1:01:41 Negotiating Salary and Job Offers
– 1:05:25 Navigating Exploding Offers and Prioritizing Work-Life Balance
– 1:12:57 Why You Should Be the “Dumbest Person in the Room”
– 1:14:51 Recommended First Programming Language: Python
– 1:15:51 Essential Data Structures: Hashmaps and Arrays
– 1:18:11 Navigating Codebases Quickly as a Senior Engineer
– 1:20:01 Advice to Younger Self: Make Noise and Start Early
– 1:22:04 Outro Read More freeCodeCamp.org