[drdrey]

What you're saying is true -- but at the same time it is a bit awkward that there are things you need to work on for interviews only. For instance, I have never had to use linked lists in an actual dev job (~6y experience), but they come up so often in interviews that you just have to practice things like loop detection

[stmw]

It's a little awkward, but not so bad if it's within basics, like linked lists - which one may be rusty on but will generally know or re-derive - rather than really specific algorithms. But that's just a starting point, then it's about the interview and the communication and the interaction - exactly like the examples above of talking to real users or colleagues.

[user5994461]

I have to ask. What roles were you in? and what languages did you develop in?

[drdrey]

I was working on LLVM (C++ compiler) for 3 years and Java server backends the other 3 years. Those were the main products, with a side of Python, Groovy, Bash and JavaScript. In all fairness, I suspect LLVM uses linked lists internally for things like instructions in a basic block, but that was a level of abstraction under me.

[stmw]

Me?

[user5994461]

the poster who said he never had to use a linkedlist in 6 years.

[stmw]

Ah, I see. I guess it all depends on the meaning of "use",