[cyberprunes]

As others have pointed out, a lot of application development rarely requires solving typical CS problems. One can go a long time building things without such formal knowledge. I agree with that and I'm glad that the field is available to anyone that loves to program regardless of schooling. BUT

The problem is thinking that "It's ok!" to spend your career in ignorance because your job doesn't involve inventing new algorithms or pondering theory. That's just lazy. I know, I did that for years too, not knowing why I should bother since I'm doing just fine without it! That is the arrogance of ignorance at work. I guarantee that you don't know how miserable you really are.

It's not about passing whiteboard interviews, it's about achieving a deep understanding of fundamentals. It will change and improve the way you think and approach problems. It will improve your software regardless of whether or not it involves an actual "CS problem" because your mind will be elevated. I did the same thing for years, I whined about "whiteboard interviews that don't effectively display my skills and unique gifts to do the job". It's a dumb mindset.

My advice as an internet nobody would be: Now that you've seen that you are struggling in this area, work on it! Don't let these people encourage you to remain ignorant. Advocating for ignorance is shit that propagates shit.

Ultimately, understanding the principles of your field will make you better. It's not about the damn whiteboard!