What’s the difference between “faking it until you make it” and “learning on the job?” I don’t think I have had a single job in 20+ years where I didn’t spend the first six months in Imposter Syndrome territory.
Could someone pass the LeetCode style tech interview without understanding computer science terms?
For the record: I see nothing wrong with having a two year degree that spends the first year focusing on algorithms and the basics of computer science and the second year focused on a practical emphasis where graduates can hit the ground running. Whether that be embedded programming, game development, big data, web development, etc.
Mostly, sure. They could definitely do it with just a two or three of classes from the program I went through (a first quarter theory course + the algorithms course + the data structures course). You could compress those into a couple of classes really easy.
My first year also included digital logic, computer architecture, and compilers. None of that would help with LeetCode, so get rid of it. My second year in the program consisted of Programming language paradigms, operating systems, data structures, and final year advanced digital logic, advanced computer systems, and an independent capstone project...again, not relevant to LeetCode. I never bothered with the algorithms course (my plate was full, it was an elective) because LeetCode wasn't needed for interviewing back then (but most algorithms don't seem foreign to me either). This was (and still is) a top ten world-ranked CS program.
You could totally master LeetCode taking only a few non-major courses and then augmenting that with math courses. Heck, you could master LeetCode by singularly focusing on mastering LeetCode in a 6 month bootcamp.