Ask HN: Focus on data structures/algos or projects to build skills

[Gary_TheSnail_]

New CS grad (bachelors). Looking for advice on how to make myself more marketable/employable for a first job. I have some projects on my resume to talk about and I have no desire to study/practice Leetcode/DSA problems because I would rather learn a new skill, refine existing ones, or build something from a tutorial/course/idea. Not sure what to do since I know most new grad interviews focus on some copy pasted problems from Leetcode instead of talking about skills from previous projects, but I'd rather build something.

[arsenalma]

From personal experience it generally depends on the type of role you’re looking for.

Big tech companies or legacy corporates generally care more about data structures & algorithms.

Most startups however seem to care more about project work and being able to products.

Obviously varies from company to company but that’s generally what I’ve seen at least.