I don't have the live coding problems skill (funny hat dance).

I've failed 4 live coding interviews so far, which has been my wake-up call that I need to learn this skill.

I do question funny hat dances value in the real world...

I learned a different funny hat dance 8 years ago called white boarding.

I questioned its real world value back then too, but had no choice, it's what people wanted to see.

I'm not saying I'm the best engineer in the world. I'm saying I've provided tons of value for the companies I've worked at and my salary reflects that. I've had an above market rate salary for the last 3 years.

No, the company I work for isn't dumb, in fact, it's often seen as tackling some of the hardest problems in computer science (decentralized cloud storage). I know I provide value and I know I'm a good engineer.

However, I also suffer from anxiety.

It makes me appear dumb in these live problem situations. This week, I was awake half the night for two nights because my heart rate was going so fast. The week previous, same story. I don't understand it myself. I tell myself "who cares" to try to get my body to sleep, but it doesn't work. You can imagine how having no sleep can affect an interview. It makes me fail again and again.

So why don't you practice?

I'm going to. I just haven't had time yet. See my question at the end

Isn't your anxiety from not preparing?

Partially. I've had to deal with this my whole life. If I prepare and convince myself I don't care at all about the outcome, the anxiety goes away, but otherwise it's always there.

Why is this only a problem now?

I haven't had to interview since 2015, my last two jobs I got from being poached. Those who know me, are familiar with my work ethic and my ability to problem solve.

So here I am, like 8 years ago, I have no choice but to learn how to dance with a funny hat on, so here's my question.

How have you best prepared for live coding interviews?

user:	treebot
created:	July 20, 2021
karma:	54