[UserNameGoesHere]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

UNGH: If anyone made that argument to me in person, I'd just tell them, "Go beat PE 344, 361, and 415 -- and see if you can beat my runtime, code length, and clarity"

FM: Nah I've only used C++ IME, no Java yet although I should learn that too.

I don't know what you mean by PE 344, 361, and 415. Those aren't industry-standard terms or anything so you'd have to clarify. But in any case I bet if you did that they'd just say "next" and go on to the next candidate.

There's a lot of programmers out there who can't really program but moreso just copy/paste code without really understanding how it works. They're trying to weed that out. And if they made the problems too difficult it may take longer than the time allotment they're going for, which is why they stick with more well-known types of problems. Also it's pretty easy to check if such programs work correctly.

Also, you should be thankful that you're getting far enough into the interview process where they do pull out the problems and say "here, work this". Hint: Even if you work everything flawlessly doesn't mean they'll hire you though.

I see you're in New York though, which should have pretty good chances of getting a programming job there.