You’re not alone with this story, other people have shared similar stories. There are even a few very famous cases, like when the Homebrew maintainer complained about being rejected by Google https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15713801.
That said, you are making some assumptions. They might be right, but don’t forget to consider the possibility that they’re not, and then think about how to validate your assumptions, and about what it means and how to respond or adjust if your assumptions aren’t right. Also don’t forget to think impersonally about whether the job is the right fit for you. The job with the islands question might be a job for which it will be important to know and write similar algorithms, and based on the experience you describe, it might not be the right job for you. You sound like a full-stack dev, or even maybe a devops or generalist kind of person, and any given job might be looking for a more specific algorithm developer. When the job isn’t right for you, it is not a reflection of your existing talents or abilities, it could mean nothing more than they’re looking for someone with different experience or interest than you have. Being rejected might be best for you, before you know it.
> DSA is rarely relevant to the job requirements
I don’t know what this means. Generally speaking, a basic working knowledge of data structures and algorithms apples to damn near everything in computer programming jobs. I’d agree that most jobs don’t require knowing the subtle differences between parallel mergesort and parallel shell sort, for example. But most jobs that involve programming do require knowing some data structures and some algorithms.
Furthermore, companies are usually looking for well-rounded candidates. If I can hire someone who does full-stack Android and knows a lot of data structures and algorithms, that is better for me than hiring someone who’s great a full-stack stuff but gets stumped if they have to fix a connected components algorithm. Companies want devs who are good at as many things as possible, even when they say they’re looking for something specific.
Keep in mind that you’re competing with others, not being evaluated by yourself on your own merits. Also keep in mind that a single job rejection is nothing in the big picture, many things can go wrong in an interview, so look at the big picture and not individual interview questions.
That said, you are making some assumptions. They might be right, but don’t forget to consider the possibility that they’re not, and then think about how to validate your assumptions, and about what it means and how to respond or adjust if your assumptions aren’t right. Also don’t forget to think impersonally about whether the job is the right fit for you. The job with the islands question might be a job for which it will be important to know and write similar algorithms, and based on the experience you describe, it might not be the right job for you. You sound like a full-stack dev, or even maybe a devops or generalist kind of person, and any given job might be looking for a more specific algorithm developer. When the job isn’t right for you, it is not a reflection of your existing talents or abilities, it could mean nothing more than they’re looking for someone with different experience or interest than you have. Being rejected might be best for you, before you know it.
> DSA is rarely relevant to the job requirements
I don’t know what this means. Generally speaking, a basic working knowledge of data structures and algorithms apples to damn near everything in computer programming jobs. I’d agree that most jobs don’t require knowing the subtle differences between parallel mergesort and parallel shell sort, for example. But most jobs that involve programming do require knowing some data structures and some algorithms.
Furthermore, companies are usually looking for well-rounded candidates. If I can hire someone who does full-stack Android and knows a lot of data structures and algorithms, that is better for me than hiring someone who’s great a full-stack stuff but gets stumped if they have to fix a connected components algorithm. Companies want devs who are good at as many things as possible, even when they say they’re looking for something specific.
Keep in mind that you’re competing with others, not being evaluated by yourself on your own merits. Also keep in mind that a single job rejection is nothing in the big picture, many things can go wrong in an interview, so look at the big picture and not individual interview questions.