Fuck LeetCode? Here's Why It Feels Impossible — and How to Stay Sane Anyway

You ever stare at a LeetCode problem for 40 minutes—brain completely empty, soul slowly exiting your body—and think:

"Yeah, fuck this. I'm clearly not meant to be an engineer."

If that's you, congratulations: you're experiencing the exact emotional meltdown that every software engineer has at least twice a week.

You didn't Google "fuck leetcode" because you wanted another sterile tutorial — you wanted someone to say, "Yeah, this sucks, and you're not crazy for feeling that way." If you've ever typed "fuck leetcode," "leetcode sucks," or "I hate leetcode" into a search bar, this article is for you.

This isn't for the psychopaths who "enjoy the grind" or the LinkedIn influencers posting about their 500-day streaks. No. This is for the rest of us. The ones who want to throw our laptops out the window because an "Easy" problem just destroyed our will to live.

Let's talk about why LeetCode feels impossible, why you're not broken, and how to survive this nightmare without completely losing your mind.

TL;DR (Because Your Brain Is Already Fried)

• You're not alone: "LeetCode sucks" is basically the tech industry's national anthem
• The system is broken: Inverting binary trees has nothing to do with your actual job
• DP is trauma: Dynamic Programming has caused more existential crises than philosophy degrees
• Your frustration is valid: This is a normal response to an abnormal system
• There's hope: Smarter strategies exist, and you don't have to suffer alone

Why People Say "Fuck LeetCode" — The Real Reasons

Let's be honest about what's happening here.

The FAANG Pressure Cooker

Somewhere along the way, the tech industry decided that your worth as an engineer is determined by whether you can implement Dijkstra's algorithm while three strangers silently judge you.

Never mind that:

• You've shipped production code for years
• Real engineering involves Stack Overflow, Google, and, you know, actual thinking time
• Nobody has ever needed to invert a binary tree in 20 minutes at their actual job

But sure, let's evaluate candidates based on puzzle speed. That makes total sense. This is fine. Everything is fine.

The "Easy" Problem That Broke You

Somewhere out there is a LeetCode Easy problem that has ruined more engineers' confidence than three failed system design rounds combined.

You click on it. You read it. You think, "Okay, this seems manageable."

90 minutes later, you're questioning your entire career path, your CS degree, and whether your parents were right about medical school.

The difficulty labels are lies. "Easy" often means "easy if you've already seen this exact trick." The problem setter was having a bad day and decided you should too.

Dynamic Programming: Where Dreams Go to Die

DP. The two letters that haunt every engineer's nightmares.

You can solve 200 array problems, feel pretty good about yourself, and then encounter "Edit Distance" or "Burst Balloons." Suddenly, you understand nothing. The recursive relationship doesn't make sense. The memoization feels random. The tabulation approach looks like ancient hieroglyphics.

And the worst part? Some absolute psychopath in the discussion section says:

"Classic DP problem, very straightforward :)"

This is the part where your soul leaves your body.

Sliding Window Trauma

You'd think sliding window would be simple. You're literally just... moving a window. How hard can it be?

And then you spend 2 hours trying to figure out when to shrink, when to expand, what to track, and why your edge cases keep failing on test case 847 out of 850.

At this moment, approximately 91% of engineers Google "is software engineering worth it."

The Reddit Reality Check

If you've ever scrolled through r/leetcode or r/cscareerquestions, you know you're not alone:

"I solved 500 problems and I still feel like I know nothing."
— literally every engineer, ever

"LeetCode Easy is harder than my actual job."
— every Redditor in r/leetcode

"The solution says 'just use monotonic stack.' JUST use it? I didn't even know that existed."
— someone who was having a normal day until they weren't

"I've been grinding for 6 months and I swear I was better at this 3 months ago."
— peak LeetCode experience

The Psychology Behind LeetCode Burnout

Here's the thing: your rage isn't random. There's actual psychology behind why LeetCode makes you want to flip a table.

Cognitive Overload Is Real

LeetCode problems require you to simultaneously:

• Parse a confusing problem statement
• Consider edge cases you haven't seen yet
• Remember algorithm patterns
• Write syntactically correct code
• Optimize for time and space
• Not panic

That's a LOT for your working memory. Your brain literally cannot hold all that at once, especially under pressure. When you "go blank," it's not because you're dumb—it's because the task exceeds normal cognitive limits.

The Ego Threat

Every failed LeetCode problem feels like evidence that you're a fraud.

You're not just solving a puzzle—you're defending your identity as a competent engineer. That's why it hurts so much when you can't figure out a "Medium" that some YouTube guy solved in 3 minutes.

The stakes feel impossibly high because, in your brain, they are.

Comparison Culture Is Poison

Online, you see:

• "I do 10 mediums a day"
• "After 2 weeks, I could solve any medium"
• "Solved in 5 min, very easy"

What you DON'T see:

• The hours of frustration
• The problems they couldn't solve
• The breaks, the burnout, the despair

You're comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. And it's destroying you.

Learned Helplessness

After enough failures, your brain starts to believe: "I can't do this."

This is learned helplessness—a psychological state where you stop trying because you've convinced yourself that effort is pointless.

It's not true. But it feels true. And that feeling is brutal.

When It's Okay to Walk Away

Here's something nobody tells you: sometimes, the right move is to stop.

Not forever. But for now.

Signs You Need a Break

• You dread opening LeetCode like it's a court summons
• You're making more mistakes than you were two weeks ago
• Your self-talk has become consistently negative
• Physical symptoms: headaches, insomnia, tension
• The thought of another DP problem makes you want to cry

If any of this is you, stop grinding. Seriously.

What a Healthy Break Looks Like

• 1–3 days of no LeetCode (or longer if needed)
• Do literally anything else you enjoy
• Touch grass. Pet a dog. Watch trash TV.
• Return only when the dread has subsided

You won't lose your progress. Your brain consolidates learning during rest. You might even come back sharper.

Burnout doesn't make you weak—pushing through until you break does.

For more on recovering from the grind, check out our guide on staying motivated when you keep failing LeetCode problems.

Okay, But Do We Actually Need to Do This?

Sighs in late-stage capitalism.

Yeah. Kind of.

Look, I just spent 1,000 words validating your rage, and now I have to tell you the unfortunate truth: if you want jobs at certain companies, LeetCode prep is still table stakes.

The reality:

• Most tech interviews include coding rounds
• Those rounds still test algorithm puzzles
• Ignoring this doesn't make it go away
• The game is frustrating, but it's the game

You can hate it AND still play it. Especially if the prizes (salaries, equity, opportunities) are worth it to you.

The Partial Good News

Not every company does brutal LC-style interviews:

• Some have take-home projects
• Some focus on practical coding and system design
• Some small companies barely interview at all

But if your target is FAANG, unicorn startups, or anyone who's copied the Big Tech playbook, you're going to have to grind.

The question isn't "should I do this?" It's "how do I do this without losing my sanity?"

How to Deal With LeetCode When You Secretly Hate It

If you can't avoid it, at least make it suck less.

1. Fix Your Mindset First

Stop treating every unsolved problem like a referendum on your intelligence.

LeetCode problems are pattern recognition puzzles. You're not supposed to "figure them out from first principles"—you're supposed to learn the patterns and recognize which one applies.

When you can't solve something, you haven't failed. You've discovered a pattern you don't know yet. That's learning, not losing.

2. Learn Patterns, Not Random Problems

Grinding randomly is like studying for a history exam by reading random Wikipedia articles.

Focus on the core patterns:

• Two Pointers
• Sliding Window
• Binary Search (and its sneaky variations)
• BFS/DFS (graphs and trees)
• Dynamic Programming (start with 1D before 2D wrecks you)
• Backtracking
• Heap/Priority Queue
• Monotonic Stack (yes, that thing exists)

Master one pattern at a time. Do 5–10 problems per pattern. Move on when you can recognize and apply it consistently.

For a structured approach, see our pattern recognition guide. If you want something more structured than chaotic grinding, check out our beginner-friendly LeetCode roadmap.

3. Time-Box Your Suffering

Set a timer for 25–30 minutes. If you can't solve it by then, look at hints or the solution.

Spending 3 hours on one problem teaches you nothing except frustration tolerance. The goal is to learn efficiently, not to suffer maximally.

4. Use Hints — Strategically

There's no shame in getting help. The shame is in wasting hours when a small nudge would unlock understanding.

Smart hint usage:

1. What pattern or technique applies?
2. What data structure should I use?
3. What's the key insight?
4. (Only if needed) Full approach, then implement yourself

Some engineers use AI hint tools like LeetCopilot to get progressive guidance without spoiling the entire solution—it's like having a calm, non-judgmental study partner who nudges you forward instead of flexing how smart they are.

5. Quality Over Quantity

Solving 500 problems poorly is worse than solving 150 problems deeply.

For each problem:

• Understand why the solution works
• Re-solve it from scratch the next day
• Categorize it by pattern
• Note common edge cases

Don't just collect solved counts. Actually learn.

6. Accept That Some Days Will Be Rough

You won't always be sharp. Sometimes your brain just doesn't cooperate.

On bad days, do easier problems or just review old solutions. Don't force it. Grinding while burned out is counterproductive—you're just reinforcing frustration, not building skills.

The Mindset Reframe: LeetCode as a (Terrible) Video Game

Try this: treat LeetCode like a frustrating video game that you're allowed to rage-quit.

• Problems are levels
• Patterns are skill unlocks
• Hard problems are unfair boss fights
• Hints are power-ups
• Consistent play > marathon suffering

Games are allowed to be frustrating. They're also allowed to be optional. You can put the controller down when it stops being productive.

You're not failing at life when you can't beat a boss on the first try. You just haven't figured out the pattern yet.

"LeetCode Is Ruining My Life" — You're Not Defective

If you've ever screamed "LeetCode sucks!" at 2 a.m., you're not defective—you're a normal engineer responding to an abnormal system.

The anger, frustration, and existential dread you feel? It's shared by literally millions of engineers worldwide:

• Senior engineers with 15 YOE
• New grads from top CS programs
• Bootcamp graduates
• Self-taught developers
• People who were feeling fine about their careers until they started grinding

When you're struggling at midnight wondering if you're cut out for this industry, remember: there are thousands of others doing the exact same thing, feeling the exact same way, right now.

The memes exist because the pain is universal:

• "Just learn recursion" (and understand why your stack overflowed)
• "It's easy, just use DP" (narrator: it was not easy)
• "The interviewer said 'interesting approach'" (you failed)
• "LeetCode Premium is just paying for Stockholm syndrome" (debatable but fair)

You're in extremely good company.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Here's what nobody tells you: most people who get jobs at top companies are NOT LeetCode gods.

They're people who:

• Practiced consistently (not intensely)
• Learned to manage interview anxiety
• Got comfortable with the core patterns
• Had some luck with their interview questions
• Prepared behavioral stories just as much as algorithms

You don't need to be exceptional at LeetCode. You need to be good enough, on the right day, for the problems you happen to get.

That's achievable. Even when it feels impossible.

It Actually Gets Better

• The more patterns you learn, the faster new problems make sense
• The more you practice, the less anxious you feel
• Eventually, problems that seemed impossible become routine
• You WILL look back and think "oh, I was just learning"

The struggle you're in right now? It's temporary.

FAQ: Fuck LeetCode, Burnout, and Coding Interviews

Is it normal to work in tech and still hate LeetCode?
Extremely normal. Real work and LC measure completely different skills. Many senior engineers ship production code daily but can barely pass mediums.

How long until I stop wanting to quit?
Varies wildly. 3–6 months of consistent practice is typical. Some take longer. Compare yourself only to past you.

Can I just find companies that don't ask LC questions?
Yes! Many good companies do practical interviews, system design, or take-home projects. Research your targets and optimize accordingly.

Why do companies even do this?
Inertia, legal safety, and "everyone else does it." It's a terrible proxy for real engineering skill, but it's standardized and legally "safe," so big companies stick to it. The system is frustrating. We know.

What if I never get good at this?
Then you find companies that interview differently, or you get good enough to pass, or you decide the grind isn't worth it. All valid endings.

Final Words: You're Going to Be Okay

Look, I'm not going to pretend LeetCode doesn't suck. It absolutely does. The system is flawed. The process is dehumanizing. The frustration is entirely valid.

But you're still here. Still reading. Still trying.

That means something.

You're allowed to hate this process. You're allowed to take breaks. You're allowed to ask for help without shame. You're allowed to feel like garbage sometimes and still keep going.

Every single engineer you admire has probably typed some variation of "why is LeetCode so hard" or "I want to quit LeetCode" into Google at some point. You're walking a path that millions have walked before you—and most of them made it through.

If the grind feels like a psychological battle, you don't have to suffer alone. Use tools that guide you without spoiling the experience. Build a study system that doesn't destroy your mental health. Take the breaks you need.

Your career isn't defined by whether you can implement a segment tree in 20 minutes. You're more than your LC rating.

Keep going. Be kind to yourself. And remember: you're in very, very good company.

Tired of suffering alone? LeetCopilot offers AI-powered hints that guide you through problems without giving away the solution. Less frustration. More learning. Fewer 2 a.m. meltdowns.