I am a self taught PHP programmer. Been working in tech as a freelancer since early 2000s. Built real applications.
I thought I was pretty good so a few years ago I moved to Silicon Valley to get a startup job. Boy was I wrong. Even though I had created real applications and knew MVC, etc. etc. I was basically told I was worthless because I didn't know algorithms, unit testing, etc. etc.
So I moved back home (Tel Aviv) and started my own company (lead gen market). Programmed everything myself. Last year I did over $2 mil (70% margins) and this year I am on track for $3.5-$4 mil in revs.
The technical interview was the best thing ever for me because if I had passed I wouldn't be where I am today.
I thought I was pretty good so a few years ago I moved to Silicon Valley to get a startup job. Boy was I wrong. Even though I had created real applications and knew MVC, etc. etc. I was basically told I was worthless because I didn't know algorithms, unit testing, etc. etc.
So I moved back home (Tel Aviv) and started my own company (lead gen market). Programmed everything myself. Last year I did over $2 mil (70% margins) and this year I am on track for $3.5-$4 mil in revs.
The technical interview was the best thing ever for me because if I had passed I wouldn't be where I am today.