Build Real Tools, Skip LeetCode: Systems Programming for Career Growth with John Crickett

Tech careers don't need to mean grinding LeetCode. In episode 57, John Crickett — 30+ year engineer, Coding Challenges creator (90K+ subscribers) — makes the case that programmer productivity skyrockets when you build real tools instead. We dig into why your own Redis, Git, or shell beats practice problems, how Coding Challenges went from $17 domain to viral sensation (1,500 signups in one weekend), and what it means to level up through systems programming. Links Coding Challenges (Newsletter): https://codingchallenges.substack.com/ Coding Challenges Website: https://codingchallenges.fyi From The Challenges - Git: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/from-the-challenges-git Will AI Kill Coding?: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/will-ai-kill-coding Using AI To Solve A Coding Challenge: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/using-ai-to-solve-a-coding-challenge Tech Lead Journal #178 — John Crickett: https://techleadjournal.dev/episodes/178/ Confessions of a Data Guy — What Makes Great Engineers: https://www.confessionsofadataguy.com/decades-in-software-engineering-what-actually-makes-great-engineers-john-crickett/ Coding Chats Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/59GU7gzyK2RdIDVkhNS2nt John Crickett on GitHub: https://github.com/johncrickett John Crickett on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/johncrickett John Crickett on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johncrickett.bsky.social John Crickett on X: https://x.com/johncrickett Hosts Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev Bethany: https://trustyduck.dev Brittany Ellich: ⁠https://brittanyellich.com ⁠Erika: ⁠https://github.com/eggyhead