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.LinksCoding Challenges (Newsletter): https://codingchallenges.substack.com/Coding Challenges Website: https://codingchallenges.fyiFrom The Challenges - Git: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/from-the-challenges-gitWill AI Kill Coding?: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/will-ai-kill-codingUsing AI To Solve A Coding Challenge: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/p/using-ai-to-solve-a-coding-challengeTech 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/59GU7gzyK2RdIDVkhNS2ntJohn Crickett on GitHub: https://github.com/johncrickettJohn Crickett on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/johncrickettJohn Crickett on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johncrickett.bsky.socialJohn Crickett on X: https://x.com/johncrickettHostsOvercommitted: https://overcommitted.devBethany: https://trustyduck.devBrittany Ellich: ⁠https://brittanyellich.com ⁠Erika: ⁠https://github.com/eggyhead