I don't need a "breakthrough." Accepting the status quo was one of the happiest moments of my life. I really don't want to work with people that don't want to accept me for who I am; which is a person that will deliver extremely good work, for fair, respectful treatment. I'm an outstanding team member (you don't last long at a Japanese corporation, unless you do "team" well). I'm optimistic, energetic, and affable.

I've found people who want to work with me, working towards laudable goals, and I do work that I love. I won't starve to death, and there's the very real possibility that what I'm doing will end well. I'm pretty good at what I do, and what I do, is make stuff that works.

It gives me the luxury of saying "Guv! Why's that chap in the crown starkers?".

Whenever there's a back-and-forth about LeetCode tests, it eventually gets down to "Well, I was hazed, so you get hazed, too."

That sounds like a sensible baseline for selecting engineering staff.