Not only you do not have much time for yourself but it is often not really "quality" time. It rarely comes in uninterrupted blocks of say 90' or 2h. It is going to be 20 minutes there, 40 minutes there, and maybe 30 minutes over there.

I strongly agree with your point about bias. When I was not a father, I spent a lot of time studying (and passing) AWS certs and reached the point I got all of them. Now? I am happy when I read few blog posts each week and, very often, it takes several attempts to be able to fully watch a single re:Invent session.

"Yes, but you are reading and replying to comments on HN!"

Indeed, with my baby in my arms haha!

The nature of the job is that there is always something new for you to keep up with. Even if you never change jobs it's hard to see how you avoid devoting any time to studying anything. Perhaps you could sneak some catch-up in, say, over lunch, or on the train, or something along those lines.

Because my current job is great, I study on the job. That does not extend to grinding leetcode though.

Or maybe it does, I haven’t tried.

I mean, if you don’t have time to look for another job then don’t. If you need another job then you need find time to make yourself hire-able. There are plenty of jobs that don’t require leet code but if you want the cushy FAANG jobs, then you need to put in the effort. If That means spending less time with your kids and hiring a nanny, then do it.

> If that means spending less time with your kids and hiring a nanny

For their sake, please don't. It's not worth it.

Don’t be hyperbolic. It’s just a month of prep. No one is advocating for child neglect.

This is for a job that pays 450k+. Do you really think you’re gonna be handed it with no effort?

If you want a mediocre job, then there’s plenty of companies you can get hired at with little effort and you’re welcome to work at those companies. Just don’t be surprised if you make 1/3 to 1/4th the comp.

> This is for a job that pays 450k+. Do you really think you’re gonna be handed it with no effort?

Because it’s a job that pays that amount, I kind of expect their hiring process to select for the best. But it doesn’t. It selects for those with an abundance of time on their hands.