Ilya, a full-stack engineer with years of experience, spent months preparing for Google. He solved LeetCode problems. Did mock interviews. Even joined a competitive programming school.
He was rejected. His reflection: "My problem-solving strategy was flawed. I'd try to solve a problem for minutes, and if I couldn't, I'd jump to the answer. They weren't solved by me."
His message to others: "Bad stuff happens. The important thing is to find the power to overcome failure, learn from mistakes, and keep moving on."
Understanding answers is not the same as being able to solve problems yourself. Practice solving, not just reviewing.