The dark side of grinding for offers and how to fix it

No one tells you the horrible truths and sacrifices BEFORE you get the offer.

So here's everything I had to sacrifice and did to get my Apple offer. Also, if I were to go back what I would do differently.

1. Put phone on do not disturb - had phone on dnd for months, only 4 people were on the "allow" list (mother, sister, bil, best friend). Sucked, but let go of my social life essentially.

How to fix: I wouldn't fix anything lol, put your phone on DnD, people can wait, just make sure you put people you prioritize on your allow list.

2. No social media - deleted every social media (I installed them back after offer lol) but it was really tough not being caught up with my friends

How to fix: Again, would not fix, get rid of social media. It's a huge time suck.

3. Skipped gym & ate unhealthy - This I do not recommend, but tbh I think I was lowkey depressed of not getting the offer for MONTHS so I barely went to the gym and ate unhealthy food.

How to fix: Keep at least 30 mins for exercise and only keep healthy food around (again, I did not do this and it cost me a little as I always felt like I had low energy during the grind)

4. Feeling anxious - I felt anxious all the time, especially when I looked on LinkedIn from time to time (would log on my laptop). Saw offers come through for other people and I was still grinding for interviews. That feeling is awful bro.

How to fix: This one is hard to fix because there is no cure for it, you kind of just have to trust the process and have confidence in yourself that things will work out. Just stay out of LinkedIn and Reddit too while you're on your grind. UNLESS you are there to acquire knowledge or get tactics.

5. Loneliness - You WILL be lonely. I was lonely during this period. It really sucks.

How to fix: try and find a friend to grind with, I didn't have anyone at the moment who was on my same pace, but you may or you can ask in this community as well!

Now some of those don't sound too bad and others were horrible, but was it really worth it you may ask? Yes, ABSOLUTELY. Getting into a good company that pays bank. You earn prestige, generational wealth, insane benefits, and feel like you are at the top. I promise it's worth it. If you are doing it for your passion of CS or for money like I did. It is worth it.

This grind is not for everyone, you may be happy with half-assing the grind and getting into a decent company and getting paid just enough,. That's okay too.

This is for all the over-achievers out there. I know you want it badly bro. But how much do you really want it?

Another thing I learned was that I never really added things, the sacrifices were about DELETING things. So Subtract from your life and say no to everything until you have what you want.

The grind is supposed to feel tough and horrible. You can make it fun by adding a friend, creating a reward loop, or doing anything else.

For me, I was just tired of doing a million interviews and getting rejected on the last round. If that's you, try a healthier version of whatever I did.

I want to hear from you guys as well, like what did you get rid of or had to sacrifice to get what you wanted? If you're currently on the grind, what's going through your mind?