Ask HN: As a Linux Admin doing DevOps, which CS algorithms do I need to know?

[theglitchmob]

I've been at this for about 4 years now and steadily gaining experience with scripting in Python, various cloud providers, and their APIs and services. What I have been confused about, however, is companies that ask during interviews about optimizing code with more efficient sorting algorithms, or using some random question from HackerRank. What am I missing here, is this knowledge actually expected for a Linux Admin that likes automating things, or is it just random trivia you're expected to know?

[LeoSolaris]

It is a trend in non-technical positions to ask faux coding problems that sound like tech questions from a CS class, then ask a technical expert if the answer is better than the original code. Originally it was supposed to be for developers to show that they know some basic programming out of college. It morphed into an easy to administer test that was applied to all technical applicants. The questions became harder.

That trend is starting to die off from what I've seen.

You might have some luck asking about the technical requirements for the position. Admins may use a bit of code, but it is usually not a core component of their job.

You could also point out that this type of question strongly favors recent college graduates at the expense of self taught and discipline transitioning workers. It can be construed as a form of age discrimination by motivated lawyers.

[itamarst]

This is just companies being bad at interviewing. I have never in 20 years as a programmer implementing a sorting algorithm on the job. And it's completely irrelevant to operational work.