Should you invest time in learning for interviews or your own personal growth once you are 2-3 years in the industry ?
I understand that both sets are not mutually exclusive, but where should you put your time on ?
Investing time specifically to give interviews: Leetcode, Cracking the Coding Interview, TopCoder, etc., may increase the chances of getting a better job then your current one (and will make you a better programmer too).
On the other hand reading books like 'the pragmatic programmer' and other classics, won't necessarily put you in a better position to get a better job (in most companies), but will surely make you perform better in the current one.
So, is it ok to put it this way:
* If you are happy with your job and you can see that you can stay 5+ years at the company (basically FAANG ?): Invest time in learning for personal growth (Design Patterns, Refactoring, etc)
* If you plan to switch / want a better salary / company sucks / <every_other_reason> : Invest time towards preparing for interviews specifically ?