In what kind of programming job do you have to solve problems similar to programming contest problems?

I heard about Optym from a friend. The CEO of this company is Prof. Ahuja. He is very smart people and invent many algorithms. So they need the programmers implement those algorithms.

Lets look at a real world problem - light field cameras. That is rather like a problem that might be constructed for a contest.  The term was coined in 1936, and the problem "solved" then.  But its implementation is still not being done by major camera makers.  The problem is to bring such and idea to fruition, and that takes real world prototypes which are very different from contest problems. The variables are hidden and very subtle.  "Cleverness" will often get in the way.  So few real jobs will be like contest problems. Real jobs require years to understand the underlying problem domain in all its complexity.  An excellent example is photoshop Lightroom.  Adobe was filled to the brim with photographic algorithms in Photoshop, but it was not the best photographers tool. To build Lightroom they assembled a brand new team in another city outside the Valley that understands photography. Apple tried to match it with Aperture, but not too successfully. They don't understand photography  as well as Adobe. Lightroom is the modern standard.

I think in every single job. But for understand my answer, you dont need to think in the problem statement itself. Thin about what you have learnt solving the problems. To working with lists, arrays, etc... To solve problems in a quick way, not only those kind of problems, competiive programming teachs you how to think and solve all the problems you will enface, even the personal ones.