Re:Ask HN: How to get better at Data structures and Algorithm?
by macando on Sunday June 23, 2019 @08:02AM
(#20254929)
Books will bore you to death.
1.) Go to https://leetcode.com It's a whole community built around algorithms and data structures.
2.) Pick an easy problem.
3.) Code it naively/brute force it just to get it 100% correct.
4.) Check the Discuss tab, sort by Most Posts and read the solutions and comments.
5.) Every time you hit a wall or encounter a new term (like space/time complexity, dynamic programming, binary tree etc) find a video on YouTube that explains it really well. Not enough? Ask community, consult a paper or a book.
6.) Go back to 2.) until you're ready for the next level.
Don't let your own mind sabotage you by telling you that 'this is not real world programming', 'this is for college kids'. Embrace it and you'll find it sort of interesting like solving a hard puzzle in a point & click adventure video game.
1.) Go to https://leetcode.com It's a whole community built around algorithms and data structures.
2.) Pick an easy problem.
3.) Code it naively/brute force it just to get it 100% correct.
4.) Check the Discuss tab, sort by Most Posts and read the solutions and comments.
5.) Every time you hit a wall or encounter a new term (like space/time complexity, dynamic programming, binary tree etc) find a video on YouTube that explains it really well. Not enough? Ask community, consult a paper or a book.
6.) Go back to 2.) until you're ready for the next level.
Don't let your own mind sabotage you by telling you that 'this is not real world programming', 'this is for college kids'. Embrace it and you'll find it sort of interesting like solving a hard puzzle in a point & click adventure video game.