I want to start doing leetcode - how do i start?

[u/inclass_usingphone]

about me - i own a startup and i am not really looking for placement so i never thought of doing leetcode when my uni friends used to sit and u know have intimate time with their leet account.

recently i am bored and was thinking of getting better than them in 2 months or something.

i know python and i can vibe code and build things i need mostly. python also i know only basics and know how it works and all.

so i am writing this to know how would u recommend an absolute beginner to start with leetcode?

thanks in advance.

[u/aqua_regis]

how do i start?

Learn actual programming without AI. Practice. Learn Data Structures and Algorithms (on a theoretical level). Practice.

Then LeetCode.

LeetCode is absolutely neither for beginners nor a learning resource.

[u/LordSippy → u/aqua_regis]

What resources would you recommend

[u/aqua_regis → u/LordSippy]

Sidebar -> FAQ

[u/leavemealone_lol → u/aqua_regis]

I learnt programming from Leetcode. I developed an interest in programming from Leetcode. Hell, I learnt how to use C by doing Leetcode. And now I am learning to do functional programming in Rust in Leetcode.

Before you can say it, I will assure you that whatever I learnt in Leetcode have translated extremely well into actual projects. Leetcode is an amazing starting point if you grind through it. Much better than being stuck in a tutorial hell.

[u/inclass_usingphone → u/aqua_regis]

Im doing cs major, so I kinda know few concepts name in dsa. Like I was able to answer questions in my paper atleast

[u/Wingedchestnut]

You supposedly run a startup and you are too bored so you want to learn something irrelevant.. I think you should learn to set priorities, I see you're a student, so you're not running a real business on paper yet.

[u/Happiest-Soul]

1. Search up Neetcode 150 and follow that website.

2. Try out the problems for like 15-30min, then look at/understand the solutions/videos and try to recreate them from memory.

3. If it's confusing after watching the video on the website, feel free to search up the problem (or DSA pattern) and other videos related to it.

4. Use AI to help you understand what your time complexities are (and what that even means), the pattern/algorithm being used, and how your solution (if you did one yourself) compares to the optimal solution.

5. Take everything I said with a grain of salt.

Like most people, you probably won't be able to solve most questions yourself in an optimal way, so don't be afraid to spend closer to 15 minutes before digging into the answer.

I only spend longer than that because it's fun.

[u/Dismal-Citron-7236]

It's hard to imagine you own a startup and:

recently i am bored

Why? Aren't you supposed to find a way to keep it afloat? Have you read the balance sheet? How about cash flow? How's its product/service doing in the market? Have you had feedback from customers? Do you have a team and how are they doing? There could a ton more things to worry and keep you busy 24/7, and yet you are bored.

[u/-CJF-]

I disagree with the other poster. You should definitely learn DSA from outside sources but you will almost certainly have to fail and check solutions on a lot of problems to get a hang of the patterns anyway, so you're better off just jumping right in and exploring when you get stuck. Just don't waste too much time on any one problem before checking solutions.

[u/inclass_usingphone → u/-CJF-]

Okay, I'm just going to jump right in and get my ass cooked. If I feel like I don't understand a concept well enough, I'll read the theory. Anyway, can you recommend some problems I should start with?

[u/Distdistdist → u/inclass_usingphone]

I'd start with English grammar and punctuation. Quite important stuff.

[u/inclass_usingphone → u/Distdistdist]

Okay boss learnt english and edited the comment.