At my present workplace I am like jack of all trades and master of none. Have been dealing with a lot of things and not sharp in anyone programming language. I am planning to start interview prep and will be starting with mastering programming language first and then will move on to data structures and algorithms(DSA). A year back I had spent 2 months on interview prep, mainly concentrating on DSA basics, but have already forgotten basics on Trees/Graphs/DP/sorting since I don't use it regularly. Also I wasn't done with learning the basics, so I am going to start from scratch again. Am confused if I should learn all the basics first and then start with leetcode or maybe go through basics of one topic and then leetcode on that and then move to another area of DSA. I am thinking of prepping for system design and behavioral later maybe after 2-3 months of working on DSA. What was your routine of interview prep? TC: 80K YOE - 6
It's all about spaced revision, so just get a breadth of everything you need to know (basics), then tackle problems of each topic, then review and apply your knowledge
Will try that... last time I wasn't solving too many problems, but maybe this time if I practice, I shouldn't have problem remembering the basics mostly I think.
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leet on specific DS till u master it, that’s how u review ur basics. keep leeting, forget CTCI, it sucks, leeting is way better and more practical... be patient if u don’t know the solution, walk a way from the problem and return to it later
I am not a huge fan of CTCI too... It's better for practicing problems, but I find it doesn't cover enough basics. Since I have been away from DSA for so many years, I would need to re-learn it and then get to CTCI maybe later if leetcode doesn't cover similar problems.
Did u miss to prefix ur TC with a number >= 1?
If not, that is really sad. All the more reason to leetcode harder
No, what I have listed is right. This company is paying very less. But also I live in mid-west so cost of living(COL) is lesser compared to other cities. I have an offer from a mid-level company in Southern Cali and even their pay isn't that great.. early 100K's, but I guess SoCal is less expensive than bay area. Visa transfer in process... will take forever I guess. Prepping for FAANG since am getting interview calls from there, it's just me who is being lazy and not working hard.
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Leetcode every single day as much as possible. On weekends, I used to crack a redbull in the morning and do LC for 14 hours straight. Did that for about 6 months before landing offers. Many people get in with less though. Always be thinking about a problem and keep your mind active. On the bus, eating, showering, walking etc. Always be thinking about a problem. Get LC premium and do the top problems for the companies you're interested in. If you can't come up with a potential solution to a problem in twenty minutes, look at discussion, read a few posts, close discussion, and try to implement what you leaned without looking back at it. Write down any problem you cant solve first try and revisit it in a week or 2. Once you hit ~350 solved there isn't much point in solving more new problems outside of weekly contests which you should always do. At that point just revisit old problems and get repetition in on company specific problems The sooner you stop treating leetcode like a nasty medicine but rather an enriching hobby, the sooner you will start to see results. It's a lifestyle.
leets 4 lyfe
Hats off to you Sir!
Eat, sleep, leets, repeat.
Did you master the basics first and then moved onto leetcode or was doing both simultaneously?
I mastered the basics in school.