Hi, there. If you are reading this article, I will assume that you want to start learning about Data Structures and Algorithms.
Now, you can be an early bird or someone who knew little bit about DSA but not in depth
All I want to say to you is to be buckle up!!..We are about to go into a wild ride. You will feel good and bad both in this journey, but don't worry I'll cover everything about what to do when you feel down while learning DSA or anything in particular.
Few things you need -
Mindset : Don't think about learning everything at once, start slow and be okay with no results at first. Because let's be fair we all are bad at something we are starting new, keep learning bit by bit everyday.
Resources : Now, everything is available on the internet these days, take advantage of it. You-Tube is a platform which will help you the most!!
Types of Resource you can follow :
You-Tube : Just search for DSA for beginners, I would personally suggest watching Kunal Kushwaha.
Udemy : You can try a Course on DSA, don't worry about the price they have sales on their website every month.
I think these two are enough to build concept so that you can actually start solving the problems.
- Consistency : I have seen many of my friends and even I did the same mistake in my freshmen year, I wasn't consistent with DSA. It is the most important ingredient if you really want to master DSA. Try to study 1-2hr everyday or solve 1-2 question on Leetcode everyday.
Now, speaking of Leetcode. It is a platform where you can learn on the go, which means you learn and solve problems based on the Data Structures or Algorithms in the same time, which make the concepts more clear.
Leetcode can be used efficiently if you start solving from the easy level to the medium level then to the hard level.
Now Most of the beginners face problems no how to actually approach a DSA problem, and it's just normal. Because we need to learn the technique on how to use our concept and solve the question, again I would highly recommend Kunal Kushwaha's YouTube channel if you want to develop the intuition behind the problems.
Last point to keep in your mind is...
LEARN BY DOING AND RETAIN BY PRACTICING
How to practice DSA ?
Keep notes of every question you do on Leetcode, the highlights of the problem that can be applied to same problem of that kind.
Go through your notes everyday and try to solve or redo the code for them after some certain time, I would suggest 15-20 days until you go back to the previously solved problem and try to solve them on your own this time.
-Okay, now don't get sad that you can't able to solved a previously solved question, it's normal. Just re-watch your previous solution understand the intuition again and do the problem.
-Keep doing these steps until you are confident in your ability to solve it even if the question is slightly changed.
YEAH, and that's it.
Happy coding y'all!!..