So firstly I want to say that stop watching youtube videos about DSA vs DEV, it's actually not about DSA vs DEV, it's always about DSA with DEV.

There is a question that I always heard about how DSA is helpful for my journey, I want to answer it in a way that what's the role of Phy & chem that you were rigorously practiced during jee mains, it is just a way to understand your logical ability to get admission in engineering colleges

In the same way, DSA works here, if u want to opt for a job in MAANG and high paying good startup, there is a coding test which is for basic elimination of those students who are not good in DSA or problem-solving and after that test , the whole interview process starts.

So you have to practice DSA to clear that coding test and ofcourse to increase your problem solving ability .

So what's the approach to start DSA practice, I will summarize it in bullet points

• First, learn Basic of any language java/c++/python.

• Learn all the data structures and important algorithms to solve problems.

• Then, come to Leetcode / GFG to start coding practices.

• First, if you are a beginner then must follow some DSA sheets.

• This journey is full of disappointment, demotivation, and discouragement, but stay hard, starting is the hardest part of any journey.

• Always remember DSA is a marathon, not a sprint, so Be consistent.

Some common mistakes that people will do, & even myself

1. Don't directly go to Leetcode / GFG to solve problems, it's not working this way, I strongly suggest everyone follow a DSA sheet to solve problems if you're a beginner.

2. Don't just copy-paste the code from suggestions, it just boosts your ego, not your problem-solving ability.

3. Don't just only watch yt videos of algorithms, practice them, write codes, and dry run all the problems that you solve.

4. Don't do the DSA and DEV parallelly if you are a beginner, give 3-4 months completely to one and then you can do it parallelly.

Phases of this journey

Some resources/hacks/ tips for this journey

1. You can follow Striver SDE A2Z sheet, it's very good for beginners ( Personal recommendation)

2. Use these Chrome extensions to use Leetcode efficiently--

   Noisali -- smooth productive music

   Big omega -- it tells you about which company previously asked that question.

   Other extensions are -- Leetcode custom themes, Leetcode format, Leetcode enhancer, and Leetcode video solution.

3. You can give virtual contests on Leetcode in starting so that your rating can't affect and you also get experience to solve contest problems.

4. You can post on LinkedIn/Twitter about the approach of some interesting algorithms, it boosts your confidence also, and also people appreciate it and we all know learning in public is very beneficial for us.

5. Search for friends who are good in DSA, and start practicing questions in groups, it will help you to do it in a more efficient way.

6. when you are able to solve easy-level questions start giving contests, it will be very helpful for your journey, don't be afraid of a dropdown in ranking you can do a virtual contest on Leetcode, and it doesn't affect your ranking.

End of the story

Just start it, be honest with yourself, analyze your mistake, and be patient that's it !!