r/LeetcodeChallenge

Today I solved LeetCode 28 – Find the Index of the First Occurrence in a String.

What I learned:

- String searching

- How substring matching works

- Using Python's ".find()" method

- Manual string traversal using a loop

- Time Complexity: O(n) (using ".find()")

Learning the logic behind each problem and improving my problem-solving skills one day at a time.

#Python #DSA #LeetCode #CodingJourney #100DaysOfCode #LearningInPublic

Hello guys I m currently starting dsa in second year can u suggest me correct pathway to follow and I m doing development parallely

I'm one year out of college and have managed to only get 3 interviews after at least 150 applications. All three of them asked me leetcode hards. How is this the bar for what's essentially an entry level position?? What are you asking senior swes if junior talent is getting the LC hards

Prep resource: Leetcode & PracHub

Hi has anyone gave this assessment recently for sr software engineer role at visa it says 90 minutes advanced Hacker rank assessment. What can be expected in this? Any updates will be appreciated.

Hey Seniors!!

I'm a fresher joining BTech CSE this year. I recently started solving the LeetCode Super Easy problems and have completed 21 out of 25 so far. I know Python fairly well, but I'm confused about what to do next.

I have a few questions:

• What should my strategy be while using LeetCode?
• Should I focus on solving more problems or first learn DSA?
• How do you stay motivated and solve problems consistently every day?
• What's the difference between TUF (Take U Forward) and LeetCode? Are they the same, or do they serve different purposes?
• Right now, I only know Python. Is that enough to start DSA, or do I need to learn C++/Java as well?
• Everyone keeps saying DSA is very important, but I'm confused about what it actually is. Is DSA a programming language? Is it something inside Python, or is it mainly about logical problem-solving?
• Will DSA be taught properly in college, or should I start learning it on my own? If self-learning is better, when should I start and what resources would you recommend?

I'd really appreciate it if you could share a roadmap or any advice you wish you had received as a first-year student. Any tips for building consistency and improving problem-solving would help a lot.

I'm genuinely confused.

I'm from india . I am currently in my third year starting . Please suggest the best online Placement prep course (tech ) . I know free resources are enough but I want a structured plan and Continuity so I want to enroll in a course.

Please bless me with your honest suggestions

Currently doing DSA for 2months ,but doing it alone makes it little difficult to continue the process,so anyone who wants to join ,comment and lets grow together . https://chat.whatsapp.com/CzYOd3L1DnO6b9zy45eq7U You can join here I have created a community here we can discuss .

I’ve been spending the last few nights staring at a medium-level DP problem, and for the first time in years, I felt a real sense of pointlessness.

For the past decade, a lot of us were taught that mastering algorithms, data structures, operating systems, discrete math, and systems design was the path to a stable, high-paying software career. Grind LeetCode, understand graphs, learn DP, pass interviews, get the job.

But looking at the current landscape: layoffs, market saturation, fewer junior openings, and the shift toward AI-assisted and agentic development, I’m starting to wonder whether the version of CS we’ve been preparing for is already disappearing.

I don’t mean “coding is dead” in the dramatic LinkedIn-post sense. But I do wonder if the center of gravity is moving.

A few things I’m struggling with:

1. The LeetCode / Codeforces grind

Why are we still treating speed at solving algorithm puzzles as the main proof of engineering ability when coding speed may no longer be the bottleneck?

If AI can generate, refactor, test, and explain large chunks of code, is the real skill now problem framing, system judgment, debugging, product sense, and knowing what to ask?

2. The value of advanced CS fundamentals

Do algorithms, discrete math, compilers, OS, and distributed systems still provide a mental model that AI cannot replace?

Or are we overestimating their importance because they were the gatekeeping mechanism for the previous generation of software jobs?

3. Universities and curriculum lag

Are universities doing students a disservice by focusing so heavily on traditional fundamentals while the industry is rapidly moving toward AI-assisted engineering?

Or is the point of CS education still to build the foundation underneath whatever tools come next?

4. The changing role of software engineers

Are we moving toward a world where “software engineer” means less “person who writes code” and more “person who defines problems, evaluates AI output, designs systems, debugs failures, and makes product/architecture decisions”?

If so, what should students and early-career engineers actually be optimizing for?

I’m not trying to doompost. I’m genuinely curious whether other people feel this too: like we’re studying for a version of the industry that may not exist much longer.

Is it time to stop grinding the old playbook and start pivoting, or is this just another wave of “CS is dead” hysteria?

Would love to hear from students, new grads, senior engineers, and hiring managers.

Leetcode account should contain submissions more in 2025 end and 2026 first half .Problems should be submitted mostly in java

Thank u to everyone who has taken time out of their day to remind me I have solved 500 problems already on leetcode. And also have used their time energy and data to comment on my post and dm me and reply to me as well and also make a seperate post about me, thank you again. I appreciate yall's efforts❤

(Also wanted to mention do dsa in cpp before one more person asks me) (I did 500+50 problems on lc in cpp itself) (thanks again)

https://preview.redd.it/501l3gvs4feh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b2a04cfa2e51d227dbded1c3f67b871e3b6c12e

Sharing my Amazon interview experience in case it helps someone preparing for SDE roles.

I do not remember the exact OA DSA problem. The second OA question was more “dev” based, where HackerRank gave access to a remote IDE. It had an AI sidebar available, somewhat like Cursor.

Round 1

DSA + LPs.

Questions asked:

1. Find the distance between any two nodes in a binary tree.
   • Parent pointers were not given.
   • Input had only root, source, and target.
2. Design a stack that supports: All in O(1) time.
   • push
   • pop
   • getMiddle
   • getTop

I was able to solve the first question completely. For the second one, I got the core logic and data structure choice right, but did not finish the full implementation. I implemented getMiddle after deciding the basic DS approach.

LPs were also asked.

Round 2

LPs + coding/OOD.

Question:

Basic Calculator

After solving it, the interviewer asked me to extend the solution in an object-oriented manner.

One thing that stood out: the interviewer mentioned that my solution was too close to the original/standard solution.

Round 3

This was mostly behavioral + design discussion.

Started with “tell me about yourself” for around 5-7 minutes.

Then he probed quite hard on why I wanted to switch, since I had already made one switch and was now looking for a second.

After that, he asked about the best thing I had worked on in my previous org. This felt a bit close to NDA territory, but I explained it carefully without going into confidential details. He asked follow-up questions like why we used X instead of Y.

At the end, he asked only one design-extension question:

How would you include a new feature in this existing design?

I proposed two solutions. He then asked me to write down the pros and cons of both. I wrote and explained at least 3 pros and 3 cons for each.

Finally, he asked if I had any questions for him.

Result

Rejected.

Recruiter said feedback from Round 2 and Round 3 was negative, but did not share specifics despite me asking explicitly.

Extra prep notes

Apart from the questions I got, I also saw these Amazon-tagged questions while checking prep resources:

• Compute Edit Distance
• Design a Concurrent Restaurant Waitlist and Seating System

Both seem relevant for Amazon-style prep: one for classic DP/string fundamentals, and one for OOD/concurrency/design thinking.

Hope this helps someone preparing.

https://preview.redd.it/x3t2eyrmpueh1.png?width=1760&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b4e7d402cfe29c1161a252b7b11a6f335cd2197

this is what my current condition is, you guys can demean and abuse me for not doing leetcode, maybe that might motivate me
i am very depressed and i literally cannot bring myself to do anything at all
i am thinking that posting on this sub daily might make me more accountable so i am doing this