Code

This is my hands-on approach to hacking the Coding Interview:

1. Tracking coding time with Wakatime or Git. (What you can't measure, you can't improve)
2. Solve coding problems on a daily basis and commit every problem (min 30m/day)
3. Read technical books, and reimplement key data structures and algorithms in a high-level language such as python and when needed in a low-level one like c
4. Take notes, make videos, or in-depth tutorials, teaching is one of the best ways to learn
5. Give back to the open source community, helping projects is a great way to test your knowledge in the wild. Start with Exercism's tracks, FreeCodeCamp's curriculum, CodeCrafters's projects, CodeAcademy's docs, or even this repo. 🙂‍↔️

Optional: Enhance your learning abilities

• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

  • Explores two systems of thinking: fast (intuitive) and slow (deliberative), revealing how they shape our judgments and decisions. Kahneman offers insights into avoiding cognitive biases and making better choices by understanding these mental processes.

• Deep Work by Cal Newport

  • Argues that the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks is increasingly valuable in our economy. Newport provides strategies for cultivating deep work habits to achieve focused success in a world full of shallow distractions.

• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

  • Introduces the concept of "fixed" versus "growth" mindsets, demonstrating how believing in the potential to develop abilities leads to greater achievement and fulfillment. Dweck offers practical strategies for fostering a growth mindset in various life domains.

• Ultralearning by Scott Young

  • Presents a blueprint for aggressive self-directed learning, outlining nine principles of ultralearning illustrated through stories of remarkable achievements. Young shows how focused, intense, and strategic learning can lead to rapid skill acquisition.

• The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

  • Drawing from his experiences as a chess prodigy and martial arts champion, Waitzkin shares insights on achieving peak performance through embracing challenges, maintaining a growth mindset, and developing resilience in any field.

• A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley

  • Offers practical advice for succeeding in math and science, based on Oakley's personal journey of overcoming difficulties in these subjects. Covers effective study techniques, memory strategies, and the importance of practice in developing mathematical and scientific skills.

• How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey

  • Gets into cognitive science research to reveal the mechanics of learning, debunking common study myths and providing evidence-based techniques to enhance memory, understanding, and problem-solving skills.

• The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard Hamming

  • A renowned mathematician and computer scientist shares insights into scientific and engineering discovery, emphasizing the crucial roles of curiosity, creativity, and persistence in tackling complex problems and making significant contributions to these fields.

Explore Top Interview Coding Problems

So the first step will be doing the following exercises from these platforms:

• Khan Academy: Introductory exercises to get you started with the basics of algorithms. Great intro using Javascript & Python. The materials were developed by Dartmouth College professors Tom Cormen & Devin Balkcom, the first is the same author as the famous book Introduction to Algorithms.
• Exercism: Great open source platform to master any programming language itself, from the basics to advanced topics. Mentorship is free.
• HackerRank: They have Preparation Kits ranging from 1-week, 1-month to 3-months. Companies such as Amazon use the platform to interview candidates.
• LeetCode: Popular coding platform, the place-to-go to prepare for technical interviews. They just released a systematic program for excelling at interviews called 75.
  • NeetCode: This is a new coding website based on a LeetCode problems selection. The cool thing is that they have code walkthroughs for each problem on Youtube and solutions in many languages. Great to match with LeetCode 75.
• Advent of Code: This is a yearly event that takes place in December. It's a great way to practice coding problems and learn new algorithms.
• Coding Interview Prep: The Coding Interview Prep by freeCodeCamp contains hundreds of coding challenges that test your knowledge of algorithms, data structures, and mathematics.

Also consult Visualgo for visualizing data structures and algorithms through animation. Other great resources to consider are: High Load, The Euler Project (free), and Rosetta Code (free).

Platform	Track	Time	Problems
Khan Academy	Intro to algorithms	-	25
Exercism	Python		131
HackerRank	Interview Prep Kit		104
LeetCode	75 Study Plan		75
NeetCode	NeetCode	1	150
Advent of Code	Yearly		252
Deep ML	Problems	-	26

Footnotes

1. This is based on LeetCode problems for time tracking and might be overlapping with the LeetCode 75 track. ↩

2. 25 problems / year, but it runs from 2015 up to now. The goal is to solve all the problems. ↩