Welcome you brave human being!

Hi there,

Welcome to this guide, tailored to assist you in your journey of job hunting, interview preparation, or skill refinement. This guide is intentionally designed to guide you through your study process, it is meant to help you structure your study and not only that but helps you identify patterns in the problems you are about to solve.

My name is Denisse Damian, and I hold a Bachelor's in Computer Science and a Master's from the University of California, Berkeley. During one of my endless scrolls on TikTok, I stumbled upon a powerful video of Avni talking about hard truths about tech and all the politics that go on behind the scenes—and I felt that. She spoke about how to get a raise, how to track your daily work, and how to be resilient, and I resonated with that. I couldn't resist stalking her until she agreed to chat. We both realized that academic credentials alone don't guarantee success in securing a technical job in the competitive world of tech. The key lies in mastering platforms like Leetcode and that's how this guide was born—to give you more resources on how to break into tech!

Reflecting on my own experience, I recall my early days in computer science undergraduate studies when I would navigate through Leetcode, jumping from one problem to another without a study plan. This strategy made me feel overwhelmed and I felt as if I was not progressing. It wasn't until my boyfriend, well-versed in competitive programming, shared his habits on how to study that things took a turn.

He showed me that there's a method to the madness, a structured way to study and that all problems, regardless of their apparent complexity, follow consistent patterns. Armed with these insights, my approach to study transformed, and the results were evident. I successfully navigated through job interviews, securing multiple offers and a startup even created a job position tailored to me.

This guide is born out of the lessons learned during that dark period. It aims to equip you with a methodical approach to study, breaking down the complexities of problem-solving, and guiding you towards a clearer understanding. I firmly believe that with 30 days of consistent, focused studying, you can achieve a strong level of competence. Remember: Be consistent: A Leetcode problem a day keeps unemployment away!  Whether you're entering the job market, preparing for interviews, or simply aiming to enhance your skills, this guide is designed to be a valuable companion on your journey. For each problem, you’ll receive an email with the problem, you’ll have 24 hours to complete it and the next day an editorial with the solution will be sent.

Here's to your success,

Denisse Damian

How to study

To maximize your Leetcode study approach, begin with problems labeled as "Easy," concentrating on a specific topic—for example, with Trees. Do all variations on the topic, such as pre-order or in-order traversals for Trees, progress gradually from problems with higher acceptance rates and slowly move to Medium problems. Begin your problem-solving journey with a brute-force strategy, don’t try to begin with the most optimized solution. Once accomplished, shift your focus to optimization. This progression establishes a strong foundation before advancing to more challenging tasks.

When you hit a roadblock, set a timer, once you run out of time, check out editorials or forums for hints. Make sure you get the solution. Then, test your understanding by tackling a similar problem. It's like a quick workout for your coding skills – helps you flex those problem-solving muscles!

When you solve your problem, make sure you shoot me a tag on Linkedin and tell me about your solution ;).

How to track your progress

An essential aspect of your study routine is tracking your progress. To do this effectively, keep a record that includes the problem number, a brief problem description, your brute-force solution, your optimized solution, and the Big O notation for each problem. This spreadsheet serves as a valuable snapshot of your journey, allowing you to see how far you've come and providing a quick reference to reinforce your learning.

Here is a great blog post by Dan Kim, Leetcode Effectively: https://dandkim.com/leetcode-effectively/

Need motivation to be consistent?

Keep a log of your problems and by the end of the challenge, send it to me! You’ll be in for a surprise 🥸.

Cheers to your success!

Denisse