2nd-year student — C++ for DSA or switch to Java (Spring Boot)? Worried Java is slower in timed rounds

Posted by Big_Pollution_2285@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 1 comments

2nd-year CS student. Done frontend (React), moving to backend (planning Spring Boot). For CP/DSA I’ve solved \~120 problems and \~130 CF problems in C++ (used to be \~1000 CF rating), but I’ve been off CP for \~4 months. My worry: Java feels slower to type in contests/interviews and might put me at a disadvantage in timed rounds. If I stick to C++ for DSA and use Java only for backend, I’ll juggle 2 languages — is that fine? Or should I switch DSA to Java to keep my stack consistent?

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_Atomfinger_@reddit

Java feels slower to type in contests/interviews and might put me at a disadvantage in timed rounds

This is not a thing. It is not the amount of code that will hold you back; it is your ability to problem-solve. The "amount of syntax" is not the issue in interview settings.

I don't know about competitions, as that is a completely different beast, and it really comes down to what you're measured on in the specific competition.

If I stick to C++ for DSA and use Java only for backend, I’ll juggle 2 languages — is that fine?

The general recommendation is to learn one thing at a time.