I need some serious advice..
Posted by Rudransh26@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Hey everyone, I started learning python a year before but remained inconsistent but from last month I am consistent and started doing codeforces problems of rating 800 and CSES problems like the first 6-7 and I was able to do those with very little help in some questions..
Can you pls give me some questions which would categorise me into my level where I stand and what should I do next??
patternrelay@reddit
Instead of looking for a single test, try gradually increasing difficulty and tracking how often you can solve problems without hints. That usually gives a better picture of your level than any one question, and it highlights gaps you can work on next.
Dugonn@reddit
you're doing great, keep grinding those 800s before moving to 1000+ problems.
AiexReddit@reddit
My advice to you is to stop for a moment and ask yourself what your goal is. Is your end goal to hit a certain rating number? Like once you gave that rating you will be done, regardless of your ability to build software?
Is your end goal employent at a software company? I've been working in the industry for about 10 years now, if I'm hiring for my team and the candidate says "i have a codeforce rating of 800" I would kind of squint my eyes in confusion wondering what their point is
Like if I give you the link to our company's primary app repository on github and a ticket from a user with a bug report and diagnostic showing some route not working due to a CORS error, or a database lookup failing with a deserialization error -- would you know where to start, or even what those terms mean?
If not, you might want to consider the value of the time you're spending against your goals, and remember why we learn to program. For most people programming itself is not the goal, it's just a tool you wield to achieve some larger goal.
Rudransh26@reddit (OP)
Yes I get it,and currently I am 15 years old so currently I have not decided in which field I should go in coding stuff,but currently I was sort of leaned towards CP or HFT stuffs.but yes would make projects
And can you pls suggest the projects I should make which are really interesting to do?? And what should I learn next?? And currently I only know python
AiexReddit@reddit
Makes sense. Not implying you need these answers now, especially at that age, it's just something to keep in mind. One of those things you tend to realize after doing it long enough. When you're young you tend to focus on the code as if it's the important part, but after while you realize the end result is all that matters. Code is expensive to maintain. Generally the less code you have to write to solve a problem the better.
When I was younger I really wanted to learn how to make video games. My first code was written in Visual Basic in the 90s I created my own version of pong, and thought it was the coolest thing. Then I tried something more complicated. And more complicated than that. I just kept building things I wanted to use, or challenging myself to see if I could make existing things I thought were cool.
If I were applying that today and just learning, I'd look at something in my life that is a minor inconvenience, and challenge myself to solve it with code instead of relying on a tool someone else built.
To pick an entirely random example -- a lot of times in the morning I forget to take my multivitamin.
I could challenge myself to write a program that plays a sound effect every morning at 8:30 a.m., and run it on a raspberry pi. Or I could I learn how Android push notifications work and trigger one sent to my phone? Or use the Twilio API and have it text me an SMS message each morning? Literally any problem in your life, and 1000 ways to solve it. the goal being learning the process
Sure you could download any one of a thousand tools to do this, but there's something special about knowing you built it yourself and what you learned. It doesn't matter that it already exists. It's the same feeling of building a table out of wood. Even if it's wobbly, everyone understands how cool it is to be able to say "hey I built this" compared to something you bought at wal mart
That same thought process applies to software develpment, and that's where the learning happens
Rudransh26@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much bro,, 😀😀😊😊
CodeXHammas_1@reddit
If you can solve most Codeforces 800-rated problems on your own and have completed the first few CSES problems with only minor hints, you're probably still in the beginner stage but progressing well.
I'd try these next:
If you can solve most of these without looking at solutions, you're ready to move deeper into arrays, two pointers, binary search, and basic graph traversal.
pychampar@reddit
This is first year of si, secondary school in Serbia
Rudransh26@reddit (OP)
Ohk but some 800 rated problems like stones on the table,I am not able to do it on my own,like not able to derive any valid logic??
mjmvideos@reddit
Try doing the problem by hand and work through the problem physically. Use 3 different things. Nuts, washers, pebbles, 3 different coins, etc. Put them in random order in a line. Start at one end and decide what you need to do.
throwaway_orbit701@reddit
Stop chasing problems and start building something that actually functions. You are just grinding patterns right now but eventually you need to see how that logic applies to a project that has more than fifty lines of code.
DutyCompetitive1328@reddit
Can you explain what: „value by reference“ means?
Without AI of course.
If you don’t know: look it up, depending on confusion levels you should do a course either for advanced devs or beginner devs.
If you know it: start building actual complex projects that are slightly more complex as what you’re used to
Rudransh26@reddit (OP)
Or if I have to take a guess it's the value which changes from every others perspective
Rudransh26@reddit (OP)
Nop I don't know about it
judyflorence@reddit
If 800-rated Codeforces and early CSES are doable, you’re past the absolute beginner stage. I’d pick one track for a month: either push 800–1000 problems and write short notes after each, or build one small Python project so you’re not only training contest muscles.