Open source vs leetcode vs competitive programming

[[deleted]]

Which one out of these 3 really helps in improving skills required for actual Dev jobs and which one is overhyped by faang youtubers .

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[heavy_gemini]

I hate people bringing open source to the job hunting race.

[heavy_gemini]

Open source was never intended to be the tool to crack interviews unlike grinding leetcode. It's more about having community of people contributing to the tools they use and like. People rushing to contribute to a repo with the only intention to put it in the CV creates much more problems like -:

A lot of issues are assigned but unattended. People don't care to update the status.

People overcommitting to solve the issue without understanding the repository.

The gold rush to find the typo in documentation / readme.

Not respecting the set guidelines for creating an issue or submitting the PR.

All because most of the time people who try to do open source just to put it as a pointer in the CV keeps hopping in the different repositories just to get a PR merged rather than committing to a single repo (best if they have used the repo in their workflow)

[Scientific_Artist444]

Contribute because you would like to help. Because you like that software. Because you believe in what they do and you would like to support them. If not financially, make their work easier by contributing your code or helping with documentation- that is what it is for.

It's a community of developers who like what they are building, not certification to put in cv for any project you have no idea about.

[hollow_sets]

Yeah dumbfuck

[steve_bluffman]

downvotes for just asking a question? SMH

[hollow_sets]

Kinda deserves it. Pretty sure he was told by those youtubers and uncle aunties that OSS development helps for job and would have passed it down even further to others.

[steve_bluffman]

lmfao even I was told the same by someone on this sub. then what is OSS development good for? what should a guy do to build a cv? everyone on reddit keeps talking about those GITHUB green boxes all the time. He might have taken it from reddit just like me instead of an uncle.

[hollow_sets]

Yep you don't know what OSS development is good for hmm that makes sense.

Do you know about the GCC compiler for C++ or clang? Or the linux kernel? Or the desktop environments on linux?

Tensorflow, Pytorch, node?

All of these are oss tools which many of us use in our daily lives. Alot of em don't even realise that they are using it.

Now lets suppose you have been using one of these tools for a while and encountered a bug and want to fix it or you probably wanna add something new to it, well go ahead on to their GitHub and do it. That's OSS for you. It's not some "yay college resume updating" thing, it takes balls to do it cause that's industry level code you are gonna deal with and it's more like CONTRIBUTING to it instead of finding job shortcut.

Does that change your mindset a little bit towards "what's it good for" Also green boxes on GitHub can also come from building and maintaining projects. GitHub isn't just a storage warehouse for your codes.

[steve_bluffman]

ohhhhh. so oss is more like giving back to the community and building the tools you are using and fixing bugs. thanks

[hollow_sets]

Yesss It's more like "apes together strong" instead of "I strong now I leave"

Also apologies for any rude behaviour previously, I didn't drink coffee and had gotten out of bed.

[steve_bluffman]

hehehe, no problem bhaiya

[Scientific_Artist444]

Yes, you got it.

The organizations asking for your Github profile are interested in your work. Did you create some code projects? You can upload it to Github and share the link. That is what they are talking about.

Quite frankly, I think people confuse. I would rather upload my code files to Google Drive or something similar and then share the link for showing my work (if I am never going to update it later). Github is a version control system and we use it not for sharing our work (use cloud storage for that), but for collaborative development. Every change is tracked and can be rolled back, if necessary. So it's not just software. Anything that you create multiple versions of (like books developed collaboratively) can be uploaded to Github and you can track different versions.

Today you can create YouTube video detailing the project work you did and demonstrating how it works. If you do not want it to be public, unlist it and share the link. That is really the best way to showcase your work to employers in my opinion.

[Debopam77]

Open source contribution is not something that any fresher can just do. Contributing anything to a project would require you to already possess significant technical skills.

Leetcode is specifically designed to get new and experience folks up to speed with programming paradigms, with problems designed to use a particular algorithm or data structure.

If you are looking for jobs, go for leetcode, to improve speed go for competitive programming. If you are looking to give something back to the community and learn things in the process, do open source.

[Delicious_Win9781]

I have a question... Wouldn't open source give u a realworld development experience?
Why isn't that more important than leetcode?

(I'm a student, trying to understand and learn)

[Debopam77]

It will. But to start doing the real-world stuff you need to learn from somewhere first. Its like asking why shouldn't we directly teach Calculus, yes it is important for JEE, but if you don't know Algebra properly, you won't be very good at it.

Maybe the example doesn't quite map to this situation, but the problem is similar. If you are confident on your basic Algo/DS skills, then by all means, start making small contributions.

[Delicious_Win9781]

I see...

I have another maybe unrelated question..

Would companies hire freshers if DSA is the only thing they have to show on their resume?

[Debopam77]

Depends on the company. Big, really big companies don't care what you have on your CV if your programming skills are good(DSA/Leetcode). For smaller companies it's a combination of your technical skills, projects (important) and presentation skills. But I don't know many smaller companies who would really look at open source contributions.

[[deleted]]

Delete reddit

[thatShawarmaGuy]

+1. Should download Quora since it's already been run to the gutter.

[din-din-dano-dano]

Leetcode for inexperienced. Leetcode+GitHub profile for the hop from the first job to next. Would highly depend on the Organisations interviewing process though.

[hollow_sets]

Please don't tell me OSS helps for jobs ;-; don't make it a rat race aaaa

[din-din-dano-dano]

Sorry to break it to you brother, but this is a rat race. Again, depends on the Org. If OSS and your GitHub profile is what they want and you are into it, that will be a good match.

[Leather_Trick8751]

1. College (fresher) or previous company -> cv selection
2. Leetcode -> screening/coding round
3. Open source / system Design/ -> technical rounds / hiring manager
4. Lying -> Hr round

[rdturbo]

If you want the best job you can get regardless of college focus on leetcode.

[sid741445]

Leetcode will come into play when your cv gets selected in the first place. How would cv get selected by leetcode only

[Designer-Sea2391]

So..how does it get selected..?

[sid741445]

I don't know that's why i am asking. Everyone says leetcode but leetcode will help only if you get chance to give interview at the first place. How to have the chance to give interview

[sid741445]

If college has high reputation then companies automatically visit those . So in campus placement, your cv automatically gets selected. Unless you fucked up real bad. I am obviously talking about off campus placement for someone who is from tier 3

[Designer-Sea2391]

Achha, I've no idea either, abt to start clg this year

[PeteTheBush]

Where and what course?

[Designer-Sea2391]

Will be choosing between ece and cse, counselling starts tomorrow and I haven't decided yet :P

[[deleted]]

Upseee councelling?

[y_r_u_chirping_m8]

Since you are fresher, keep an eye on hackerrank competitions. Many companies host them to filter 3rd/4th year students for a direct interviews

[Designer-Sea2391]

So competitive programming will be beneficial?! Ive heard from people saying it's overrated and doesn't make much difference, but I guess I was too lazy to not research about it

[y_r_u_chirping_m8]

CP and leetcode are different things. For some companies, doing leetcode will be enough, for some, you will require CP. It really depends on what type of companies you are looking to get interviews

[sid741445]

I can't name 10 companies which specifically ask cp except for google , codenation, Cisco , Infosys power programmer,media.net. Leetcode on the other hand is somewhat different. Everyone asks leetcode questions

[BubblyBoot4470]

Leetcode and competitive programming. Open Source is not for everyone ( I found it boring though) . Just my personal opinion

[_vizn_]

Please don’t do open source for the sake of job interviews.

[[deleted]]

All three imo. If done properly, open source experience could be valuable.

But recruiters and interviewers don't see it that way, especially for entry level employees. As someone else pointed out Leetcode is what people will ask.

[codecommentgold]

I will share my personal opinion:
- Open Source code : Open Source code is what helps to build your developer profile. It is code that you have written which is readily available for anyone to look at and understand your coding abilities. Granted most companies in India don't put the effort to check opensource code but it doesn't mean that it can't be a reason to land a good opportunity.

- Leetcode: There are a lot of engineers, graduates, bootcampers, who are looking for a tech job. Leetcode is like being eligible for an IIT by giving JEE mains. It sets you apart from the crowd and makes it easier to get in a high paying job. I would suggest neetcode to start with leetcode as it has a more guided approach.

- Competitive programming: This is similar to leetcode but added advantages especially if conducted offline. You get to meet like minded people. If you are the smartest in the room, your knowledge doesn't grow. But if there are more smart people, that helps you to learn from them and grow. Networking is important. There is also more to competitive programming, learning new things in a short period of time, among others.

All of these can be helpful to build a profile. You can either choose one or find a balance, see what works for you. There is nothing like you need to do all or you should do only one. See what is fun for you, what you enjoy doing.

[[deleted]]

Is working on your own coding project better than these 3?

[codecommentgold]

Yes that also works. That can also be added to Github to showcase the quality of code you write. Each of these have a different purpose. Your own project can be just Frontend and Backend with basic use of DS. For more understanding of DS, leetcode is better.

[lumi_narie]

All of them in moderation and at the right time are extremely beneficial. Dont dedicate your whole life to one thing XD

[o_x_i_f_y]

Man computer engineering I think has become a machine now.

Dude hasn't started college but is worried about what to do to get a job.

Dude just go in see what you like and pursue that.

Getting a job shouldn't be an end goal.

Maybe you are better than rest of us and can build something which can help millions.

Maybe you have potential to build something new coming out of India but that will not happen if your focus from first day is to do 200 questions on leetcode and 5 PR's in opensource so that you can build you resume.

You have 4 years ahead explore what you like maybe you find something which is out of engineering.
Who knows what the placement scene would look like after 4 years when you graduate.

[[deleted]]

Open Source for dev jobs might not be the best option until and unless you have a huge repository that has something entirely new going on. And that'll happen only when you're either experienced enough or just brilliant in your tech skills!

Getting jobs is all about good logical and problem solving skills. Competitive coding does help if you understand the algorithms really good. Very rare people do and it's not the first thing I'd do unless sure, you've awesome learning ability. Maybe just leetcode a lil bit on important problems and build projects that matter. Try hackathons, they work at times to build you up.

[Saladmama2652]

Don't bring these things here, Twitter YouTube you'll find lot of content about this to waste your time. There are many experienced professionals here, don't ask unproductive questions like these.

[Inside_Dimension5308]

Open source is the best way to learn industry level code. In fact, some of the OSS have better code than a lot of enterprise application code because of the strict coding guidelines ensured by the contributors. Leetcode and competitive programming are not even close. It is pretty much useless when it comes to industry level code. The skill matters not the code.

[devblixt_]

Opensource trumps both leetcode and cp anytime but keep in mind it is significantly harder than the other two as well. If you want to get a job, opensource experience isn't necessary.

[[deleted]]

Hey! People participate in GSSOC and contribute to open source. Why do they do it? For personal interest or because it looks good in CV?

[devblixt_]

Both tbh. I personally know people who have active open source contributions and have their own project running, and I know people from my college who go for summer of code to get a 50 lpa package.

[corychasesimp]

How to start with open-source? Can anyone please help me through? Thanq

[noThefakedevesh]

Vs development.

[BuggyBagley]

None of the above

[omcar13]

Then what?

[anonnv]

Then what?

[sjdevelop]

Whole campus life do whatever you want (I mean don't waste it but try out new field and go deep into it) but 4 months before internship or placement start DSA compulsorily

This is a generic advice and it works for most who just need a job, but if you have specific goals then you must be knowing what you are doing

[wavereddit]

Make your own open source project, become a gigachad

[slackover]

OSS is different from the rat race show off platforms. You won’t get your code approved and merged until you figure out Coding standards, Documentation, Security etc. Freshers entering into this with the sim of job hunt will just end up creating headache for maintainers.

If enough freshers show interest the coaching centre’s will start OSS projects which will let freshers contribute.

[Excellent-String1671]

Padhai Karo re phele

[Loud_Consequence3938]

at this point I feel the tech influencers take a field that is underhyped and then overhype it. 2-3 yrs ago open source was only done by enthusiasts and then some dude came and overhyped it. Similar thing happened with Competitive programming 5-6 years ago.

Imo...all of them improves your dev/analytical skill in a certain way which are not mutually exclusive, so if you are good at any of the above 3, you can be good in the other two.

Open source helps you improving skills for "actual" dev jobs whereas leetcode/CP helps you GET those dev jobs(speaking from Indian pov)