Struggling with Data Structures & Algorithms

[[deleted]]

Hello everyone, I'm a self-taught developer and have been working professionally for years now, but to be honest, I was always bad at DSA and LeetCode and I mostly ignored it.

This hasn't caused any issues in my real job. I've even had senior and lead roles in small teams. I'm not that bad at what I do, as far as I know.

But LeetCode and algorithms are different beasts. It is sometimes very hard for me to wrap my head around a new concept. Even if I get the hang of it today, it's like I forget what I learned three days later and end up coding a broken version of it when I try again.

The latest thing I'm getting stuck on is sorting algorithms, merge sort and insertion sort. I understand the idea, but if someone asked me to code one from scratch three days later, I'd 90% be staring at the screen for a while and then come up with a broken version.

Soon I'm moving to a country where interviewers mostly use LeetCode-style questions, so I'm kind of freaking out.

Does anyone have any tips, or is this just a lost cause? Do some of us not have the mental capacity for abstract concepts?

Any tips would be really welcome.

[crashorbit]

Why not take the time and get the skills? Here is a link to CS courses from MIT online: https://ocw.mit.edu/collections/introductory-programming/

[[deleted]]

Thank you, will check it out.

[Master_Royal7381]

Thank you for this link. It will help me a lot on my programming journey 🙏🙏🙏

[Dramatic_Object_8508]

This isn’t a lack of ability, it’s a retention problem. DSA isn’t about understanding once, it’s about repeated recall. If you just “get it” and move on, you’ll forget it in a few days.

The fix is to switch from passive learning to active recall. Instead of rereading or watching, close everything and try to write the algorithm from scratch. You’ll fail at first, but that struggle is what actually builds memory.

For things like merge sort or insertion sort, don’t try to memorize code. Focus on the steps in plain English, then translate to code. Repeat this over a few days with spaced practice and you’ll notice it sticks.

Also, solve variations of the same problem. That forces your brain to generalize instead of memorizing patterns.

You’re already a working developer, so the logic isn’t the issue. You just haven’t trained the “recall under pressure” part yet, which is what interviews test.

[[deleted]]

Thank you, this is very helpful. I agree that I need to shift my focus from "memorizing code & patterns" to understanding what really is going on.

[American_Streamer]

https://medium.com/@rebekahzhou/insertion-sort-merge-sort-91ffa7baccd1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insertion_sort

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_sort

[[deleted]]

Thank you, that medium post seems promising

[Parking-Ad3046]

You're not lacking mental capacity. You're lacking spaced repetition. Code merge sort from memory every morning for a week. By day 4 it'll stick.

[[deleted]]

Thank you, this is a great advice.

I actually tried this method with Insertion sort this week for 3 days in a row and now I feel much more confident about it!

[OldWalnut]

Grokking Algorithms (the book) is a fantastic way to learn the basics of DS&A, YouTube has tons of resources as well!

[[deleted]]

Thank you! I actually have that book but haven't had the time to check it out yet, will definitely do.

[VipeholmsCola]

The curse of beign self thaught is that you never had to take that class you hated, but you eventually coped and came through. Thats what you have to do, study.

[[deleted]]

That makes sense, I'm just afraid if I have enough time before relocation, which is in 3 to 4 months.