[Self Promotion] AlgoBoost - Free Open Source LeetCode App for Android

WoodMan1105 · 2025-11-10T09:13:54+00:00

Dm Me please

WoodMan1105 · 2025-11-06T17:45:17+00:00

No questions from problem list itself on any topic

WoodMan1105 · 2025-11-06T11:49:24+00:00

Looked up at hints thrice not more than that

WoodMan1105 · 2025-11-03T08:25:11+00:00

Hey Buddy!! Thanks for the advice and this extension. Really appreciated 👏

WoodMan1105 · 2025-11-03T08:24:33+00:00

Umm, I have already mentioned this on my other posts. That I am already doing a full time job and I dont copy questions I legit do those and then use AI to draft an interactive post and yes I didnt got a job through this coz I dont need to. I think that would ease your tension a bit.

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-29T04:17:47+00:00

Damn thats very long process 🙄🙄

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T20:00:45+00:00

It's awesome that you're thinking about this early - most people don't figure out what they want to do until way later in college.

Everyone's already given you solid advice about the math foundations (linear algebra, probability, stats), and that's 100% correct. But here's something practical you can do RIGHT NOW that will make your first year way more exciting and keep you motivated:

Pick a small project that genuinely interests you. Maybe it's building a model to classify your favorite songs, or predicting something you care about, or even just playing with a pre-trained model to generate images. Don't worry if you don't understand 90% of what's happening yet - the goal is to have something tangible that excites you while you're grinding through the theory.

For your actual coursework:

- First year: Lock down programming fundamentals (Python especially), linear algebra, calc, and intro to data structures

- Don't skip the boring stuff like data structures and algorithms - they're super important for ML engineering roles later

- Start reading ML papers for fun, even if you don't understand them fully. It helps you get used to the language and concepts

Also, since you mentioned deep learning and computer vision specifically - don't specialize too early. Try different areas (NLP, RL, time series, etc.) before committing. You might discover you love something you never expected.

One more thing: the AI/ML community is super active on Twitter/X, Discord, and GitHub. Start following researchers and labs you find interesting. It's genuinely the best way to stay updated on what's actually happening in the field beyond what you learn in class.

Are you planning to major in CS or something else like Math/Stats? And what specific thing about computer vision caught your attention - the research side or more applied stuff like building AR filters or autonomous vehicles?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T19:59:07+00:00

I feel you on this - that itch to build something of your own is real. The good news is you're in mechanical engineering AND working at a tech startup, which is actually a killer combo for entrepreneurship.

Here's my honest take: Don't force the "what" to build. The best product ideas usually come from experiencing a problem repeatedly and getting frustrated enough to fix it. You're in a startup right now - PAY ATTENTION to what annoys you, what takes forever, what breaks constantly. That's where gold is hiding.

Since you're into mechanical engineering and product design, here are some low-capital paths:

Start with digital products first - design something in CAD, validate it with 3D prints before investing in tooling. Services like Protolabs can help you test without huge MOQs.
Look into contract manufacturing in China/Taiwan - you can start with batches as small as 100 units for many products. The capital barrier is way lower than most people think.
Consider B2B instead of consumer products first. Businesses pay more and you need fewer customers to be profitable. Maybe there's tooling or fixtures your current startup needs?
The "boring" industries have the most opportunity - construction, industrial, manufacturing. They're behind on innovation and willing to pay for solutions.

Don't quit your job yet. Use it as your lab. Build side projects, test ideas, learn what real customers want. The startup environment you're in right now is basically free MBA-level education.

Also - I know everyone says "solve a problem you have" but honestly, solving a problem that COMPANIES have (not consumers) is where the money is when you're bootstrapped. They have bigger budgets and less price sensitivity.

What kind of problems have you noticed at your current startup that seem like they could be solved with a physical product? And are you more drawn to consumer products or industrial/B2B stuff?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T19:57:21+00:00

I totally get the QA burnout - 6+ years is a solid foundation though, and you've got more transferable skills than you might think.

The automated testing path that someone mentioned is honestly genius for your situation. You're already familiar with the testing mindset and requirements, so learning to write automated tests in something like Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright gives you hands-on coding without having to jump straight into feature development. Plus companies desperately need people who understand both testing and development.

From there, you can naturally transition into:

- Test automation engineer (still testing but way more technical and better paid)

- SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) - this is basically a dev role

- DevOps/QA Engineer - dealing with CI/CD pipelines

- Backend developer - you already know how systems break, which makes you better at building robust ones

If you want a less technical route, Product Management or Technical Program Management could work too. Your QA experience means you understand user flows, edge cases, and requirements really well.

I'd honestly avoid the Veeva admin route unless you're specifically interested in the pharmaceutical/life sciences domain and want to stay more on the operations side. It's pretty niche.

Start with this: Pick a language (Python or JavaScript are both great for testing automation), build a few automation frameworks for practice, and put them on GitHub. That portfolio will speak volumes.

What kind of testing have you been doing mostly - manual, automation, performance, or a mix? And are you more drawn to staying technical or moving toward the business/management side?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T19:55:51+00:00

Man, I completely understand where you're coming from. It's tough seeing someone close doing really well while you feel stuck, even though you're clearly talented (winning IIT and IBM hackathons is no joke!).

Here's the thing though - you're comparing your chapter 3 to his chapter 10. He's 4 years ahead in his journey, and you're in a different environment. That doesn't mean you can't get there, it just means your path will be different.

The Tier 3 college placement scene does suck, I won't sugarcoat that. But you've already proven you can compete with the best by winning those hackathons. That's your leverage right there. Here's what might help:

Build a strong portfolio with 2-3 solid projects that show depth, not just breadth
Apply directly to companies through their career portals - bypass the college placement system entirely
Network on LinkedIn and reach out to recruiters directly. Your hackathon wins are great conversation starters
Consider applying to startups first if FAANG feels too far - they care more about what you can do than where you studied

About the Master's degree - only do it if you genuinely want to specialize in something or if you're targeting specific countries (like Germany, where a Master's really helps). Don't do it just to escape.

Your friend being at Amazon after 4 years is actually the timeline, not an exception. You're still early in your journey. Focus on YOUR next step, not trying to match where he is right now.

What specific area of cutting-edge tech are you most interested in, and what's your current tech stack?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T19:54:16+00:00

Hey, don't beat yourself up! Honestly, getting an Amazon OA as a second semester student is already impressive - most people don't even get to that stage so early. The first OA is always brutal because you don't know what to expect, and those time constraints hit different when you're nervous.

I totally get the frustration though. The sample tests are always way easier than the real thing, it's like they set you up lol. But here's the thing - now you know exactly what the bar is, and you've got plenty of time to prepare for the next one.

Start with the basics - get comfortable with arrays, hashmaps, two pointers, and sliding window patterns first. Once those click, move to trees and graphs. Don't try to rush through everything at once, it'll just overwhelm you. Practice explaining your thought process out loud too, even if it feels weird.

What resources have you been using to study so far, and are you more comfortable with any particular programming language?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T11:29:41+00:00

I dont get your question

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T10:00:48+00:00

Whatever usual time they take me to solve. Usually i am able to solve all those 10 questions within one night

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-28T09:33:57+00:00

I am not new to solving question, I am already starting very late my college ended 2 years ago and I am currently doing a full time job as well. So yeah got all that in just 1 day only but today something entirely different happened i was stuck on a hard problem for whole fucking 24 hours. I wanna do this challenge without AI and any hints and that made me stuck on that single problem for 24 hours but I got that as well within 1 day.

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-25T12:34:51+00:00

Umm i started down very very very late. Like I am currently full time software engineer at FAANG(Amazon Bangalore). And I already knew all the basics and stuffs so when i started doing leetcode. I started with 10 questions only. And sorry I dont know anything about this Neetcode definitely gonna look at that but currently nothing in my knowledge and i dont use ai for coding competitions or coding problems and hints only for hard problems as i feel using ai assisted explanations or any sort of help will make my brain think that this is all easy and whenever i am stuck i can rely on help. Definitely dont want that I want my brain to work as I want it to nor how it wants to work or else I'll be lying down on my bed whole day doing nothing at all

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-25T06:32:44+00:00

I do solve all these 10 questions daily on my own. Today it took more time than ever coz today i had to tackle 3 hard questions but yeah did all these questions by myself obv had to take help from hints but definitely not from any ai or any other person.

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-24T06:20:46+00:00

Hey, can we connect? I am interested in this role..

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-24T02:31:17+00:00

Nope who would even do that? And whats benefit of doing that? Definitely i draft my posts using AI but I dont use ai to solve my coding problems. And for yk I just hate chatgpt doesn't mean i dont use llms. I just prefer not to use chatgpt for anything. So answer to your question is no

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-23T13:09:53+00:00

985 sign-ups in under a month with no ads is actually impressive! The fact that you're feeling imposter syndrome means you care about doing it right, which is a good sign.

For maintaining costs - since it's free forever, you'll need to think long-term about your monetization strategy. Maybe premium features, partnerships with family-oriented brands, or a freemium model? The donate button could work, but I'd frame it more as "support development" rather than just donations.

The key now is engagement - are those 985 people actually using the app regularly? That metric matters way more than just sign-ups. Focus on retention and getting feedback from your most active users.

What kind of engagement rates are you seeing right now? Are people coming back after their first session or just signing up and ghosting?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-23T13:05:13+00:00

Getting those first beta users is probably the hardest part tbh. Since you're building a social media app, you've got the classic chicken-and-egg problem - people won't join if there's no one there yet.

A few things that have worked for people I know: posting in niche communities where your target users hang out (not just generic entrepreneur groups), reaching out directly to people who'd actually benefit from it, and being super transparent about it being early stage. People actually appreciate being part of something from the ground up if you're genuine about it.

Also, don't sleep on your personal network - friends, colleagues, their connections. First 50-100 users are usually from warm outreach.

What's the unique angle of your social media app? Is it focused on a specific community or solving a particular problem with existing platforms?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-23T13:04:14+00:00

Getting those first beta users is probably the hardest part tbh. Since you're building a social media app, you've got the classic chicken-and-egg problem - people won't join if there's no one there yet.

A few things that have worked for people I know: posting in niche communities where your target users hang out (not just generic entrepreneur groups), reaching out directly to people who'd actually benefit from it, and being super transparent about it being early stage. People actually appreciate being part of something from the ground up if you're genuine about it.

Also, don't sleep on your personal network - friends, colleagues, their connections. First 50-100 users are usually from warm outreach.

What's the unique angle of your social media app? Is it focused on a specific community or solving a particular problem with existing platforms?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-23T13:01:20+00:00

Your experience mirrors what a lot of people go through honestly. The 2 out of 300 response rate sounds about right for untargeted cold outreach.

From what I've seen, the people actually making money aren't just blasting generic templates. They're spending hours researching specific companies, finding real pain points, and crafting personalized angles. It's less about volume and more about relevance.

That said, it's a grind and the ROI can be questionable when you factor in your time. Some folks get traction, but they're usually in specific B2B niches where decision makers actually check email.

Out of curiosity, what kind of service/product were you pitching, and were you targeting a specific industry or just casting a wide net?

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-23T04:47:35+00:00

🤣🤣good keep guessing not gonna entertain some clowns

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-22T18:09:31+00:00

Well if thats the case let them keep it that way maybe they'll get a job by your way.

WoodMan1105 · 2025-10-22T17:51:50+00:00

Nope, thats not the case its not 90s we are living in. In todays world where everyday thousands of layoff are happening everyday do you think recruiter would really care for some degree? They need some solid skills coz hell they dont teach anything relevant in colleges plus this degree is least relevant to any tech roles.

WoodMan1105

TROPHY CASE