My Journey to Coding: A Guide for Aspiring Coders in the USA

My Journey to Coding: A Guide for Aspiring Coders in the USA

Before diving into my personal experience, I want to clarify that I’m not here to persuade anyone to switch careers to coding or to engage in the debate about whether it’s a wise decision. I’ve personally received immense support along my journey, and I hope to pass on some goodwill. This article is aimed at those sisters who have decided to take the plunge into coding.

⚠️ Background Before Coding

I came from an engineering background with no prior experience in coding. The only programming language I knew was SQL, and while my English wasn’t perfect, it was just average—nothing stellar, but certainly manageable. In short, I was an ordinary person starting from scratch.

❤️ My Transformation After 11 Months

Fast forward 11 months, I completed over 500 LeetCode problems. On average, I tackled each problem at least three times. I worked on three smaller projects and one more comprehensive project, which helped me land an internship position as a Software Development Engineer (SDE) at Amazon!

❗️ My Learning Path from Zero

This section will focus on my journey with syntax and problem-solving.

1️⃣ Foundation in Java

During the first couple of weeks, I dedicated time to learning Java basics. I enrolled in an online course created by Heima Programmer, which is freely available on platforms like Bilibili.

2️⃣ Jumping into LeetCode

After grasping the fundamentals, I immediately began tackling LeetCode problems. While solving problems, I simultaneously learned algorithms and data structures. I didn’t follow a formal course for data structures as I aimed to learn quickly by practicing.

Problem-Solving Journey

My approach was structured and deliberate:

• I followed along with the “Code Thoughts” series, going through it twice. There are both textual explanations available on public accounts and video tutorials on Bilibili.
• I tackled the LeetCode Interview 150 problems, along with an additional set of 75 problems (though I couldn’t finish all of them).
• I began researching Amazon-tagged problems in November, even before I received an Amazon online assessment invite.

⚠️ The Importance of Repetitive Practice

Initially, I focused on solving many new problems. After reaching about 300 problems, I started revisiting and refining my understanding of each question. I shifted my focus to understanding the nuances of each problem rather than just increasing my volume of completed questions.

Towards the later part of my preparation, I practiced explaining my thought process in English while coding. I would first discuss a brute-force solution and its time and space complexity, then talk about optimizations and their complexities, and finally simulate a complete interview scenario.

Final Thoughts

This is a summary of my journey so far. If time permits, I’ll continue sharing projects or other insights. I’ve been attentive to all your messages; switching to coding is indeed a challenging process, but I firmly believe that hard work will eventually pay off! Wishing you all the best on your journeys! #NEUYouFinallyMadeIt #CodingTransition #NorthAmericaCoding #Amazon