Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) and platforms like LeetCode have become synonymous with coding interviews, especially at large tech companies. But there is a big difference between being good at LeetCode and being a good software engineer.
If you are targeting jobs at companies like Google, Meta, or Amazon, yes — you will need to practice LeetCode-style problems. These companies use algorithmic interviews as a screening mechanism. You will need to understand arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and time complexity analysis.
For the majority of software development jobs — especially at startups, agencies, and mid-size companies — your portfolio and experience matter more. Being able to build and ship real projects, write clean code, and collaborate with a team is far more important than solving binary tree problems on a whiteboard.
Learn DSA at a fundamental level. Understand big O notation, common data structures, and basic algorithms. But do not spend months grinding LeetCode at the expense of building real projects.
