Ngoc Getting Inspired by a Senior
I was in my 6th semester of a mechanical engineering degree at a tier 2 college. I wasn’t very interested in coding before, but one of my seniors had cracked Codevita the previous year which really excited me. The thought of landing an interview with one of the top IT companies just by clearing a coding competition was very appealing. That’s what initially got me interested in trying out competitive programming.
Struggling to Learn the Basics
I started learning C++ programming since that’s what my senior recommended, but it was very difficult for me in the beginning. There were so many syntax rules and concepts that I found confusing. I would get frustrated often while trying to debug simple programs. It took me a lot of trial and error to grasp the foundations.
Finding Motivation Through Real-World Applications
Randomly practicing coding problems without context wasn’t engaging me fully. That’s when I decided to learn programming through examples that showed real-life uses. Examples related to mechanical systems especially captured my interest. Learning coding principles in this applied way made it much more enjoyable for me. I was able to understand the relevance of programming better this way.
Steadily Improving Skills Through Practice
Once I had the basics down, I started solving questions on competitive programming platforms like HackerRank, LeetCode, and my college portal regularly. This consistent practice helped strengthen my problem-solving abilities. I was one of the few mechanical students actively doing coding, which kept motivating me to learn more. Most of my learning happened through self-study using online resources like YouTube, websites, and eBooks.
Cracking Codevita With Partial Solutions
After months of preparation, I registered for Codevita. Although I fully solved only 3 questions on the day, I was able to provide partial solutions for the 4th question too. That was enough to help me clear the competition and receive an offer for an interview from TCS. Even solving questions partly can help you crack competitive exams.
Taking Inspiration From Small Wins
Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t give up despite the initial struggles. Even as a non-CS student from a regular college, I was able to learn coding fundamentals and solve tough problems through self-study. My small achievement of cracking Codevita can inspire others who think competitive programming is not for them. With sustained focus and practice, anyone can build strong programming skills.
Advice for Aspiring Competitive Programmers
If you want to give Codevita a try, focus on these core aspects:
- Choose a programming language you are comfortable with like C++ or Python
- Learn basics and data structures thoroughly through standard problems
- Practice rigorously on previous years’ Codevita questions
- Learn algorithmic concepts like greedy algorithms, dynamic programming
- Keep solving questions on websites to handle constraints well
- Never stop practicing - that is key to success in competitive coding
With disciplined preparation like this over 6-8 months, even non-CS students can crack top tech coding tests like Codevita on their first attempt. Your engineering background need not limit your coding abilities.
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