Learning and practicing coding sure is fun and also contributing to small open-source projects will definitely improve your skills. But trust me on this when I say that you aren’t really pushing your limits. If you consider programming a pool, then you are still on the shallow end where you are still comfortable. The deeper end – Competitive Programming is one of the fastest ways to improve your skills and also the most efficient way to fine-tune your skills. Don’t get what I just said? No worries, let’s start from the most basic things.
Competitive programming, as the name suggests is a mind storming session in programming where the participants are required to solve a set of problems according to a set ofspecifications and rules in a limited time frame. This basically is a test of the efficiency of the programmers.
Why should you invest your time in competitive programming? While coding in a comfortable corner in your room can surely increase your skill set, but competitive programming implements certain rules and restrictions which makes it harder and will help you get to the next level in a short amount time. It also helps you get more goal eccentric and that is a skill which is hunted by the top companies in software development. The limited time frame will inculcate in you the skill of time efficiency. It helps you understand quickly where to start and how to proceed so that you reach the goal in the given time frame. In the IT industry where time is money, this sure will come in handy.
In the competitive programming events, you will often need to work in a team. This enables you to get the necessary exposure to working in a team and be a team player. This also gives you the chance of inculcating in yourself the team leading abilities as well.
All in all, competitive programming will help you get ready for the real industry out there. Obviously, the knowledge you will gain will help you be a better programmer and also help you get past those job interviews as well. It is a sure-shot fastest way to get into the top tier of programmers. So, code on guys!
