How can competitive programming help you get a job?

 Competitive programming is a brain game which takes place on the Internet or a local network in which programmers have to code according to the given constraints. Here programmers are referred to as competitive coders. Many top-notch companies like Google, and Facebook host contests like Codejam and Hackercup respectively. Those who perform well in these contests are recognised by these companies and get offers to work with these tech giants.

 

Publicly demonstrate your skills Competitive programmers are known for their problem-solving skills. Like developers show their skills by making different projects, competitive programmers show their talent by taking part in different challenges which sites like Codeforces, Codechef, Topcoder, Hackerrank, HackerEarth and many more host frequently. Competitive programmers build their name and earn fame on these sites and as they perform good, people start to recognize them.

Prepare you for a Technical Interview As you get used to solving harder and harder problems in contests, you will easily be able to answer questions asked in a technical interview. Competitive programming also increases your problem-solving speed which provides an edge over other applicants.

Makes you a desirable Candidate for major Companies Big companies like Apple, Google and Facebook want talented and smart people to work with them. So these companies keep an eye on those programmers who outperform worldwide in the contests which take place at the world level. One such contest is ACM ICPC, it is like Olympics for a competitive programmer. You will get an opportunity to work with these companies if you perform well in world level contests.

Makes you faster and more focused You will become faster in every aspect of your life. You start to finish your tasks quickly in your real life as well. This is an excellent skill which you develop. It helps you become more focused as your code gets accepted only when your all test cases pass. So you start developing a habit of analyzing every factor which can affect your code. Hence in life also you don’t miss any factor which remains unconsidered easily.

Helps you solve Complicated Problems While solving a question in competitive programming, most of the time you get the wrong answer and you face a failure. By solving lots of questions, you will overcome the fear of failure. Competitive Programmers perform under pressure and take out a solution which builds their real-life problem facing skills. For example, if You are opening a business, then you won’t have fear of failure. You will handle any situation which comes your way and will overcome it easily.

Guaranteed Brain Exercise Many times, we come across a condition when we think that we have not done anything productive today. Solving 2 or 3 problems and getting correct answers for them helps you feel motivated. You will feel that yes I have applied my brain in solving these problems, which boosts your motivation.

Teaches you how to work in Teams Many contests take place at the individual level and many contests involve team participation. You give the contest in a group of 2 or 3. So you start to learn how to approach a situation in a group. Some person has good dynamic programming, some code faster, and some think of a solution faster. In this way, you learn to divide the work into teams. It helps when you are working for a company and doing work on a project.

It’s FUN! One of the biggest factors is that competitive programming gives you real-time fun. Many people play football and cricket. They get recognition from various people that this person is very good in that particular sport. In the same way, when you do Competitive Programming, you compete at the world level, among your peers. You start getting fame and recognition from people that this person’s algorithmic approach is fantastic. It feels nice when you hear this kind of word. So it is thrilling to do Competitive Programming.

Various platform where you can showcase your skills

1. Codeforces 2. Codechef 3. Topcoder 4. HackerEarth 5. Hackerrank