Is Introduction to Algorithms a good starter?
There are many different approaches to learning algorithms and data structures. However, I’d divide those into two sets: theoretical and practical with all kinds of in-betweens. When I faced this dilemma, I noticed that the most often called title was the famous Introduction to Algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ron Rivest, and Clifford Stein. Reading and working through this book took me three months. Let me answer the given question: is Introduction to Algorithms a good starting book for learning algorithms and data structures?
8 questions to ask yourself before diving into a new task
Most of the researches regarding the cost of software errors, show that there is an order of magnitude difference between the stages, where the error is found. That’s why it’s essential to take your time during the planning and prepare a detailed implementation plan for the more complex tasks. I created a personal checklist, which I use before starting a new task. Some of the steps may seem rather obvious, but it’s always worth to keep them in mind. Let’s grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the lecture :).