Introduction
As I enter the final semester of my B.Tech in CSE, it’s strange to think about how every decision, big or small, has brought me to where I started. It’s January 2026, and along the way, I’ve achieved some amazing milestones in Open Source and Research. However, there is one chapter I left unfinished: Competitive Programming.
The Beginning: Eager but Unfocused
Like many CS undergrads, I tried DSA and CP during my first year. I was eager, but I wasn’t consistent. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly good at it either. My approach to learning wasn’t great—I relied too much on AI for answers, which didn’t help develop my problem-solving skills. Over time, I lost interest in CP because I felt like I wasn’t actually learning anything.
My persistence in Open Source eventually paid off in ways I hadn’t imagined:
- Bit N Build Hackathon: Our team WeCode won the Web Development track at Bit N Build (GDG UVCE × GDG CRCE), advancing to the International finals in Mumbai with our Digital Closet project.
In the midst of all these achievements, I left competitive programming almost entirely. I still participated occasionally and even reached (1527 max rating) on Leetcode, but it was never my primary focus.
Here are my current Leetcode stats:
2026: Back to the Arena
Now, in 2026, I’ve decided it’s time to open that chapter again.
Why now? Maybe it’s the desire to improve my problem-solving skills before graduation, or perhaps it’s simply the thrill of conquering something that once felt out of reach. With the discipline I’ve gained through research and open-source development, I feel ready to approach algorithms with a fresh perspective.
This blog will serve as a log of my renewed journey into Competitive Programming. From Open Source to Algorithms, the circle is now complete.
See you on the leaderboard!
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