Do you need to know/learn data structures and algorithms to become software engineer?

Do you think self-taught developer should prioritize learning data structures or algorithms?

I think the answer would depend on what goals and aspirations you have.

Please have a look at this short video covering the topic. I wonder if you would agree?

Comments

[Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard]

My opinion is that it will always be debated:

• 98% of the time, mathematics play a very minor role in actual programming.
• In the remaining 2% where they do matter, mathematics play a huge role indeed. Like if the SSL/HTTPS/GPG guys fucked up their maths, we are in big trouble.

So it's not easy to have the wisdom to know when it matters or not.

[Alex Pushkarev]

good observation, thanks for sharing!

[Joe Mainwaring]

No, you don’t need to know algorithms to be a software engineer. There are definitely jobs that require or benefit from that knowledge, but there are also a lot of engineering roles where the day-to-day job responsibilities will not involve algorithms.

Having knowledge around data structures is definitely beneficial in software dev, but it’s not a requirement to have a mastery of this skill.

[Alex Pushkarev]

very solid perspective!