DEV Community: Anvesha Srivastava

I Was Terrified of LeetCode. Here is What My First 10 Problems Looked Like.

Anvesha Srivastava — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:40:08 +0000

If you are an engineering student right now, you know the pressure. It is the monster under the bed that follows you from your first year all the way to placement season.

"You are nothing without DSA."
"If you aren't grinding LeetCode, you are falling behind."
"FAANG doesn't even look at your resume if you haven't solved 300+ problems."

I heard these phrases so many times that they lost all meaning - and yet, they paralyzed me.
For the longest time, I simply refused to start. The thought of opening that LeetCode editor made my stomach drop. I looked at the "Easy" problems and thought, "If this is easy, what does that say about me if I can't even solve it?"
I didn't want to fail. So, I didn't try.

The Breaking Point

One day, I was scrolling through LinkedIn (as we all do to feel inadequate), and I saw a post from a junior. They were celebrating solving their 100th question on LeetCode.
It wasn't the number that got me. It was the pure, unfiltered pride in their caption. They weren't a prodigy. They were just consistent. And they had something I didn't: proof of their effort.
That was my wake-up call. It hit me that the only person I was embarrassing by not trying was myself. I decided right then that I was going to start. And I wasn't going to worry about the "hard" problems, or the "mediums," or the company tags. I was going to start with the very basics and swallow my pride.

The Brutal Reality of My "Starting" Log

I decided to start keeping a journal. Here is exactly what the first stretch of my DSA "redemption" looked like. It is ugly. It is honest. And it might look a lot like yours:
My very first attempts:

1757. Recyclable & Low Fat Products (Easy):Accepted. Okay, this was SQL. It doesn't really count as DSA, but I needed a win.
584. Find Customer Referee (Easy): Accepted… after 5 attempts. I forgot about NULL values in SQL. Five. Tries.
2667. Create Hello World Function (Easy): Wrong Answer. I got a "Wrong Answer" on a "Hello World" function. I wanted to close my laptop and walk into the sea. After a break (I took a long pause out of shame):
1. Two Sum (Easy): Accepted. The holy grail of beginner problems. I finally got one.
344. Reverse String (Easy): Accepted.
125. Valid Palindrome (Easy): Accepted. The next stretch:
9. Palindrome Number (Easy): Accepted.
13. Roman to Integer (Easy): Compile Error. Compile Error. I couldn't even get the syntax right.
14. Longest Common Prefix (Easy): Accepted.

The Takeaway

Look at that list. Out of my first 10 problems, I had a Compile Error, a Wrong Answer on a "Hello World" problem, and a problem that took me 10 attempts to pass.
I am not sharing this to brag about my "stats" (because frankly, they are embarrassing). I am sharing this for the student who is reading this right now, terrified to click "Submit."
Here is what I realized:

The "Easy" tag is a lie. Easy problems are only easy once you have seen the pattern. Until then, they are just hard problems with a better PR team.
"Accepted" is the only stat that matters. It doesn't matter if it takes you 10 attempts. The site doesn't remember your compile errors. It just remembers that you finished.
Compare yourself to yesterday. Don't compare yourself to the senior who has 500 problems solved. Compare yourself to the person who couldn't write a Hello World function without an error. I am now a few weeks into this journey. I am still bad at it. I still look at "Medium" problems and feel a wave of nausea. But I show up every day. If you are reading this and you haven't started yet, this is your sign. Go solve "Two Sum." Get it wrong if you have to. Just start. The only way to be "nothing" is to never try.

🚀 What Google I/O 2026 Signals About the Next Phase of AI

Anvesha Srivastava — Sun, 24 May 2026 08:37:07 +0000

A futuristic glimpse into AI-powered assistance

A Few Years Ago... This Was Sci-Fi

A few years ago, the kind of technology Google showed at I/O 2026 would have felt like something straight out of a futuristic movie.

You know the type of scene: a person says what they need, and a smart assistant understands, thinks for a moment, and starts helping across different tasks almost like magic. Not just answering questions, but actually doing things.

🌟 What Spoke to Me Most

What made Google I/O 2026 stand out was not one giant product, but the mood behind all of it.

The message seemed simple:

Computers are becoming more helpful, more aware, and more able to act on our behalf.

Instead of only waiting for us to click, type, or search, they are starting to understand what we want and help carry the load.

That feels almost magical, but in a very practical way.

Example in Action:

"Help me plan this task" → AI organizes steps, finds info, and guides you.

🔥 The Most Exciting Part

The idea that AI is moving from being a tool you talk to, into something more like a helper that can work beside you.

A simple chatbot feels like a conversation.

An agent feels like a companion.

This changes everything. The experience becomes smoother, more natural — less "using software" and more "getting help."

Fantasy meets reality: Enchanted digital companion

👥 Why Beginners Should Care

You don’t need to be a developer to feel why this matters.

This technology could make digital tools easier for everyone, especially those not comfortable with complex apps.

✅ Explains things simply
✅ Organizes tasks
✅ Reduces confusion

Less “learn this system first” — More “just say what you need.”

🔍 What I’m Still Watching Closely

As exciting as this feels, the real test is in messy real life:

Vague questions
Changing minds
Unexpected situations

Will it handle confusion gracefully? That’s where the magic becomes real usefulness.

🎯 My Overall Takeaway

Google I/O 2026 felt like a glimpse of a future many of us have imagined:

Not a future where machines replace people, but one where technology feels a little more alive, a little more thoughtful, and a lot less intimidating.

It gives you that same feeling as watching fantasy slowly turn into reality.

Thank you Google for making technology exciting again! ✨

Written for the Google I/O Writing Challenge

Made with ❤️ by Anvesha Srivastava

🎮 The SQL Arcade : No Boring Textbooks Allowed

Anvesha Srivastava — Sun, 17 May 2026 07:26:20 +0000

Let's be honest: staring at a dry spreadsheet or a thick textbook is probably the worst way to try to learn SQL. It doesn't have to be a grind.

If you want to learn SQL the fun way — by solving mysteries, popping bubbles, or battling dragons — you are in the right place.

These platforms are perfect if you have the attention span of a goldfish (like me) or just want instant gratification.

Here are my top 7 free recommendations that turn learning SQL into actual games 🎲

1. 🏝️ SQL Island


Difficulty	🟢 Beginner
Cost	✅ 100% Free

You are stranded on a desert island. The only way to escape? SQL.

📖 What it is:

You interact with villagers and items using SQL commands. You're not typing code for a fake company database — you're finding a hidden map or talking to the chief. It turns SELECT and WHERE into survival tools.

✅ Pros

Story-driven and immersive
No installation required
Great for absolute beginners

❌ Cons

Very short (can finish in 30 mins)
Limited to basic queries

2. 🔍 SQL Murder Mystery


Difficulty	🟡 Intermediate
Cost	✅ 100% Free

A crime has been committed in SQL City. Can you find the killer?

📖 What it is:

You query a police database to solve a murder. You'll join tables, filter suspects, and track down witnesses — just like a real detective.

✅ Pros

Highly engaging and addictive
Teaches real investigation-style queries
Great for learning JOINs and nested queries

❌ Cons

No hint system if you're stuck
Requires some basic SQL knowledge

3. ⚡ SQLBolt


Difficulty	🟢 Beginner
Cost	✅ 100% Free

Short lesson. Interactive exercise. Instant feedback. Next level.

📖 What it is:

A clean, no-nonsense interactive tutorial. Read a short lesson on the left, write SQL on the right, and get instant feedback.

✅ Pros

Fast and focused
Great for brushing up syntax
Covers basics to intermediate topics

❌ Cons

Not story-based (more like flashcards)
Less "fun" than games, but very effective

4. 👮 SQL Police Department


Difficulty	🟡 Intermediate
Cost	✅ 100% Free

Solve crimes. Write queries. Become an SQL detective.

📖 What it is:

An interactive, gamified platform where you solve fictional crimes using SQL. Each case gets harder, and you must extract clues from databases.

✅ Pros

Multiple cases with increasing difficulty
Realistic police database schema
Fun narrative throughout

❌ Cons

Some cases can be tricky without hints
UI feels slightly dated

5. 🔴 SQL Squid Game


Difficulty	🔴 Advanced
Cost	✅ 100% Free

Write SQL for the Front Man. Analyze players. Hunt rogue guards.

📖 What it is:

Inspired by Netflix's Squid Game, you write SQL queries to analyze player performance metrics and hunt down rogue guards trying to undermine the organization.

✅ Pros

Unique, creative theme
Challenging real-world analytics queries
Extremely satisfying to solve

❌ Cons

Not for beginners
Dark/horror theme may not suit everyone

6. 📁 SQL Case Files


Difficulty	🔴 Advanced
Cost	✅ 100% Free

"The suspect's phone pinged a tower near the docks. Verify this against traffic camera logs."

📖 What it is:

The "Case Vault" drops you into a terminal with only a brief. No query structure is given. You must figure out that you need to join cell_towers with traffic_cams on geo-spatial coordinates.

✅ Pros

Most realistic detective experience
No hand-holding — pure problem solving
Teaches complex JOINs and geospatial logic

❌ Cons

Steep learning curve
Frustrating if you're a beginner

7. 🧙 Lost at SQL


Difficulty	🟡 Intermediate
Cost	✅ 100% Free

You're lost in a fantasy world. The only way home? SQL challenges.

📖 What it is:

A fantasy-themed SQL adventure where you solve challenges to unlock paths, defeat enemies, and find your way back to the real world.

✅ Pros

Fantasy RPG vibe
Gradual difficulty curve
Fun for D&D or fantasy fans

❌ Cons

Shorter than expected
Some repetitive challenges

🧭 Quick Comparison Table

Resource	Difficulty	Time Commitment	Best For
SQL Island	🟢 Beginner	30 min	First taste of SQL
SQL Murder Mystery	🟡 Intermediate	1-2 hours	JOINs & logic
SQLBolt	🟢 Beginner	2-3 hours	Fast syntax learning
SQL PD	🟡 Intermediate	2-4 hours	Multiple cases
SQL Squid Game	🔴 Advanced	2-3 hours	Analytics queries
SQL Case Files	🔴 Advanced	1-2 hours	No-handholding puzzles
Lost at SQL	🟡 Intermediate	1-2 hours	Fantasy + SQL

🎯 My Recommendation

20 minutes? → Start with SQL Island
1 hour? → Solve the SQL Murder Mystery
Weekend project? → Play SQL Case Files or Squid Game
Just want syntax fast? → SQLBolt

💬 Final Tip

Don't just watch videos. Type every query yourself. That's the only way to actually learn.

If you found any of these resources helpful, let's connect!

📫 Connect with me on LinkedIn or check my code on GitHub

Happy Querying! 🚀