Algorithms are crucial for iOS Engineers

The brain is the most important tool of a human being (Lewis & P. Taylor, 2021), and it has to be able to comprehend, combine ideas, and take a stance in order to offer a solution. not just in his professional life but also in his private one. The best instruments for brain training are algorithms, which are machines that work by analyzing complex data and coming up with solutions.

Not many people know this, but Ada Lovelace made the first theoretical software algorithm in 1843. This was a century before the invention of the modern computer.

“The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.” Ada Lovelace

If you know about algorithms, you know that the choice of a dictionary or an array with a certain type of protocol will affect how well the mobile app works. During the coding process, you could ignore the ideas of data and time, and the app would still work. However, if you understand these ideas, you can improve your app’s performance.

Even if you have a theoretical background from college, the hardest part is starting and using algorithms by figuring out how they can be used in our everyday lives.

Start, but never keep doing it! #

Now the question is how to start and find the motivation to move towards a level of understanding of the algorithm. My advice is to engage the practice in a parallel way, which is to say, on the one hand, start by reading a book that explains the algorithm in a professional, schematic, and fun way. Additionally, one needs to identify videos that explain the key ideas behind the algorithm.

But where do I start? #

Grokking Algorithms (Bhargava, 2016) is the book. It is a friendly, fully illustrated book that shows you how to use common algorithms to solve the practical problems you face every day as a programmer.

As for the videos, it is a question of watching to understand notions such as “Big O.” “Tree,”. Five minutes of listening and seeing will begin to give you some notions. Perhaps you will understand a second time later. But it does not matter; you have to watch and listen to these videos. On the other hand, I could see that a five-minute video requires a minimum of 30 minutes of attention.

So, start with these two supports at the same time and set aside two hours, usually in the morning, before you do anything else. And depending on your daily activity, it can be very early in the morning. This can’t go on forever, and it seems reasonable and clear that this rhythm should be forced on oneself for, say, two months.

Overall, the technique that I use to build skills is known as the “Deming Cycle” or “Deming Wheel” after W. Edwards Deming. I will come back to it in an article to fully explain my approach.

How can we proceed from here? #

When the first part of this journey toward algorithmic competence takes shape, it is time to move on to the second stage. This means that you need to start solving problems on well-known websites in your favorite programming language.
Important point: It is at this stage that you really need to discuss your community on forums with other people. To ask questions and remove sticking points, I am a member of the Women Who Code (Women Who Code, n.d.) community and the Essential Developer (Essential Developer, n.d.) community. There will always be someone to give you a clue. However, in the beginning, it’s very difficult to ask questions. So you have to find the group that suits you.