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Data structures as containers – sample chapter from my Big O book [pdf]

by rcavezza·Jul 29, 2026·1 point·0 comments

AI Analysis

MidCozy

Solid resource for interview prep, but the market is flooded with free alternatives like freeCodeCamp.

Strengths
  • Focuses on practical JavaScript implementations rather than abstract pseudocode or Java/C++.
  • Written by a self-taught engineer who understands the specific pain points of imposter syndrome.
  • Deliberately omits rarely used structures like Linked Lists to prioritize interview-relevant topics.
Weaknesses
  • Data structures content is a commodity; dozens of high-quality free resources already exist.
  • PDF format limits interactivity compared to modern platforms like LeetCode or AlgoExpert.
Category
Target Audience

Self-taught developers, Junior engineers, CS students

Similar To

freeCodeCamp · Grokking Algorithms · LeetCode

Post Description

I was a self taught software engineer that later went to grad school to get a masters in software engineering. What I learned along the way was that many of the intimidating subjects around algorithms and data structures were much simpler and less scary than I ever thought.

My hope for this book is to try and help the self taught developers get on more equal footing with people who have a CS degree - at least the algorithms class - which I always thought was most important for interviews. Along the road, I realized Big O, logs, and algorithmic complexity weren't as confusing as I first thought. This book hopes to close the gap between self taught developers and formal CS knowledge - which often gave me imposter syndrome.

The linked PDF is a complete chapter from the book about common data structures you'll encounter in javascript - and leaving out some of the data structures you may never see (like Linked Lists).

Note - this is one chapter of the book that was published and is available on Amazon. There's a link on the last page of the PDF to the book's website and the Amazon link.

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