[henryfjordan]

+1 for learning datastructures + algorithms in a structured way.

Other posters are saying "just build stuff and you will learn", which isn't wrong, but there's a reason every CS student learns data structures and algorithms first. They are literally the building blocks for everything else. Then, once you've got that foundation, the "just build stuff" advice is sound but if you skip that step you will always be at a disadvantage.

DDIA is a great book but definitely not for a beginner and is only applicable to backend web engineering at a certain scale.

[jonbishop]

Do you know of a more beginner friendly book?

[0x54MUR41]

For algorithms, I would recommend "Grokking Algorithms" by Aditya Y. Bhargava. The reason is that the book contains hand drawn visualization. I believe this will make the beginner easier to learn the concept.

One more thing, if you learn programming. Don't forget to practice, practice, and practice. The book has exercise sections. Please, don't skip it.

https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-algorithms-second-edi...