How to merge two sorted arrays without extra space

💻 3 Days. 10+ Patterns. 1 Unstoppable Mindset. Balancing motherhood and deep LeetCode prep hasn’t been easy — but these past three days reminded me that consistency always wins over perfection. Between kids, meal preps, and late-night study sessions, I’ve been pushing through one problem at a time — not just solving, but really understanding the why behind every pattern. Here’s what my last 3 days looked like 👇 🧠 Core DSA patterns I covered: Prefix Sum (LC 303) – converted O(n) queries into O(1) with precomputation. Merge Intervals (LC 56) – learned that sorting by start time removes 90% of the confusion. Spiral Matrix (LC 54) – simplified traversal using boundary pointers. Valid Sudoku (LC 36) – finally nailed 3×3 box indexing logic! BST (LC 98, 230) – practiced both inorder and bounds-based approaches. Sliding Window & Deque (LC 239) – internalized why we store indices instead of values. Priority Queue (LC 215, 1046) – now I can explain exactly why it’s O(n log k). LRU Cache (LC 146) – implemented O(1) get/put with HashMap + Doubly Linked List. Number of Islands (LC 200) – applied BFS/DFS templates and got comfortable with visited grids. Linked List - deep dive, solved more problems in this topic ⚙️ Beyond coding: Revisited Java concurrency & memory model, spring boot basics. Created a behavioral cheat sheet for upcoming interviews. Most importantly, learned to stay calm when things feel overwhelming. 💬 What I’m learning: It’s not about rushing through problems. It’s about mastering patterns, not memorizing solutions. Every bug fixed is a mini win. Every retry builds confidence. Next stop → Backtracking, Dynamic Programming, and Graphs 🚀 #LeetCode #InterviewPrep #WomenInTech #Java #SystemDesign #CodingJourney #CareerGrowth #WorkingMom #BackendEngineering

💡 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻. While solving the “𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗞” problem, I stumbled upon a single line that completely changed my understanding of prefix sums and edge cases: 𝗺𝗮𝗽.𝗽𝘂𝘁(𝟬, 𝟭); At first, I didn’t think much of it. Then it hit me — this one line ensures we count subarrays starting right from index 0. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: When the running sum equals k, we need sum - k == 0 to exist in the map. Without this initialization, those early subarrays are never counted — a tiny detail that makes the entire logic correct. 💡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: ✅ Edge cases aren’t “just” edge cases — they define correctness. ✅ Defensive coding is part of strong problem-solving. ✅ Understanding why each line exists > just writing code. Still a student, still learning — but small discoveries like this remind me how much depth hides in just a few lines of code. Problem link: https://lnkd.in/g4TZqJRM Have you ever had an “𝗮𝗵𝗮!” moment from a single line that changed your whole approach? Drop it below 👇 #CodingJourney #Java #ProblemSolving #DSA #TechInterviews #LearningInPublic #CompetitiveProgramming #StudentLife

💡 Coding Challenge Chronicles: Count Operations to Zero 🧮 Today I solved an interesting problem that looks simple — but teaches a lot about logical thinking and loop optimization. 🧩 Problem Statement: Given two numbers, keep subtracting the smaller one from the larger until one becomes zero. Count how many operations it takes. 🔍 How it works: Repeatedly subtract the smaller number from the larger. Keep track of each subtraction. Stop when one number reaches zero. ⚡ What I learned: Simple while-loops can teach algorithmic efficiency Understanding base conditions avoids infinite loops Sometimes, the most elegant logic hides behind basic arithmetic! #Coding #Java #ProblemSolving #LeetCode #Developers #Algorithms #CodingChallenge

📌 Day 155 of Coding - Next Greater Numerically Balanced Number (LeetCode - Medium) 🎯 Goal: Find the smallest integer greater than n such that the count of each digit d in the number is exactly d (for digits 1-7). 💡Approach & Debugging: Used backtracking to generate all “beautiful” numbers following the digit count rule. A helper function generate() recursively built numbers by trying digits 1-7, ensuring that no digit appeared more times than its own value. Checked each generated number using isBeautiful(). After generation, sorted the list and returned the first number greater than n. ✔️ Time Complexity: Exponential (backtracking-based generation, but limited by small constraints). ✔️ Space Complexity: O(1) auxiliary + O(M) list for generated numbers. 🧠 Key Takeaways: Precomputation and pruning (like limiting to 1224444) help keep recursion efficient. Problems mixing digit frequency logic and recursion sharpen number theory intuition. #Day155 #LeetCode #Backtracking #Recursion #Java #ProblemSolving #DSA #CodingChallenge #Algorithms #100DaysOfCode #InterviewPrep #SoftwareEngineering #DataStructures #CodeNewbie #ProgrammersLife

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: “𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? 𝐘𝐞𝐬? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓. 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇. 𝐈𝐓.” 😬💻⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ This image humorously captures one of the unwritten rules of software development — if your code works, resist the urge to “improve” it just for the sake of it.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Because let’s be honest…⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 🧑💻 One “tiny tweak” can turn into a full-day debugging session.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 💥 Sometimes, practicality beats perfection.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ If it ain’t broke — don’t fix it. 😉⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Follow Varun Sharma For More #codingmeme #programming #coding #developerlife #softwaredeveloper #programmerhumor #webdevelopment #python #java #techlife #programmingmemes #devlife #computerscience #debugging #funny #softwareengineering

Lessons learned as a Software Engineer over the years Be flexible. There's this popular term "Programming language wars". It refers to ongoing debates about which programming language is the best. My advice: don't bother your head. I have used different programming languages in my career so far, from Visual Basic.NET to Java to C# to JavaScript to Typescript. Who knows, Go or Rust or Python would be more suitable for future projects I would contribute to. So learn about programming paradigms, Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and Functional Programming (FP) for starters. Understand them. Learn about design patterns in OOP. Know how to apply SOLID principles in OOP. For FP, Pure Functions, Immutability etc. The first interview I had, there were no questions about any programming language I used. I was asked to talk about design patterns. I had lectures about them at the university, but didn't take them seriously. I failed that interview. I was so angry after the interview, I bought Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Robson, Kathy Sierra, and Bert Bates and consumed it, itching for my next interview to show my next interviewer a lesson. 😄 So be flexible. Solve problems with code. Your future customers want solutions, no wars. #softwareengineering #programminglanguages #oop #fp #designpatterns #TechCareer #Innovation #Technology #agile #CodingJourney

✅ Day 70 of #100DaysOfCode🚀 🔎 LeetCode Problem No #3354 – Count Valid Selections 🛠️ Solution - https://lnkd.in/geSxHsxD Today’s challenge was all about prefix sums, conditional counting, and state validation - testing both analytical thinking and edge-case intuition. 💡 Core Concepts Explored: Optimizing array traversal with O(n) linear scans Leveraging prefix/suffix sums for fast cumulative computations Handling decision-based iteration where each index affects multiple outcomes What made this problem interesting was identifying valid transition points dynamically without brute force - a clean example of how logical reasoning and math patterns power algorithmic efficiency. Every day of this challenge reminds me: 👉 Code is not just syntax - it’s the art of structured problem-solving. #100DaysOfCode ✅ #Day70 #LeetCode #ProblemSolving #CodingJourney #DSA #Algorithm #DataStructures #CodingChallenge #DeveloperCommunity #LearnToCode #SoftwareEngineering #CodingLife #Java #CodeNewbie #AIStudent #TechJourney #CodeEveryday #ProgrammingPractice #ProblemSolvingSkills #LeetCodeChallenge #ComputationThinking #CodeMotivation #DataScience #SoftwareDeveloper #CodeBetter #StudyWithMe #TechLearning #ProgrammersLife #BuildInPublic #StudentDeveloper #DailyCoding #SelfImprovement #MindsetMatters #CodingCommunity #LeetCodeDaily #CompetitiveProgramming #TechGrowth

💥 Stop solving 500 random Leetcode questions! If you can master these 7 patterns, you can crack any DSA problem. Most developers don’t need more problems they need clarity on the patterns behind them. 🚀 Here’s what I wish I knew earlier: If you understand 1. Sliding Window 2. Two Pointers 3. Binary Search 4. Recursion 5. Dynamic Programming 6. Greedy 7. Backtracking ...then every new problem will start to look familiar. 💡 Save this post 🔖 and start with one pattern a week. Your consistency will matter more than your question count. 👇 Comment which pattern took you the longest to understand! #DSA #Java #BackendDevelopment #Leetcode #ProgrammersLife