A computer program is a collection of instructions to perform a specific task. For this, a computer program may need to store data, retrieve data, and perform computations on the data.
A data structure is a named location that can be used to store and organize data. And, an algorithm is a collection of steps to solve a particular problem. Learning data structures and algorithms allow us to write efficient and optimized computer programs.
Data Structures are a specialized means of organizing and storing data in computers in such a way that we can perform operations on the stored data more efficiently. Data structures have a wide and diverse scope of usage across the fields of Computer Science and Software Engineering.
Data structures are being used in almost every program or software system that has been developed. Moreover, data structures come under the fundamentals of Computer Science and Software Engineering. It is a key topic when it comes to Software Engineering interview questions. Hence as developers, we must have good knowledge about data structures.
Why Learn DSA?
- Write optimized and scalable code - Once you have knowledge about different data structures and algorithms, you can determine which data structure and algorithm to choose in various conditions.
- Effective use of time and memory - Having knowledge about data structures and algorithms will help you write codes that run faster and require less storage.
- Better job opportunities - Data structures and algorithms questions are frequently asked in job interviews of various organizations including Google, Facebook, and so on.