Why I started competitive programming

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 I heard about competitive programming sometime in my first semester. At that time i was just beginning to learn c language . I just kind of looked into it .My only motivation for looking it up was  that everybody was talking about it , human nature maybe. After my first semester i had learnt nothing significant, although people comfortable with basic programming , began exploring different domains in the programming world. So i decided to begin my programming journey in my winter break. 

Wait !!!

What about all the talk that you gave in your first blog post , like a reason for starting something

Hang tight , Its coming

I was going to have a programming intro course in my second semester, seniors already gave a hint that this course is not at all easy, performance in it can also affect your prospects for future courses. So just like any inexperienced fresher i started to look for some kind of online assistance. After breezing through a lot of online tutorials i began with a youtube channel Neso Academy(its good for beginning to learn c). Alongside leaning c , i solved some programming assignments which appeared in earlier version of our programming course. Initially it was easy , but soon things started looking complicated, even the introductory questions became difficult. 
Then i thought why my peers are doing it, they may say it is the need of the hour , all companies value problem solving skills etc. But is that the real reason. Are we obsessed with recog.....

NO NOT YET!!

It is pretty complicated and why should i fry my brains. Maybe people who had prior experience in programming were enjoying as they were better than everybody else, indeed interest is related with the feeling we have about our ability (good or bad). I was pretty confused . 

Luckily i got my hands on this book Sapiens A brief history of humankind by Yuval harari
Although by its name it sounds like a history book. Who could have imagined, this book provided me a reason to go ahead with competitive programming, This book is phenomenal at describing how we became what we are today as a species and what we may be the in the future. As i was reading this book , having a bit of experience in programming i could very much relate to all the talks on algorithms.
And i was like what the hell, most of the things that are around us follow some algorithm, Even if it is not true it works for most of the practical purposes. I could see the impact that these algorithms have on our daily life , it is even possible that our own actions are governed by these algorithms, even without us knowing it, ever wondered why do you like doing something.

I realized that algorithms are everywhere. I saw competitive programming as something that can help me improve my algorithmic skills so i can be a part of the change going all around us, most importantly it prepares a mindset necessary for approaching something algorithmicly. 
If you are looking for a reason to start competitive programming , i guess the joy of being able to understand algorithms that act as building blocks in our day to day life is good enough. 

And there i was participating in my first codechef long challenge in January 2020. 

{it offers a lot, can be a great past time in this lockdown}

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