Roadmap
⏱ Weekly Time Allocation¶
- Weekdays (Mon–Fri; 4–5 hrs/day ≈ 22.5 hrs/week)
- 2 hrs DSA (coding problems)
- 1.5 hrs Java theory & coding
- 1 hr Core CS reading/practice
- Weekends (Sat–Sun; 7–8 hrs/day ≈ 15 hrs/week)
- 4 hrs DSA deep dives & contest
- 2 hrs Java project or advanced topic
- 2 hrs Core CS deep reading or labs
- 1 hr weekly review & planning
🚀 Phase 1 (Weeks 1–8): Foundations¶
| Focus | Goals | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| DSA Basics | Arrays, Strings, Linked Lists, Stacks/Queues | Cracking the Coding Interview (Ch 1–4) + LeetCode “Easy” |
| Java Core | OOP, Collections, Generics, Exception Handling, I/O | Core Java Volume I (Ch 1–10) + small console apps |
| Computer Arch | CPU, Memory hierarchy, Caching, Pipelining | Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective (Ch 2–4) |
| OS Basics | Processes/Threads, Scheduling, Memory Mgmt | Operating System Concepts (Silberschatz, Ch 1–5) |
| DBMS Intro | ER modeling, Relational algebra, SQL basics | Database System Concepts (Ch 1–4) + write sample queries |
| Security Intro | Crypto basics, Auth, OWASP Top 10 | OWASP online docs + “Crypto 101” tutorials |
Milestones (every 4 weeks):
- Implement your own LinkedList, Stack, Queue in Java
- Build a CLI “To-Do” app using Java’s Collections & JDBC
- Whiteboard summary of CPU pipeline and OS scheduling
⚙ Phase 2 (Weeks 9–16): Intermediate & Advanced Topics¶
| Focus | Goals | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| DSA Intermediate | Trees, Graphs, Heaps, Hashing; Medium LeetCode | Elements of Programming Interviews (chapters on trees/graphs) |
| Java Advanced | Multithreading, Concurrency, JVM internals, Streams | Core Java Volume II (Concurrency API) + “Java Concurrency in Practice” |
| Computer Arch | Virtual memory, Interrupts, I/O systems | PSPP exercises + online simulators |
| OS Advanced | Deadlocks, File systems, Virtualization | Silberschatz (Ch 6–10) + Linux labs (fork/exec) |
| DBMS Advanced | Indexing, Transactions, Normalization, NoSQL | Database System Concepts (Ch 5–8) + MongoDB tutorial |
| Security | Secure coding, TLS/SSL, Basic network security | OWASP guides + build HTTPS server in Java |
Milestones (every 4 weeks):
- Solve 50 “Medium” DSA problems (trees + graphs focus)
- Build a multithreaded Java web server prototype
- SQL vs. NoSQL micro-benchmarking mini-project
- Secure the above server with TLS & basic auth
🎯 Phase 3 (Weeks 17–24): Polishing & Mock Interviews¶
| Focus | Goals | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| DSA Mastery | Hard problems (dynamic programming, advanced graphs) | LeetCode “Hard” + timed mock contests |
| Java Expert | Design patterns, Spring/Spring Boot basics, Microservices | Head First Design Patterns + Spring guides |
| System Design | High-level architecture, scalability, CAP theorem | “System Design Interview” by Alex Xu; Grokking the System Design interview |
| Core CS Review | Quick refresh: Arch, OS, DBMS, Security | Your earlier notes + flashcards |
| Mock Interviews | 1:1 coding & design mocks | Pramp, Interviewing.io, or peers |
Milestones:
- 10 full-length (90-min) mock coding interviews
- 5 system-design whiteboard sessions
- Complete a capstone mini-project: e.g., a Spring Boot microservice + Angular front end, deployed on AWS with CI/CD and basic security
✅ Tracking & Tips¶
- Kanban Board (Trello/Notion): Track topics, problems solved, milestones.
- Peer Accountability: Weekly code-review or pair-program session.
- Flashcards/Anki: For CS concepts and Java APIs.
- Health & Breaks: 5 min break every 25 min; weekly “light” day to recharge.
- Progress Check: Every 2 weeks, do a timed 2-hr DSA test and review weak areas.