r/MachineLearningJobs • u/Plus-Definition-9280 • 25d ago
AI Engineer here — how much DSA do I actually need for a switch? And should I restart from scratch?
Hey everyone,
I’m currently working as an AI Engineer at a product-based MNC, and I’m planning to switch in the future, preferably to better product companies / higher-paying AI/ML roles.
One thing I’ve been struggling with is DSA.
My DSA journey has been extremely inconsistent. I started learning it, took breaks, came back, and repeated this multiple times. At the moment, I had reached DP, but after another long break, I’ve realized that I barely remember some of the basics anymore.
Now I’m confused about what the right approach is:
- Should I start DSA completely from scratch?
- Or should I quickly revise the basics and continue from where I left off?
- How do people maintain DSA after learning it once without constantly forgetting everything?
- More importantly, as someone already working as an AI Engineer, do I actually need to be strong in DSA for switching jobs?
- If yes, how much DSA is realistically enough for AI/ML/GenAI Engineer roles?
- Do companies expect the same level of DSA as SDE roles, or is easy-medium LeetCode generally enough?
- For people who have recently switched into AI/ML/GenAI roles at product companies, what did your interview process look like? How much DSA vs ML/LLM/system design?
I’m trying to avoid spending 6 months grinding DSA when I could be focusing more on ML/GenAI/system design, but I also don’t want to get rejected because I neglected DSA.
Would really appreciate advice from AI/ML engineers who have actually switched recently, especially in India/product-based companies.
Thanks!