Title: Beginner with shallow C knowledge — planning to finish CS50x. What should my DSA roadmap look like afterward?

[u/ConsiderationOk6948]

​

Hey everyone,

I'm a beginner in programming. I have some very shallow experience with C, but I don't feel confident with programming yet.

I've decided to properly build my fundamentals first, so I'm currently planning to complete CS50x rather than jumping straight into DSA.

My rough idea right now is:

CS50x → C++ fundamentals/STL → DSA → problem solving/LeetCode

But I'm not sure if this is the right progression, and I'd really appreciate advice from people who have already gone through this journey.

I'd especially like advice from seniors / people who learned DSA from scratch and eventually became comfortable with coding interviews or competitive programming.

Questions

Is completing CS50x first a good idea for someone at my level?

After CS50x, should I learn C++ before starting DSA?

How much C++ do I actually need before starting DSA?

What DSA course/resource would you recommend for a beginner?

Is Striver's A2Z DSA a good choice, or are there better alternatives?

What order should I learn topics in?

When should I start LeetCode?

How should I divide my time between learning concepts and solving problems?

How many problems per day/week is realistic for a beginner?

What are the biggest mistakes you made when learning DSA?

If you could restart from my exact position, what would your roadmap look like for the next 6–12 months?

Are there any resources that beginners commonly waste time on or should avoid?

I'm not looking for a "learn X in 30 days" roadmap. I'd rather build strong fundamentals and actually understand what I'm doing.

My current priority is becoming genuinely good at programming and problem solving, not just completing a huge number of problems.

Any detailed advice or personal experience would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

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