It's useful to read the first 2-3 chapters of any algorithms textbook (CLRS, Algorithm Design Manual, etc.) just to familiarize yourself with Big O notation & t

It's useful to read the first 2-3 chapters of any algorithms textbook (CLRS, Algorithm Design Manual, etc.) just to familiarize yourself with Big O notation & the techniques used for analyzing probabilistic algorithms. Learning Algorithms, like many other subjects, is subject to the 80-20 rule. You can learn 80% of the topics in a few weekends. Just review the concepts of BFS, DFS, how hash functions & hash tables work (handling collisions etc.) and the basics of trees. Maybe code up a BFS yourself just to get a gist of it. If you learn about compilers (ASTs) or do ML, then algorithms-related topics will definitely come up and having that core knowledge will definitely help. But getting that last 20%... by grinding hundreds of problems on LeetCode and memorizing 3 different ways to reverse a linked list isn't useful for anything other than passing interviews. Getting that knowledge will also take many weeks. The same way how reading tons of recently-published academic algorithms papers probably won't help you in your day-to-day either.