Understand algorithms, data structures, and "theoretical" topics adds tools to your toolbox. If you are working on anything interesting, chances are you will en

Understand algorithms, data structures, and "theoretical" topics adds tools to your toolbox. If you are working on anything interesting, chances are you will end up re-inventing half a dozen wheels, taking much longer and coming up with a far less elegant and workable solution. The reason complicated topics exist is because they helped earlier solve problems that weren't obvious, and those problems are the ones worth solving. I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, you can write code knowing only the basics, and yes you can cobble something together, but you'll always be limited by yourself. Not to mention, learning more theory can help open your mind to other categories of solutions and more ways to approach problems