Algorithms and data structures is the foundation that interview prep is built on, but the underlying skills matter outside that context. Knowing when a hash map beats a sorted array, when a heap solves your problem in O(log n) instead of O(n), when a trie is the right substring index — these decisions show up in real performance work as often as in coding interviews.
Modern courses cover the standard ground: sorting and searching, trees and graphs, dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, hashing, plus the LeetCode-pattern playbook (two pointers, sliding window, BFS/DFS variants, backtracking). The depth of treatment varies — pick a course that matches the level you're actually preparing for.
