LeetCode vs Kaggle vs Real Project 2026: Which First for AI Engineers? Deep Turkish Decision Guide

## 1. Three Paths Different Purposes - LeetCode: Big Tech interview prep - Kaggle: ML algorithm depth + competition - Real Project: portfolio + production experience ## 2. Target Company → Mix - Turkish tech: 50% Real Project + 30% Kaggle + 20% LeetCode - Big Tech: 30% Real Project + 30% Kaggle + 40% LeetCode - Solo SaaS founder: 90% Real Project ## 3. LeetCode Details 3000+ problems, Easy/Medium/Hard, Premium $35/mo. Target: 100-150 medium for Turkish tech, 200-300 for Big Tech. ## 4. Kaggle Details 5-tier system (Novice → Grandmaster), 4 categories. Target: Expert tier for junior, Master+ for senior. ## 5. Real Project Details End-to-end deployed product: README + demo URL + tests + CI/CD + blog post + LinkedIn announcement. ## 6. Job Rejection Distribution Turkey 2026 45% Real Project weak, 25% LeetCode/algorithm weak, 15% ML/AI knowledge, 10% behavioral, 5% salary expectations. ## 7. Conclusion 12-month optimal hybrid: 50/30/20 Real/Kaggle/LeetCode for Turkish tech. Adjust based on target company. Quality > quantity always.