Any recommendations for books/tutorials/videos or other starting points? I don't know any assembly but wanted to learn 6502 assembly because of how ubiquitous it was in lots of older systems (2600, NES, Apple II, and of course C64 among others). That SMB 3 speed run [1] really blew my mind and made me want to learn more.
Just a beginner too, but I do have one suggestion. Steven Skiena has a series of lectures on YouTube [1] for a course he taught called Programming Challenges. I only just started watching the videos so I don't know how useful they are in the long run but the course itself is all about how to get better at competitive programming. He also has a book called "Programming Challenges" which goes hand in hand with the course material.
A while back I was reading an article about how to get a job at an upcoming Volvo plant in SC and it mentioned a "mechatronics technician" degree program.