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C++ Online Programming Cert Testimonials

Nice to see that you like doing projects. This is the phase in which you actually build a product.
 
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Hello Everyone,

I'm very happy to complete the course today and receive certificate in the first C++ course. The overall experience is very positive. Lectures and exercises are complete and comprehensive. They give a good feeling how the language works, how to set up things (important) an, most important for me, lay firm foundations for further self-development.

Prof. Duffy explains things clear, which is not easy. Avi is always in touch and is master in explaining difficult issues in simple words.

Having also taken ScriptUni course in python before, this is the second time I confirm very high standards people in Baruch College have. Now I definitely look forward to take the next level C++ advanced course.

Thank you QuantNet Team!

Konstantin
 
I completed the course and received the certificate several days ago. (Excited but complicated emotions)
I think the journey is very meaningful especially for those who have tiny programming experiences like me. To learn something new, debug something wrong and discover something unknown under moderate guidance is very very great. Appreciate my TA's @APalley patient and prompt help very much! Also, Professor Duffy's explanations are quite clear and inspiring.

Btw, although the course is a perfect introduction to C++ programming in financial engineering, I think there is still a long way for us to go. In the last level's project, most codes for MC and FDM are provided. If we need to write codes from 0 to 1 (I think it's a symbol of real master), it will be hard for me at this stage.:ROFLMAO: Hope to learn a more advanced level in the future.

And the forum's atmosphere is excellent!
Thank everyone who has contributed to it.
 
MC and FDM take some time to learn (FDM took me 45 years :)).

We tried to keep the end of the course relevant to quant even if it was a deep plunge.

Congratulations on completing the course!
 
That's cool! A really life-long learner I think.
Thank you!

Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Lao Tsu
 
My experience with this course has been amazing. The course is challenging and comprehensive, but at the same time, the lectures and the phenomenal support provided by the TAs made sure that I understood everything. Moreover, the discussion forums are filled with discussions on every aspect of every concept, so that one just needs to look to get any doubts cleared. When I started the course, I felt daunted by the breadth of the material covered in it, but looking back now, it's feels incredible that in the end, I managed to learn the entire thing in such depth, as have many others who chose to take this course. A big thanks to Professor Duffy, Avi, Pavlos and the other TA's.
 
Just finished the course. Overall money very well spent.
TAs were very helpful and felt always available, never mind that I live in Germany with 6 hs difference to NY.
Learning C++ is valuable but having learned OOP on my own with Matlab, I appreciate the most Duffy's intro to UML and programming language design. It contributed to make a lot of order in my head about concepts that were already (loosely) available.
 
UML and programming language design. It contributed to make a lot of order in my head about concepts that were already (loosely) available.

The approach to software decomposition (top-down) and recombination (bottom-up) are based on age-old and proven! techniques.

I use them a _lot_ in maths, software design etc.

How to Solve It - Wikipedia
 
I just finished the course. My TA Apalley was very responsive at both grading and questions. The forum was very useful.

I think the biggest strength of this course is learning design theory. Some other classes and books I have seen just tell how to type code and what it does. That's analogous to teaching calculus without teaching a proper definition of a limit. In both situations, students are given a functional but incomplete view of the subject. However, this course challenges student to study how the machine operates, and why certain things are implemented the way they are. Throughout the course, I became more aware of how the machine operates, allowing me to write more efficient code and also how to pay attention to the bigger picture, designing a more flexible and better organized program structure rather than just stack codes of functionality on top of each other (making it hard to read or add on to).
 
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I just finished the course. My TA @APalley and also @GONG CHEN were extremely helpful in helping me along the way. The forum was great and also appreciated the other students answering questions as well.

I really enjoyed how the lecture videos made such complex ideas very simple. I liked how the notes and forum made every exercise seem very simple but when I look back I see how much I progressed and learned. I did feel like I understand not only how to do the code but why everything is set up the way it is.
 
I have taken courses in R during undergrad and some Coursera courses in Python after work last year, so I initially thought I would be able to handle this course with ease for MFE prereq. However, I would now definitely re-consider myself to be "pretty new to programming" after taking this course. Don't take me wrong, it is a compliment. Unlike other more user-friendly languages, C++ indeed has a steeper learning curve but this course handles it well. The course overall is really comprehensive and builds up nicely. Each level starts from the basic, but never ends with just some simple exercises; students, especially for those like me who did not have a systematic CS training background, do have to put in a lot of effort (e.g. average 20+ hours per level, 60+ for L9 for me). Luckily, we have a great forum that we could check and ask questions, and more importantly, we have very dedicated TAs (esp. @APalley ) who always patiently answer our "stupid" questions almost in real time. Needless to say, it is a real pain juggling between work, CFA, and this course, but I indeed feel like gaining a lot of concrete knowledge and more confidence in programming. Maybe I will never be a pure programmer as I could still see myself having a huge distance to catch up with more proficient students, but this experience is really beneficial and worths a lot more than a few Cousera courses combined.

(Disclaimer: For your own good, please do NOT take this course if you are not required or really into C++; you can have a life out there, but you have to go to the moon here, LOL @Daniel Duffy )
 
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one
 
"I have taken courses in R during undergrad and some Coursera courses in Python after work last year, so I initially thought I would be able to handle this course with ease for MFE prereq"

To draw an analogy: R is like going to the supermarket and purchase a pre-packaged meal. You bring it home and warm it up in the microwave. C++ is not like that.

R, Python and Java are not sufficient for C++; better to learn some C essentials first.
In the same vein judo is not enough for karate.
 
I hope this review helps someone on the edge and how it helped me in my work.

Background: Equity derivatives sales/trading with some knowledge of Excel VBA to automate repetitive work. Did the program after 10 years from undergrad and had some basic idea from programming Matlab.

This course is basically a CS101 course along with a TA to review assignments and clear your doubts. It is well structured and paced to give you a start on C++ and object oriented programming. Post this course, I am not a C++ engineer, but am much more comfortable with programming VBA and understand Python much better. Especially, the part on OOP, is so important as you learn to make your code modular and can apply it in any use case.

There is a lot to learn after this program, no doubt about that, but it gives you the confidence to learn on your own and not get bogged down.

This is a solid start and miles better than other MOOCs available as you get access to a TA to clear up your doubts. The reading materials are self contained and I didnt need anything from outside to complete the certificate. Good luck!
 
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" Especially, the part on OOP, is so important as you learn to make your code modular and can apply it in any use case."

It's good to see that OO design and OOP is appreciated. Writing flexible and maintainable software is so important in real life.
 
" Especially, the part on OOP, is so important as you learn to make your code modular and can apply it in any use case."

It's good to see that OO design and OOP is appreciated. Writing flexible and maintainable software is so important in real life.

Yes! OOP is an amazing software design concept. I mean, I do see a change in even simple Excel VBA macros I write. Earlier, my code used to be monolithic and used a lot of loops. Now, its a lot cleaner, VBA doesnt have real OOP but does have basic classes and inheritance and I am making use of it!

Additionally, completing this course has really helped me learn Python much faster.
 
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