• VIEW THE 2025 QUANTNET RANKINGS.

C++ Online Programming Course Testimonials

I was looking for a c++ course and my interest was in quantitative finance. After looking through many courses I couldn't find anything that had a syllabus that I felt would give me a good base knowledge until I found this course. This course felt very complete as far as getting me up to the level on the syllabus, and I have confidence that I can apply the materials I used in this course. The course was challenging to me coming from an unrelated schooling background, but it kept me interested and I am interested in expanding my skill set and applying my skills.

I actually thought the course was structured very well in comparison to most of the other courses I have taken throughout my life. This did feel like a course that was geared to actually help the student gain an understanding of the subject, which in my experience is very difficult to find. I think the community is very helpful and the website has a lot of good resources on it that made taking the course a bit more user friendly.
 
The overall experience is good; I enjoy learning along with all the amazing guys on the forum. I also appreciate the help and assistance received from TAs and the courses created by Dr. Duffy.

The reason I wanted to take this course is that I desire to apply to the MFE program at Baruch College, and they listed this course as the recommended one.
 
I was interested in taking a course regarding financial engineering to learn more about it and see if I would be interested in going to grad school for this. It was a challenging course especially since I had little programming knowledge prior, but it was beneficial and I feel like I have a good base knowledge of C++ now.
 
The C++ course was a great experience for me. I learned a lot of valuable techniques and tools that I can continue to use to improve my skills. Avi was very helpful and quick to answer questions and the forum was also helpful for any lingering issues I faced throughout the course.

I had an interest in C/C++ and how it's used. I was self-teaching for a while and decided to expedite my knowledge and practice full-time.
 
I discovered this course while frequently checking QuantNet articles for career guidance. My approach to this course was not as a preparatory step for a MFE degree since I am already enrolled in a master's program. With a background in Python and C programming, my objective was to comprehend how OOP and generic programming are implemented in C++ compared to Python. This was partly motivated by the preference for C++ over Python expressed by some companies where I have been interviewed.

The aspect of the course I appreciated most was the structure of the assignments. Each level effectively covered various intricacies of C++ OOP and/or generic programming, aspects which might be overlooked by new learners relying solely on textbooks. I found the introduction to the foundations of the Boost library particularly enlightening, especially its applications in statistics and financial engineering. It opened doors to statistical analysis, an area I previously believed was exclusive to languages like R or Python. The teaching assistant played a crucial role in this positive experience, providing prompt and helpful responses to queries and timely grading of assignments. Overall, the course is well-designed and beneficial, not only for aspiring quants or MFE students but also for beginners in C++ programming in general.
 
Overall, this course has been one of the best value-for-money courses I have ever taken. It easily beats a majority of standard 3-credit courses that universities provide in programming. You get the balance of being introduced to concepts through lecture videos and reading material, support through a forum that covers any question that you might have, and a TA who responds very quickly and is always willing to help. Overall, after taking this I feel more confident in my C++ ability than any other programming language and my understanding of the language and programming has gone up dramatically.
 
The course is great, a very comprehensive and solid explanation covering all the essential subjects help me to get myself preprared for my future career. The TA is very kind, helpful and responsive, and I get lots of help from surfing in the forums.
 
I think the professor provided many applicable codes for learners to continue learning after this courseware. And the best way to learn is to think the feedback from TA and look for answers in the forum. This experience is just like looking for answer in StackOverflow, so I feel it is a benefit for any quant or engineer.
 
This might be one of the best courses I have taken. Each level incrementally builds your knowledge base and before you know it, you've created an entire Options project in Level 9. I think the biggest asset of this course are the teaching assistants. I specially want to mention @APalley and @Paul Lopez, who helped me through the course and patiently answered all of my questions. You guys make the course worth it on your own. The homeworks are a perfect combination of familiarity and digging around to find information. Finally, thank you Dr @Daniel Duffy for creating this very well structured course that I will certainly be coming back to in the future.

For prospective students: If you're interested in financial engineering, taking this course is a no brainer. If you're not interested in the field, it's still a great option for you because levels 1-8 cover general C/C++ concepts. Only level 9 is the financial engineering specific level. It will be a significant time commitment regardless of your coding background, but that's what makes the course worth it.
 
Last edited:
It's good experience to learn C++ in quantnet, this is my first time to learn C++. It improve my C++ exactly, Curriculum clarity and careful teaching assistant help me learn very easily. And quantnet is good community, so I can ask anything about homework and the problem I faced. It help me a lot. I will take advanced course to consolidate my C++ skill.
 
A friend recommend this course for me and I found the course is relevent to the financial engineering field, so I take it. In this course, the instructor talks about the functions and syntax of C++ very well, especailly those diagrams which are helpful for me to understand the idea. I really recommend this course for those who want to learn C++ to fulfill the prerequisite course of MFE program.
 
Super strong course, better than the 3 combined levels i got at my MFE. The structure puts the student in an uncomfortable situation as it forces it to learn more beyond the content and master the concepts to successfully complete the class. Students should expect to work hard and learn how to think critically so they can optimize their code while learning the fundamentals of c++.
 
This course is concise and packed with exercises. I wanted to pick up this course as a prep for my application to Baruch MFE, and found this course at the program page. This course can lead one into the real-world implementations of many financial engineering solutions. I used to work with Excel/VBA, SQL, R, Python, etc. but never serious at C/C++. So, this is my challenge and I'm happy that I can move on to the next course.

I looked at a book listed in Dr. Duffy's material but found out that the course covered all the important topics.
 
I like the course. Complete and informative courses. It is fabulous class for intro to C++ AND it dramatically improve my understanding of OOP programming. Moreover, it helps my Python skills by learning C++.

I am taking the course for better odds of MFE program admission,
Thank you!
My company Datasim was probably the first OOP/C++ in the Netherlands and we worked with industrial/business clients from the outset. Our designs were stress-tested in real-life environments. And having a mathematical background and having worked in industry doesn't do any harm :)

If you know C++ helps moving to Python, in fact C++ helps with everything.
 
This programming course has been the best I’ve ever taken. The class forum is well-established, and the instructors’ responses are both timely and patient, which is a refreshing change amid the current scarcity of educational resources. The materials, exercises, and exams are meticulously designed, making learning systematic and practical. It's also a pleasure to meet and discuss with so many outstanding classmates and fellows here.

I’m determined to keep enhancing my C++ skills, and I’m hopeful that this experience will open doors for my future career, not only in C++ but beyond. Also, I’m eager for the opportunity to contribute to this course in the future.
 
Last edited:
Moving to finance from unrelated major, I was interested in financial engineering and found out this program prepares people to have the basic knowledge in c++ for finance. It was great opportunity to learn about basics on object oriented programming and application of C++ on finance, and I believe I now have a good base on this field. I plan on furthur studying this field, hopefully this will be a great start on my future studies.
 
I first heard about this course from people who have been enrolled in or have graduated from MFE programs. I also applied for MFE programs this year, and I was unfortunately waitlisted by the CMU MSCF program. Therefore, I decided to take this course to not only further strengthen my computer science skills but also hope that I could submit the certificate as supplemental material for my application. Overall, I think the course is really helpful and is much more structured than the courses I have previously taken at college. I also really like the parts that apply C++ programming to finance-related concepts, which I think will be very helpful for my future graduate studies and career. I think I will definitely recommend this course to other students who want to pursue a similar path!
 
Back
Top Bottom