C++ prerequisites

[Bachelier]

I need some help please.

I have no programming experience besides playing with HTML and CSS as a hobby before.
My college is offering a C++ programming class this summer. (it has a prerequisite class: Object-Oriented Programming, which is mainly about Java) I am thinking about skipping it and going straight to C++.

I need to learn C++. The summer course is a 7 week session. It seems perfect for me to learn this programming language but I am worried about doing poorly or being lost in the class as I will have only 7 weeks to finish the course.

I know people have learned programming languages before in less than 10 days and I hope I can get to that level. But I need to get some programming background.

Do you think I should read about OOP (object oriented programming) to prepare myself for the C++ course? Can you recommend any good books on the subject?

Also, can you offer any general advice on my situation? Do you think this doable?

I was looking at Amazon and noticed a book by the name: Object-Oriented Programming Demystified
http://www.amazon.com/OOP-Demystified-James-Keogh/dp/0072253630/

Thank you

 

[iddqd]

Do you have a syllabus for it? It seems like the course might be biting off more than you can chew if you don't understand object oriented programming to some extent already (which can take some time).

 

[Connor]

I agree with iddqp, if it isn't an introductory to programming with C++ you will probably have trouble unless you spend tons of hours outside of class self-studying.

I think it's doable but get an introductory book on programming to get the basics down before you start the course.

 

[mkheidzedavid]

I can give you the whole basic course book if you want it? See my skype and contact me if you get interested.

 

[sak]

The first time I took C++ course in undergrad, I was so lost that I finally decided that I am just going to memorize all the example codes. But believe it or not once I had some of the codes memorized, suddenly things started making sense. It was a great leap overnight. You might have to do that as well. They do not make sense all the time but sometime during the course when you will start putting the pieces together, they will intrigue you in an exciting way. I had used book by Robert Lafore. Not at all a great one but it helped.

 

[AlexandreB]

My last year of undergrad at McGill, I registered in an Artificial Intelligence class aimed at seniors given by the comp. sci. department. The thing was I didn't even have completed the prerequisites for the prerequisites of the class, and I wasn't neither much of a hacker at home (yet). I was thus prohibited from taking the class. But since the professor had more important to do than making sure I dropped the class I managed to take the class anyway. Long story short I got an A-, well above the average, and the class proved to be the most useful one for my grad studies.
Don't let red tape such as "prerequisites" stand in your way. Worst case scenario you'll have a bad grade but you'll still learn quite a lot. You won't regret taking the class, but odds are you'll regret not taking it.

 

[Bachelier]

Hey thanks guys.

here's the book we'll be using:
http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-C-4t...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267260901&sr=8-1

I think I will just push myself and learn OOP via that book OOP Demystified.

I don't have a syllabus for the course about C++, but this is the course description:

Some people recomemnded this book as a good beginner book for c++

Amazon.com: Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example (9780201703535): Andrew Koenig, Barbara E. Moo: Books

I think this school offers the course on a pass/ no pass basis as well. I may opt for this option.

---------- Post added at 10:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 PM ----------

here's the syllabus of the same course but from a different teacher. However they use the same book and I am sure the same curriculum is respected:

Course Description:

Continuation of Object Oriented Programming, but in the C++ programming language. Systematic approach to design, construction, and management of computer programs; emphasizing program documentation, testing, debugging, maintenance and software reuse. Topics covered in CIS278 include C++ language basics, control structures, functions and libraries, recursion, objects and classes, pointers, dynamic structures, inheritance and polymorphism.
​

​

Materials:

Course Textbook:

Absolute C++ 4th Edition by Savitch
MyCodeMate Useful Links:
Download Microsoft Express for C++
Cplusplus.com


​

Topic/Text Coverage



C++ BASICS & Control Flow
Functions, Parameters & Overload
Arrays
Structs and Classes
Constructors and Static Members
Operator Overloading
String class vs CStrings
Pointers and Dynamic Arrays
Simple File I/O
Recursion
Inheritance & Polymorphism
Template classes Exception handling
Chap 1 & 2
Chap 3 & 4
Chap 5
Chap 6
Chap 7
Chap 8
Chap 9
Chap 10
Chap 12
Chap 13
Chap 14 & 15 Chap 16 Chap 18







<H3>Homework Guidelines:</H3>

• Be sure your name is included in an initial comment of EACH file submitted.
• Be sure that your code is well-commented. That means that the intent of each variable is clear (via comment, naming or both), and that the algorithm of your code is easily following thru commenting and spacing.
• Indicate the compiler which you are using.(ie. Visual Studio Express, Visual C++, gcc, et).
• ONLY send me the files requested. This may be a subset of the files involved, in the case that I supplied some of the files for the project.

• 
  
  [*]Do NOT use names which include spaces for files or folders.

** Note: This course is offered for a Letter Grade or for Credit/No Credit grading. The default is Letter Grade. If you want to take the course for Credit/No Credit, you must complete a Credit/No Credit Grading Option Petitionand turn it in to the Office of Admissions and Records early in the semester (see Schedule of classes for deadline).



---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 PM ----------

This is the description of the prerequisite course:

Introduction to Object-Oriented Program Design (4)Pass/No Pass or letter grade option. Minimum of 48 lecture hours and 48 lab hours per term.

Description: Introduction to object-oriented computer programming for computer science majors and computer professionals. Includes simple data types; control structures; an introduction to array and string data structures and algorithms; debugging techniques; history of computer science, computer systems and environments; and the social implications of computing. Emphasizes object-oriented design, good software engineering principles and developing fundamental programming skills in Java. This course conforms to the ACM CS0 standards. A materials fee in the amount shown in the Schedule of Classes is payable upon registration.


And this is the descripton of the C++ course:

Programming Methods: C++ (4)Pass/No Pass or letter grade option. Minimum of 48 lecture hours and 48 lab hours plus 16 hours by arrangement per term.

Description: Continuation of OOP. Object-oriented programming methodology for both computer science majors and computer professionals. Systematic approach to design, construction, and management of computer programs; emphasizing program documentation, testing, debugging, maintenance and software reuse. Also includes UML, virtual machines, exception handling, sorting and searching algorithms, recursion, fundamental graphics, and computer ethics. This course conforms to the ACM CS1 standards. A materials fee in the amount shown in the Schedule of Classes is payable upon registration.

 

[Pasion]

Hey AlexandreB, Was your AI course helpful to your pursuit of being a quant (I'm assuming)? If so, what skills did it teach you and how are they related to this field?

 

[AlexandreB]

Hey Pasion, I'm not a quant yet, only an MFE student. However my AI class taught me plenty of stuff I'm using now. For example, we had to program a checkers player with a time limit to make moves, so we were always asking ourselves 'how can we make this piece of code more efficient?'. We saw the Bellman equation, dynamic programming and stochastic decision making processes, which I used in both a dynamic programming class I had last semester in my MFE but also in a portfolio management class when multiple periods were considered. We also saw straight optimisation which also proved to be helpful on the portfolio management class. Last but not least we saw some statistical learning stuff like decision trees, bayes nets and neural networks, which although I haven't used so far I have heard they were hot skills to have, at least before the crisis.

 

[DanM]

If you had some programming experience (I don't think HTML counts) I'd say you should pick up a book like Absolute C++ and just start self-learning OOP in C++. That's what I did with minimal programming experience in VBA and Fortran, and the learning curve hasn't been as steep as I thought it would be. I'm far from a C++ guru at this stage, but I've been able to implement some (simple) bond and Vanilla option pricers. I'm currently reading "Intro to C++ for Financial Engineers" by Duffy.

 

[Pasion]

Thanks for the insight AlexandreB, It will contribute to my decision on what electives to take.

 

[rloz]

hello,

just my two cents, the Accelerated C++ book by Koenig and Moo is one of the best introductory C++ books out there. Gets u familiar and comfy with generic programming, pointers, memory allocation and smart pointers.

 

[Bachelier]

Thank you guys.
Some schools like UCLA just offer the course right of the bat: no prerequisites needed.
I think once you start getting at the Junior College level, Admin folks just get worried because of the puny level of students' unpreparedness and commitment.
I am going forward with my plan to study C++ during the Summer. I can't keep on wasting time on another prerequisite.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

DanM mentioned my C++ book. May I say I have a support site on http://www.datasimfinancial.com/ for it.

What I would consider a reasonably complete intro C++ distance course for finance at a competitive price, please see

http://www.datasimfinancial.com/course_detail.php?courseId=32

It is possible to start at any time.

//
A general remark is that learning to think OO-way in combination with C++ is optimal. A useful trick is to do a project a-la C or Matlab and gradually port it to a more OO solution.

 

[Bachelier]

Thank you Daniel.

 

[Xavir]

Learn C++ Programming Experience None

Hi Members,
This is my first post in this community.
I wanted to learn the basics of C++ over summer, and was looking for some recommended readings.
I have had absolutely no programming or CS experience in my undergrad days (econ). From work experience, I am very adept with stat packages used mainly in social sciences (stata and spss). Just began masters in fall and two classes have used sas and R. I have taken short courses in oracle (mostly sql queries).

Most of the books mentioned in this forum for C++ are assuming that the reader has some basic knowledge of programming. Since I have absolutely none, would someone recommend me a book they used in their undergrad days or before that might help me move on to c++. I have access to MATLAB currently, so if you suggest that i just practice with matlab (or R), I can do that. however, I prefer doing it the old fashioned way with books
I will appreciate your replies.
Thx!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I used the first version of this book in 97 when i took C++ for the first time. Great beginner book
Amazon.com: Problem Solving with C++, 7th Edition (9780321531346): Walter Savitch: Books

 

[Joy Pathak]

I used the first version of this book in 97 when i took C++ for the first time. Great beginner book
Amazon.com: Problem Solving with C++, 7th Edition (9780321531346): Walter Savitch: Books

I am currently using the 7th edition and am on the 13th chapter. It has been a good book till now. No major complains. Easy to read. Most of the problems behind the chapters are decent. I wish there were more numerical problems. I think I saw one Standard Deviation problem, and thats about it.

It's a good book, great for beginners. Do the problems at the back, it really helps in understanding what is explained in each chapter and how to use it.

I will prolly post a detailed review on Amazon and on my blog later in the month about it and other FE books I am currently using.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

If there is interest, I'll post my C++ library code i wrote during MFE in case anyone want to reuse. Maybe in one of my blog post.

 

[joel_b]

Of the 2 savtich books, Absolute C++ vs Problem Solving in C++, what are their purposes? Which is best?