Is there enough time for me to take this course?

[MMF]

Hello all,

I am currently a first year PhD student in Applied Mathematics, and I am heavily considering going into finance afterwards. I'm interested in this C++ program, both to help me land an internship as soon as next summer, but also to help me learn C++ at an intermediate level which will assist me in my current research. I've heard the course can be quite time demanding, and as a result I didn't know if it would be fit for me to take now or if I should wait until the summer. I am currently juggling courses and research.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Go for it! It is 16 weeks and students have lots of time. QN C++ is a skill.

I am the originator of this course and a numerical analyst. And C++ is super for maths!

 

[Onegin]

If you mean land an internship summer of 2020, you'd better get cracking. The certificate will likely be a differentiator.

If you have in mind to study through the summer (not a terrible idea - there are a lot of "Masters" students who either failed comps or didn't get thesis topic approved), then I'd do the certificate then.

16 weeks is very difficult to manage when working a lot, and the cost to re-up is not trivial. The only challenge I had with the course was the prohibition on syntax questions; I wasted way too much time trying to find and correct stupid semi-colons. You'll want to have someone nearby to bounce stuff off of when you get in the hole. It gets easier with time, but that transition is kind of rough to start out with.

 

[MMF]

Go for it! It is 16 weeks and students have lots of time. QN C++ is a skill.

I am the originator of this course and a numerical analyst. And C++ is super for maths!

Thank you for our reply. As someone with a numerical analysis background, do you feel the course will be applicable to applied math research (aside from the basics of C+)?

If you mean land an internship summer of 2020, you'd better get cracking. The certificate will likely be a differentiator.

If you have in mind to study through the summer (not a terrible idea - there are a lot of "Masters" students who either failed comps or didn't get thesis topic approved), then I'd do the certificate then.

16 weeks is very difficult to manage when working a lot, and the cost to re-up is not trivial. The only challenge I had with the course was the prohibition on syntax questions; I wasted way too much time trying to find and correct stupid semi-colons. You'll want to have someone nearby to bounce stuff off of when you get in the hole. It gets easier with time, but that transition is kind of rough to start out with.

For an internship I meant 2021, sorry I should have been more clear. The biggest issue for me is managing to fit everything in with my current schedule (full graduate course load, research, TA'ing, and qualifying exams later this year). I will say however, I'm sure this course will assist me in my research which is largely computational and written almost entirely in C/C++. I'll have more time at home due to the virus, but the downside of that is I won't have anyone to bounce ideas off of as you suggested. How much time did you put into this course on a daily or weekly basis?

 

[Onegin]

I'm not the brightest lamp in the chandelier, so I'm probably not the best benchmark for your purposes.

I could do about 1-2 hours a day with my work / school constraints. Full time job, 1-2 grad level math classes. I went through level 2, then spent about 20 hours on a bug, couldn't figure it out, posted to the forum, got dinged by the TA for a syntax question, got frustrated and tapped out. I'm planning to reboot this summer.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

If you mean land an internship summer of 2020, you'd better get cracking. The certificate will likely be a differentiator.

If you have in mind to study through the summer (not a terrible idea - there are a lot of "Masters" students who either failed comps or didn't get thesis topic approved), then I'd do the certificate then.

16 weeks is very difficult to manage when working a lot, and the cost to re-up is not trivial. The only challenge I had with the course was the prohibition on syntax questions; I wasted way too much time trying to find and correct stupid semi-colons. You'll want to have someone nearby to bounce stuff off of when you get in the hole. It gets easier with time, but that transition is kind of rough to start out with.

Semi-colons are a way to tell the compiler when to stop and take a break. Comes with the territory.
Have you read the last chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses? not a single comma or semi-colonial in sight.


C++ is actually "Applied Chomsky"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhC7sdYe-Jg

 

[Daniel Duffy]

I'm not the brightest lamp in the chandelier, so I'm probably not the best benchmark for your purposes.

I could do about 1-2 hours a day with my work / school constraints. Full time job, 1-2 grad level math classes. I went through level 2, then spent about 20 hours on a bug, couldn't figure it out, posted to the forum, got dinged by the TA for a syntax question, got frustrated and tapped out. I'm planning to reboot this summer.

Good luck!
Learning syntax is like learning how to breakfall in judo.
Maybe take a different approach to confronting syntax (there's a right way and a wrong way). I gave a course to 22 MFE students few weeks and they all had syntax problems.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Thank you for our reply. As someone with a numerical analysis background, do you feel the course will be applicable to applied math research (aside from the basics of C+)?



For an internship I meant 2021, sorry I should have been more clear. The biggest issue for me is managing to fit everything in with my current schedule (full graduate course load, research, TA'ing, and qualifying exams later this year). I will say however, I'm sure this course will assist me in my research which is largely computational and written almost entirely in C/C++. I'll have more time at home due to the virus, but the downside of that is I won't have anyone to bounce ideas off of as you suggested. How much time did you put into this course on a daily or weekly basis?

Yes! I use solely C++ for my maths work. Go for it.
Last but not least, it's got to be said that TA is top notch (see testimonials).

Actually, learning to read, understand and resolve compiler/linker errors is essential. C++ is not R or Python in this regard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXjU9qTsYCc

 

[pasquale.zaccarella]

@MMF

Hello all,

I am currently a first year PhD student in Applied Mathematics, and I am heavily considering going into finance afterwards. I'm interested in this C++ program, both to help me land an internship as soon as next summer, but also to help me learn C++ at an intermediate level which will assist me in my current research. I've heard the course can be quite time demanding, and as a result I didn't know if it would be fit for me to take now or if I should wait until the summer. I am currently juggling courses and research.

Thanks for reading.

By the way, I would like to share my experience until now
I was banging my head on the first module because I have never seen either C nor C++ before. The second module was quite easy maybe because I got the point of C due to the first module. Now, I am still working on the third modules which is gonna be a little bit challenge because I have to get used to C++. I work as Credit Risk analyst in a Central Bank where I am also in charge of coordinating the Rating Team in which I am the lead analyst. For now, I am struggling to balance between work and C++ course but the challenge is actually part of the learning process. I think it can be manageable for a Phd student with a Math background like you!

 

[Daniel Duffy]

C module 1 is like Ogham until syntax becomes clear. Having got the syntax under your belt the rests is learning C++ concepts.