Matlab as a quant language

How useful is Matlab as a quant language if it is the ONLY one you know?

A friend of mine who went quant 7 years ago said that you really need to know C++/C# or java these days to start adding value to the blocks of existing code at most jobs you'll run into.

An AM friend said it was fine: know Matlab, because plenty of FT implementers will convert that into sleek C routines anyways.

If I were to enter a recruiting situation today with only Matlab, how bad are my chances?

8 Comments
 

Matlab is not an object oriented language. For pure quant modeling, you need OO.

That being said, you can do other types of quant that only require Matlab/R/Excel. This would not be your typical FE role, though.

In fact, I landed a quant role with mostly a Matlab/R/Excel background. I do have a basic knowledge of OO languages, such as Java & C++, though. In my interview, I stressed that this understanding was purely fundamental, and that I was not a programmer.

 
Best Response
Anonymous1Matlab is not an object oriented language. For pure quant modeling, you need OO.

That being said, you can do other types of quant that only require Matlab/R/Excel. This would not be your typical FE role, though.

In fact, I landed a quant role with mostly a Matlab/R/Excel background. I do have a basic knowledge of OO languages, such as Java & C++, though. In my interview, I stressed that this understanding was purely fundamental, and that I was not a programmer.

Actually you can do Object Oriented programming in Matlab.

-MBP
 
everythingsucks
Anonymous1Matlab is not an object oriented language. For pure quant modeling, you need OO.

That being said, you can do other types of quant that only require Matlab/R/Excel. This would not be your typical FE role, though.

In fact, I landed a quant role with mostly a Matlab/R/Excel background. I do have a basic knowledge of OO languages, such as Java & C++, though. In my interview, I stressed that this understanding was purely fundamental, and that I was not a programmer.

Actually you can do Object Oriented programming in Matlab.

You can also use Excel as a statistical software package, but I wouldn't suggest it.

 

There are roles that require Matlab/R and not Java/C++, and you should be stronger in another area (math/statistics) to make up for not knowing OOP since your contribution will be more analysis and less development.

By the way I'm a financial engineering student so this is just based off what I saw this summer at my internship and from my classmates.

 

I really wish that my university abandons Python as the program for all the first year computer science courses and replaces them with C++. At this point, it looks like a long-shot .

I win here, I win there...
 
arbitRAGE.I really wish that my university abandons Python as the program for all the first year computer science courses and replaces them with C++. At this point, it looks like a long-shot .

Woa woa woa, Why are you hating on Python? Its OO, can de everything Matlab can but in a faster and cleaner way, its portable, and unless you really need tremendous amounts of speed, where C beats C++ if you understand the architecture its running on, id use it over any other language.

Plus its easier to learn for newbies than C/C++ so it makes it a good language to learn the concepts and fundamentals of programming rather than confusing an entire class with syntax and compiler issues.

So i find your complaint to be without merit. Just take C++ later.

 

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