VBA or C
I'll be doing S&T at a BB this summer and I've been told by a lot of people that if I picked up some programming skills, I would be ahead of the learning curve as an intern. However, some have said to learn C and take that knowledge to help learn VBA when I'm there, and others have said just to learn VBA for Excel straight up. I did some Java in hs, so I could transition to C easily, but I'm more inclined just to go straight to VBA. Any opinions on this?
C and Java are tremendous in learning excel/VBA. The logic comes much quicker.
If you haven't learned C and have taken Java in HS, go straight toward VBA. Don't take unnecessary steps to get there.
c++ contains c. Any c code will run by a c++ compiler. in terms of usefulness to a trader, VBA +1
VBA. Although, if I can have it my way, I'd invest my time learning C++.
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You two were bitching at each other on another thread, not this one ( http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/how-much-is-excel-worth-to-you )
VBA +1. You can do so much with it in Excel, especially in S&T, where you'll probably be doing bulk data manipulation all day anyway.
If you learn C++ or C#, VBA comes with ease. Its basically a simpler version with some additional features. Only new things you really need to learn are application-specific functionality.
BTW, definitely go for C++ or C# and not C. The functionality is just so much better, particularly with respects to data manipulation and class creation.
go straight to VBA... i don't see why you need to purposefully go slower
Yea, I'll probably just go straight to VBA. But like you guys said, I've been told the transition from C++ to VBA is really easy and I should just do C++. Anyone who knows both languages have some insight?
Background: I have pretty deep experience in VB(through VB6), VB.NET (through v2005, haven't had occasion to need 2008 yet), and VBA (in Excel). Also have some light experience in C++ and C#, some things I did required a level of control that VB couldn't give me.
The main advantage of learning C++ is that VB* languages give you 'bad' programing habits if they're your first major language. But you already have Java, so that's not really a concern; also, the syntax of Java and C++ is very similar, while VB is a bit more natural IMHO. C++ is a lot more powerful if you really get into it, but the learning curve is a lot steeper than VB. So unless you intend to go into programming as a career (maybe as a quant?), there's no real benefit of putting yourself through the steep curve of C++ if you're just going to use VBA to make your life easier.
Hope that helps.
As someone that knows C++, Java and VBA - what he said.
Yeah, I would tend to agree with most other people, probably just go straight to VBA. It can't hurt to have C++ experience though.
C is not easy. C++ is easier. For practical purposes, go with VBA.
I would pick up the Dummies Guide to VBA as that has the least fat.
Having spent a significant time during my HS and college days programing (I got lazy in a number of my math classes and programmed solvers in various languages, depending on my need), I've learned how to code in a number of languages. I've studied C, C++, Java, VB, Perl (goes hand and hand with learning SH scripting for Linux and Unix) and a few others with limited applications.
That said, if you learned some Java in HS, you should be able to best transition to C++. I found that the move was pretty easy, in that I went from one style of bloated object oriented programming to another OO-style language with a much more elegant language. Java and C/C++ have very similar styles of syntax and functionality, meaning that if you understand one, you can learn both languages move from one to the other fairly quickly. Additionally, C/C++ serves as the foundation for most programing. IF you want to do Quant related trading, knowing C/C++ will make your life much easier. If you don't plan to be a Quant, VBA doesn't hurt at all.
It's nice, but I can't stand it. IF you were taught good habits of coding (like comment everywhere... you'd be surprised how many people don't comment at all), VB and VBA will be a nightmare when you look at good coding practices. It's significantly more bloated than JAVA, but is more intuitive for someone without significant coding experience to learn on. It also can make excel a bit easier to use for some people.
Also, avoid the Dummies Guide, they are god awful. I would highly recommend picking anything by Deitel and Deitel. Those were the books I found most useful to teach myself coding, plus they are a great reference to have, since the examples they use are pretty good for most entry level coders. It's how I taught myself Perl and XML. I also have copies of their Java book and C++ book if I ever need a refresher.
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