Hi,A little about myself academic wise - Msc Physics from outside the EU, and more recently a Msc in Quants from a UK red brick uniI didnt get much luck in the job market although I did make some 2nd round interviews a year os so ago and decided to give the quants job search a breakI am know looking to get back into the job market and could really do with some of your expertise and knowledgeAlthough my academia work is good, I dont have ANY finanace experience - although I have temped over a period of time to pay the bills - pensions adminI think I would have a better chance of finding work if i spent some time learning a programming languageSo heres my plan ... go out and find a decent C++ , VBA, and advanced Excel book, spend the next year or so of my free time on my PC and get up to speed .... and then brush up on the academia stuff and give the job market another go An entry level position would be ok for me, I am young and smart and am prepared to work hardSo what are your thoughts ...TIA

2 quick suggestions: 1. study/join Quantlib project (great C++ training) and 2. improve English.

Very tough to teach yourself ... although commercial C++ courses tend to be priced for corporates with training budgets. There are probably some cheap night school classes in C++ though. Stick with the books too, of course, but it's useful to have some structure to studying. Bruce Eckel's 'Thinking in C++' is a good C++ introductory book and has the additional advantage of being downloadable for free from here Downloads

I don't know how people will look at a year with not much on your CV? I have no idea, was just wondering. Regarding books i would definitely recommend Accelarated C++ by Koenig and Moo. I'm teaching myself C++ right now, and i have no prior programming experience at all, but i find this book excellent!

QuoteI'm teaching myself C++ right now, and i have no prior programming experience at all, but i find this book excellent! Sorry, removed, I misread. Thought you wrote "I am teaching C++ (myself)"!!

Professional Excel Development by Bullen, Bovey, Green is a good and practical book on Excel and VBA (and has a chapter on integrating C/C++). But it's not for beginners.