If you have a logical problem solving mind ( use google to cheat, most issues can be found ) , then it won't take long, I was 12 when i learned to code. Once you understand the basic logic, you can apply that to any language, only the syntax changes. Biggest issue, remembering the syntax, start creating a list of all the commands you've used. High level low level assembly maybe not but rare thats used these days, how i started coding.
Create some systems in Ninjascript which is based on C#. That way, if you cannot secure an internship next summer you at least have a new valuable skill for your personal trading.
With all due respect you did not know that learning a programming language nowadays is a must? Carnegie Mellon U dedicated a whole CIS division only to research how to teach programming to kids. A very popular professor there who since passed due to sickness devoted his late life to that pursuit. What makes you think you will take time now if you did not take the time earlier to learn a language. People around me juggled working full time and studied part time in one of the toughest grad school Quant finance programs in the world and still studied for their CFA all at the same time. It's all about being driven or not being driven. Being passionate or not being passionate. If you are studying finance just for the hope of making big bucks then this is the entirely wrong industry for you and you will go through many painful years before you will be pushed out by more competitive people. Maybe your lack of not getting an internship was a wakeup call. Time to make up your mind NOW what you want in life. And I recommend you listen to those who have actually made a mark in their life, not some unemployed lurkers. I promise you will be much more successful and happy in life if you go for what you are passionate for and truly driven by. Obviously finance so far has not been it. Time to make a decision perhaps to get your shix together and shift gears or exit and change industries?
Dude are you a CIS or Fin student? Make up your mind. If you want to work as developer yes go for c++. If you want to work in finance heed the advice everyone else so far gave you. Go for Python and Java. I get the impression you have little to no clue. Sigh.
You were 12 when you learned to code and by self proclamation you are old now. So in 40 or 50 years the best language you found was VB. Net?
Python and Ruby. But it seems like you've made up your mind on learning a 20 year old language so do whatever you want.
This conduit guy seems like a bit of a debby downer. Anyway...from someone that actually works in finance and i still learning to code... If you have a lot of time on your hands now (you mentioned 6+) then perhaps learn C##, it is one of the more difficult languages to learn but will give you a stronger base. That said, this is usually learnt by real programmers rather than used in finance so I only suggest that if you have a lot of free time to do this and you want to stand out. For strictly finance purposes python will be your best bet (what I am learning) as it's the most useful and has the most resources for finance. It can also be linked to R nicely which is great for analysing large data sets.
Programming languages are tools. As such you pick the right one for the job at hand. You will find many different languages used in financial institutions, each depending on the problem to be solved. e.g. Need to quickly build a corporate website? Look at Ruby, PHP etc. Need to throw together a back office accounting application? Look at Python etc. Need to build an enterprise wide risk management platform? Look at Java, C# etc. Need to build a low latency market making application? Look at C++ or possibly D. Need to build an ultra low latency arb application. Well then you need to get next to the metal and look at dropping down to Assembly for the time critical routines. It's all horses for courses. You don't try to bash in a nail using a screwdriver. Software engineers will launch into holy wars fighting over which language is best. The truth is (and most developers only realise this if they make it to senior management) there is NO best language. Just languages which are better suited to a particular job than others. Given your background and the fact you don't plan on becoming a career software engineer, I going to suggest something leftfield and recommend you learn R instead. If you are serious about thus endeavour then do some research and you'll realise why. Good luck.
Just as Thug said, you need to know what role you want to fit in with regards to the industry. "I wanna be employed by a finance firm" isn't cutting the cheese. You want a trading/quant role -> Phyton, R, Mathlab You want to be a GUI/application guy --> C++ You want to go into infrastructure/market connection: Assembly It looks like you don't have an idea of what you really want, which is a huge red flag for any employer in this business. In addition you have to be aware of the fact that this business is changing extremely quickly and as a coder you are basically a bottom feeder. Once your employer finds edge in another field/needs another programming language, boom you are out and exchanged for another grad/Phd. Don't think that learning a programming language sets you appart from your competition. Right now, talent is widely available and cheap. Everyone has an MBA, Phd and can code. And by the time you finished university, the industry has changed so much that it demands completely different skillsets. So learn a language YOU WANT to learn. Don't try to learn anything because you think you can find work in finance because of it in a couple of years. In this business success is formed by opportunity meeting skill. Or do you think any guy ever studied numerical weather prediction just because he wanted to end up in an HFT shop? I don't think so