Thanks to everybody that contributed. Definately got the full range of opinions from it's priceless to it's a useless fad, which I appreciate. Alot of sensible advice out there. What I think I'm going to do is go for a Graduate Certificate in Financial Engineering from Stevens in Hoboken. It's basically 1/3 of the mba course and it's 10 grand in tuition. All those credits can go towards the mba. This way in three months I can throw in some quant accreditation on my resume, get proficient in C++, maybe try to publish some stupid shit in some obscure journal, and most importantly network with some of the faculty.
Why does everybody think that learning a programming language is an easy task? Let me ask you this: could you become proficient in French in three months? Same concept. Anyway, check out the nucrealphynance.com forums and go to the university section. You will find a lot more info there.
well i already taught myself the basics, and I've learned other languages (javascript) so I think it's feasable. But i checked that link and it didnt work.
Try comparing the Masters of Financial Engineering from Baruch to the Masters of Mathematical Finance at NYU. I can tell with certainty that the NYU degree is worth a lot of money. Students get summer internships in the 50-80k range. I'm not sure if the MFE degree from Baruch provides similar benefits. I don't think the certificate will be worth much.
Yes the certificate is garbage. Don't do it. you will be wasting your time. The certificate is for current employees wishing to advance their knowledge.
C++ proficiency in 3 months?! LOL. Hopefully they cover the definition of "proficient" in the program you're enrolling in I won't even touch the fact that you tried to compare javascript to C++...
As others have said, don't kid yourself. What would you consider "the basics"? Unless you are already extremely comfortable with pointers, inheritance, polymorphism, common data structures (lists, trees, maps, graphs, sets, etc), common algorithms (to sort, search, etc), the Windows API (assuming you're programing for Windows), efficiency, and are really good at math, 3 months is a joke. And if you know all of those things well, it'll take about that much time to learn applicable programming for the finance world. Learning to program isn't just memorizing a language's syntax, but being able to think algorithmically and computationally, and then put it down in code).
So I assume you don't have a job so you're considering pursing this degree in financial engineering. Just because you get the degree doesn't mean you'll get a job. Get some work experience, there's alot of things to learn in the financial services industry.
I am a graduate of Baruch Financial Engineering program and I would like to provide some perspectives and insight to the program. The program was started six years ago by professor Howard, who has worked for several Wall Street firms, including Salomon Bros, as 'Master of Science in Applied Mathematics for Finance'. Initially, the focus was more on derivatives, options, bond pricing, things of that nature. Overtime, to better respond to the needs of the industry, the program evolved and added elements of computational finance, structured finance, risk pricing and analysis to the program. The program is now well balanced, so students now have a choice of pursuing any of above-mentioned specialties. I would like to focus now on the computational finance component of the program. What do I mean by 'computational'. Well, in the first two semesters of study, a full-time student is required to code in c/ C++ in at least six of the eight courses. One is expected to do homeworks and exams by modeling and coding in C++. In this regard, Baruch's MFE is quite unique in its requirements of 'computational finance'. Only CMU's Master in Computation Finance might have a stronger emphasis in this aspect of financial engineering. Additionally, Baruch's MFE grad have placed second in Interactive Broker's annual computerized trading competition two years running (2006 & 2007) http://www.quantnet.org/forum/showthread.php?t=768 http://www.quantnet.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1080 Baruch also has a live trading floor. Professor Richard Holowczak who runs the program, has provided strong support to our program. One thing that might not be obvious to the outsiders, is the commitment of the program to placed its students. Most of the graduates have found employment via the program internal network of alumni, recruiter contacts and professors who have worked in the Street. Director Dan Stefanica treats everyone like one from a big family. I personally did not have finance experience prior to joining the program. Now I am working in structured finance, more than doubling my previous salary. Lastly, it is NOT easy to get in. I heard that this year, the acceptance rate was 11%, out of over 500 applicants. Only the very best students are admitted. See the student profile: http://quantnet.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2738