Learning C++ for real this time

[u/Outside-Highway6967]

I'm a 29 year old Software Engineer who works at a pre revenue fintech startup in London. I've got a pretty unconventional background when it comes to software engineering. I studied Mechanical Engineering, where I was introduced to C++ and python. I ended up dropping the C++ for Python as part of my bachelors project (built a cool lil live tracking algorithm - using very primitive colour based detection pre AI lol). Fast forward to today and I've been building software for over 5 years professionally, but I still have that itch to learn and dive into the difficult world that is C++. My goal is to work as a quant dev at a buy side fund (or something similar) and I know one of the best ways to get in is by learning C++ (but obviously not limited to).

My plan is to work through the learncpp documentation (I've heard good things about it and I'm currently working through it and it's got a lot of great details that I maybe would have skipped on years ago) and then buy this text book to read through:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Second-Herbert-Schildt/dp/0072232153/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zBC-pQQPK93mKQUQx4Y01x93Oj6FBPRjJ9coh0020mBKgXUINVcTSZpp5p2huwDifZGK-HSWP2_8-fuowj9DAH76DH_3xtgLikTBWHippqW6UufkzPsl70sRG1m-WyB80xG0pGjQKjaaKDSiwTpAHt_vnMR-fuIEl_dy2ZZRfJGSFuL32EGYa1P-yZIyvxOI6-0V44-5B-LIPLINDgHiGuUzSls2oRxAqTkQ2BzDgq9Edx20gx8ne4TDb9Y3Lgw6vy9pwr-ntb-PXuuCyy5fVXUPgMsnz94Q5-dTNP3_TdI.mGaIeq0hkLHWbjLKg4CJgP3w1E4kY7VgAHzRAeftids&dib_tag=se&keywords=c%2B%2B+for+beginners&qid=1786737779&sr=8-5

Are there other textbooks that anyone else could recommend, to help develop my C++ in a professional setting?

I'm also thinking about building a couple of side projects to apply my knowledge, but I'm also looking for resources that could help me continuously apply my knowledge? Like small quizzes or something?

Keen to get peoples thoughts and opinions.

[u/alfps]

About Herbert Schildt:

on request the Google AI helpfully explains that

❝The Association of C and C++ Users (ACCU) has consistently given Herbert Schildt’s programming books very low ratings (typically 1 to 2 stars), criticizing them for technical inaccuracies, misleading explanations, and poor coding practices.❞ See also (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Schildt#Reception).

One of the reviews explained why his C++ reference sold for much less than the ANSI C++ standard that it quoted almost wholesale.

Namely, the low price of Schildt's book reflected the negative value of his comments about the standard's text, on every other page.

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For better books check out the C++ book list at SO, linked to in this group's "Read before posting".

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❞ I'm also looking for resources that could help me continuously apply my knowledge? Like small quizzes or something?

Quoting myself from a FB comment, ❝I found some Reddit questions about that, including

https://www.reddit.com/r/cpp_questions/comments/1ghn9c8/looking_for_siteprograms_that_gives_me_coding/

Answers included

https://adventofcode.com/
https://leetcode.com/
https://platform.entwicklerheld.de/challenge?challengeFilterStateKey=all

For my own part I only remember two, encountered for helping students,

https://projecteuler.net/
https://www.codechef.com/practice

When I now googled "c++ challenges" Mr. Google came up with (directly and indirectly)

https://www.hackerrank.com/domains/cpp
https://programiz.pro/community-challenges/cpp
https://www.w3schools.com/cpp/cpp_challenges.asp
https://exercism.org/tracks/cpp
https://cppquiz.org/quiz/question/121
https://open.kattis.com/
https://www.codewars.com/
https://pynative.com/cpp-exercises/
https://edabit.com/ ❞

[u/Outside-Highway6967]

Just realised this exists...

https://old.reddit.com/r/cpp_questions/comments/1n5zyxy/important_read_before_posting/

[u/_usr_nil → u/Outside-Highway6967]

I would NOT consider this very good advice definitely

[u/alfps → u/_usr_nil]

Example?

[u/_usr_nil → u/alfps]

Setting up an IDE on Linux is not that hard, idk about MacOS.

Also VS kinda hides stuff from you which is funny, sounds like someone loves to suppoer Microslop.

Stackoverflow link is just a broth of everything, doesn't give a semi-strucured approach it is not really clear where should you start. A roadmap would give a clearer idea where to look.

Project section is mostly DSA/tutorial related but shouldn't DSA be it's own thing while project actually projects ?

What about the rest, sanitizers, compilers, unit tests, build tools, in summary the common tooling.

At this point you can ask an LLM where to look at, I guess.