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Samuel
posted May 9, 2017
API Seeking Help Tools and Tips

Hey, I hate to be that guy, but looking for resources to get started with quantopian. I have done the tutorials and have been able to run some simulations, but what I really want to know is where should I begin in regards to learning python. I have looked at many of the algorithms shared by the community, and though I can follow them, I am unable to write anything complicated besides a rebalancing algorithm on my own.

My background is in finance and I have coded in VBA primarily. I have implimented basic algos (using VBA), but would love to be able to truly harness what is in this platform. Recently I have done some of the more basic python online tutorials, but I am having trouble making the leap from that to this. Any help would be greatly appreciated, there are so many ideas I would love to implement and share, but currently lack the tools to do so.

2 responses
Alisa Deychman
May 9, 2017

Welcome to Q! The best place to start is definitely learning some basic Python. You don't need to be a Python expert to work on Quantopian, but you need some basics. Here are some links to a few good tutorials:

Python Beginner Resources
- Quantopian Lecture, Intro to Python: https://www.quantopian.com/lectures#Introduction-to-Python
- Code Academy: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/python
- Python tutorial: https://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/
- Dive into Python: http://www.diveintopython.net/
- Learn Python: http://www.learnpython.org/

Those can help you get acquainted with the language, and then you can work to develop more detailed algos. Cheers.

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The material on this website is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation or endorsement for any security or strategy, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory services by Quantopian. In addition, the material offers no opinion with respect to the suitability of any security or specific investment. No information contained herein should be regarded as a suggestion to engage in or refrain from any investment-related course of action as none of Quantopian nor any of its affiliates is undertaking to provide investment advice, act as an adviser to any plan or entity subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, individual retirement account or individual retirement annuity, or give advice in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the materials presented herein. If you are an individual retirement or other investor, contact your financial advisor or other fiduciary unrelated to Quantopian about whether any given investment idea, strategy, product or service described herein may be appropriate for your circumstances. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Quantopian makes no guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the views expressed in the website. The views are subject to change, and may have become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances.

Samuel
May 10, 2017

wow the top python lecture series hosted by you guys looks great. I have a slight background, but its hard for me to visualize working in a data set I cannot see like the pipeline. Thank you for your help and guidance Alisha.

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The material on this website is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation or endorsement for any security or strategy, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory services by Quantopian.

In addition, the material offers no opinion with respect to the suitability of any security or specific investment. No information contained herein should be regarded as a suggestion to engage in or refrain from any investment-related course of action as none of Quantopian nor any of its affiliates is undertaking to provide investment advice, act as an adviser to any plan or entity subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, individual retirement account or individual retirement annuity, or give advice in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the materials presented herein. If you are an individual retirement or other investor, contact your financial advisor or other fiduciary unrelated to Quantopian about whether any given investment idea, strategy, product or service described herein may be appropriate for your circumstances. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Quantopian makes no guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the views expressed in the website. The views are subject to change, and may have become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances.