Where should a CS graduate start with algo trading?
u/FearlessAd39 ·
Reddit — r/algotrading
· April 29, 2026 at 16:17
· ⬆ 15 pts
· 💬 38 comments
| View on Reddit ↗
AI Summary
Summary
The post is a request for guidance from a CS graduate entering algorithmic trading, lacking financial knowledge, and asking for book/course recommendations.
The author also asks where AI/ML (especially reinforcement learning) fits into algorithmic trading, indicating curiosity about advanced techniques.
Quality assessment: This is a beginner’s inquiry, not a research post or trade thesis – it’s educational noise with no data or analysis.
Score15
Comments38
Upvote %74%
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I have a CS degree, I can program, and I’m also familiar with AI/ML. I’ve always found financial markets interesting, but I’ve also always felt that manual trading isn’t really for me, especially because of the emotional side of it.
Recently I got curious about algorithmic trading and I’d like to start building and testing trading bots, even just in paper trading or without real money at first, mainly as a side project and learning experience.
The problem is that I don’t really know where to start because I’m missing most of the finance/trading knowledge. What books, courses, or resources would you recommend for a beginner coming from a software engineering background?
Also, another totally different question that i can't find an answer, where does AI actually fit into algo trading? Are AI techniques commonly used in trading bots, or is that more of an advanced topic? I’m thinking about things like reinforcement learning and similar approaches